CONCEPT 17

Stress and Health

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 Stress can motivate us to
succeed but it can also
overwhelm us and lead to
physical and emotional
health problems.
Understanding personal
sources of stress
and your unique stress Photo Credit: © McGraw-Hill Education/Gary

response can help facilitate He, photographer

optimal health.
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 PRESENTATION OVERVIEW
 Stress Facts and Definitions
 Sources of Stress
 Reactions to Stress
 Stress Effects on Health and Wellness
 Individual Responses to Stress

Discussion Activity
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 4
STRESS FACTS

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 STRESS FACTS
 About 75% of adults indicate they have
experienced moderate to high levels of stress in
the past month

 Stress has been linked to 50-70% of all

illnesses

 Nearly half report that their stress level has

increased in the past year

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 HEALTH PROBLEMS WITH
EXCESSIVE STRESS
 CHD and stroke
 Impaired immune system
 Insomnia
 Gastrointestinal problems, such as ulcers
 Accelerated aging

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 STRESS PROMOTES
NEGATIVE BEHAVIORS
 Direct effect
 Raises blood pressure
 Impairs immune system

 Indirect effect
 Less positive behaviors
(exercise, healthy diet, lack of sleep)
 More negative behaviors
(drinking, smoking, unhealthy diet)
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 STRESS MANAGEMENT
The first step in managing
stress is to recognize the
causes and to be aware of
the symptoms

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 9
SOURCES OF
STRESS

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 IMPORTANT
DEFINITIONS
 Stress
 Non-specific response (generalized adaptation) of
the body to any demand made on it in order to
maintain physiological equilibrium
 Stressors
 Things that place greater than routine demand on
body (varies in severity)

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 MAJOR STRESSORS
 Description:
 Create emotional turmoil or require tremendous
amounts of adjustment
 Examples:
 Personal crises: Major health problems, death in the
family, divorce, financial problems, etc.
 Job/school-related pressures: Grades, term papers,
presentations
 Major age-related transitions: College, marriage,
career, retirement

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 MINOR STRESSORS
 Description:
 Shorter-term or less severe stressors
 Examples:
 Traffic hassles
 Peer/work relations
 Time pressures
 Family squabbles

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 Click for info
on Lab 17a

STRESS IN COLLEGE
 First time of independence
 Less structured environment
 Work and school pressures
 Relationships

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 STRESS BY GENERATION
 Millennials and
Gen Xers have
higher levels of
reported stress
than other age
groups
Source: American Psychological Association (2015). Stress in America: Paying
with our Health. Washington D.C.

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 15
REACTIONS TO
STRESS

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 REACTIONS TO STRESS
 All people have a general reaction to stress
 Walter Cannon’s Fight-or-Flight response
 Non-specific stress response
 Hans Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome
(see Table in book)
1. Alarm
2. Resistance
3. Exhaustion

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REACTIONS TO STRESS
 Physiological
 Fatigue
 Headaches, indigestion, insomnia, etc.

 Cognitive
 Impair concentration and attention

 Emotional
 Anxiety and apprehension

 Behavioral
 Nail-biting
 Altered eating and sleeping habits
 Smoking, alcohol, drug use
 Less physical activity
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 THE NATURE OF
STRESS
The Process of Stress
Appraisal Coping
Stressor Stress Outcome

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 APPRAISAL OF STRESSORS
High Stress

See stressor
as a threat

Stressor Appraisal Stress

See stressor
as a challenge

Low Stress
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 REACTIONS TO STRESS

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 THE STRESS TARGET ZONE

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 INDIVIDUAL
22
RESPONSES TO
STRESS

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 INDIVIDUAL RESPONSES TO
STRESS
 Stress will be experienced and processed
differently by different individuals

 Reactions to stress will depend on the

individual’s appraisal of the event and the
subsequent physiological response

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 STRESS-PRONE
PERSONALITIES
 Type A
 Time-urgency
 Competitive
 Anger and hostility
 Type D - “Distressed”
 “Negative affectivity” or negative emotion
 “Social inhibition,” or the tendency not to express
negative emotions in social interactions

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 FAVORABLE STRESS
Click for Lab CHARACTERISTICS
17b Info
 Positive emotion
 Resilience
 Optimism
 Locus of control
 External
 Internal* (with self-efficacy)
 Conscientiousness
 Hardiness
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 MANAGING STRESSORS
 Self-assessment of stressors

 Learn and practice stress management

techniques (next concept)
 Deep breathing
 Meditation
 Physical activity
 More…

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 SUMMARY OF STRESS
You may not be able to smooth
out the surf, but you can learn
to ride the waves!

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 SUPPLEMENTARY
INFO

Lab Information
Discussion Activity
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 Return to LAB 17A INFORMATION
presentation EVALUATING YOUR STRESS
LEVEL

 Complete the life experience survey

 Summarize your current level of stress in
comparison with the survey scores

Note: The life experience surveys assume that

stressors affect everyone in the same way and
therefore may not yield highly accurate indicators of
stress.
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 Return to
LAB 17B INFORMATION
presentation EVALUATING YOUR HARDINESS
AND
LOCUS OF CONTROL

 Complete the Hardiness and Locus of Control

questionnaires
 Summarize the score for each dimension of
Hardiness
 Discuss whether you feel the scores are useful
indicators of your response to stress
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Return to Presentation

What are some sources of stress

shared by entire communities,
cultures, or societies?

Can you think of specific examples?

t i vi t y
s i on Ac
cus
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17-26