Stress
What Is Stress?
Your definition…
Stimulus or Response? Or interaction?
Stressor — (stimulus) event or situation that triggers
coping adjustments
Stress reaction – How do you respond to stress?
What are your ―symptoms?‖
physiological, cognitive, emotional, behavioral
Stress as process – interaction between event,
perception, and reaction
The Physiology of Stress
Walter Cannon (1932)
Fight-or-flight reaction
Outpouring of substances that prepare an
organism to defend against a threat
Adaptive for our ancestors (but contributes to
stress-related illnesses in modern times)
Brain and Endocrine
System in Stress
Sympathoadreno-Medullary (SAM) System
The body’s initial, rapid-acting response to
stress -- epinephrine and norepinephrine from
the adrenal medulla
Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenocortical
(HPAC) System
The body’s second response to stress --
secretion of corticosteroid hormones from the
adrenal cortex
Stress Pathways
Measuring Stress
Physiological Measures
Polygraph or Biofeedback machine—records
several arousal responses, including heart rate, blood
pressure, respiration rate, and GSR (measure of the
skin’s resistance to electricity)
Fluid samples – (e.g., saliva) to test for
catecholamine and cortisol production
Subjective Measures
Stress questionnaires
Variability in
stress response
Stress reactivity: people vary in their
sweating, pupil dilation and changes in heart
rate when stressed.
Stress recovery: People vary in the speed
with which they return to normal after being
stressed.
Stress resistance: People vary in their
stress responses due to coping, social support
etc
Sources of Stress
List your top five stressors
Stressors
Common hassles
School demands
Noise – residents near airports have higher BP
& stress
Crowding
Relationship issues
Sleep deprivation
Job stress (next slides)
Job-Related Stress
Job-related stress costs:
absenteeism
reduced productivity
worker compensation benefits
Research study: “Overload
in Working Mothers”
BCBS workers
Measures:
Urine samples (to look for metabolites of
stress hormones)
Daily mood scale
Results: feel stressed (esp w/ children at home)
High stress (low perceived control + high demand)
increased urinary neurohormones
Sources of Stress
Stressors (continued)
Major life events (e.g., divorce, moves)
Catastrophic stressors (next slide)
Sources of Stress:
Catastrophes
Oklahoma City, 9/11, Katrina, etc.
Increased incidence of hypertension, heart disease,
and other stress-related ailments
Rates of depression, anxiety, and other
psychological disorders increase
New Orleans Suicide Rate May Be Up
Associated Press - September 14, 2006 –
New Orleans' suicide rate appears to have gone up in
the first six months after Hurricane Katrina
evacuees were allowed back home
How does a potential stressor
lead to stress?
Perception and stress
“I have had a great many
troubles in my life…
And most never happened…”
Mark Twain
Perceiving Stress
Many situations are not inherently stressful… depends
on appraisal:
• Primary appraisal — determination of an event’s
meaning
• Secondary appraisal — evaluation of one’s ability to
meet the demands of a challenging event
Cognitive appraisals are extremely susceptible to one’s
current state of mood, health, motivation
Stress and Illness (next powerpoint)