LP 8a stress 1 02/14/11

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1 LP 8a stress 1

2 LP 8a stress 2 What is stress? Stressors: Stress: Specific events or chronic pressures that place demands on a person or threaten the person s well-being. The physical and psychological response to internal or external stressors.

3 LP 8a stress 3 Stress: Warning Signs How do we recognize when someone (including ourselves) is experiencing stress? Emotional signs Anxiety Apathy Irritability Mental fatigue Behavioral signs Avoidance of responsibilities and relationships escape/avoid Extreme or self-destructive behavior (e.g. cutting oneself) Self-neglect Poor judgment Physical signs Frequent illness Exhaustion Overuse of medicines Physical ailments and complaints Source: (Doctor and Doctor, 1994)

4 LP 8a stress 4 Sources of Stress Stressful Events o Major Life Event and Change o College Undergraduate Stress Scale (CUSS) Chronic Stressors o Daily Hassles

5 Sources of Stress: Life Events and Change LP 8a stress 5 One early approach looked how an individual s life events and changes in their life produce stress.

6 Sources of Stress: Life Events and Change LP 8a stress 6 The Social Readjustment Rating Scale was adapted for college students. Life events can cause stress in that your expectations and what is expected of you may change. For example, stress tends to increase in a family when the first child is born due to changes in roles and responsibilities.

7 LP 8a stress 7 However, individual differences in stressor such as: intensity, (spilled 2 liters of Pepsi versus 12 ounces) predictability, (aware of job cuts or not) duration, (being sick for 2 weeks versus 1 day) chronicity and (being sick each month versus each year) controllability (choosing which school to change to versus being forced into a school) of these life events limited this approach.

8 LP 8a stress 8 Sources of Stress: Chronic Stressors (Daily Hassles) Chronic stressors are a source of stress that occurs continuously or repeatedly. Those who report having a lot of daily hassles also report more psychological symptoms and physical symptoms of stress. These effects tend to have a greater and longer impact than major life changes. What are examples of daily hassles? Being late Losing your keys or wallet Waiting (in line for the bank, cash machine, for the doctor, at a traffic light) Cleaning up an unexpected mess Getting stuck in traffic Living near the airport People who express negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, anger or hostility report (perceive) more daily hassles than people who are generally in a positive mood, and they react much more intensely and with far greater distress to stressful events. In addition, they may be more likely to experience an episode of absentmindedness.

9 LP 8a stress 9 In addition, negative emotions such as loneliness and depression can increase the levels of stress hormones that can adversely affect the immune system and are more likely to develop a chronic disease such as arthritis or heart disease. Illness stress Negative emotions

10 LP 8a stress 10 Sources of Stress: Chronic Stressors (Daily Hassles) All of these are exacerbated (made worse) when you are in a hurry. Married women experienced both more daily hassles than men and had higher levels of psychological stress than their husbands. For women, family demands and interpersonal conflicts were the most frequent cause of stress. For men, sources of daily hassles were financial and job-related problems. The frequency of daily hassles is linked to both psychological distress and physical symptoms, such as headaches and backaches. The number of daily hassles is a better predictor of physical illness and symptoms than is the number of life event changes experienced.

11 Common Daily Hassles LP 8a stress 11

12 10 Most Common Uplifts LP 8a stress 12

13 Perceived Control over Stressful Events LP 8a stress 13 Stressors challenge you to do something to eliminate or overcome the stressor. Events are more stressful when there is nothing to do no way to deal with the challenge. If you perceive control over stressful events, it can reduce the stress of the event.

14 Perceived Control over Stressful Events LP 8a stress 14 Having a sense of control over a stressful situation reduces the impact of stressor and decreases the feelings of anxiety and depression. Your sense of control had to be realistic to be adaptive. Unrealistic perceptions of control over debilitating diseases can add to the stress. Sometimes the control needs to be refocused. o Well-adjusted cancer patients accepted that they could not control the disease, but they could control the consequences. Deciding what you can control and what you can t control is hard.

15 Perceived Control over Stressful Events LP 8a stress 15 When residents of a nursing home were involved in the decision making process (e.g. deciding daily activities, where they received visitors, when they would attend a movie screening, etc), they were more active, alert, sociable, healthier and lived longer compared to residents where the decisions were made for them. Nursing Home Engaged Involved in deciding daily activities Where they received visitors When they would attend movie screenings The decisions were made with the input of the residents Nursing Home Disengaged Not involved in deciding daily activities Where they received visitors When they would attend movie screenings These decisions were made for them

16 LP 8a stress 16 More active, alert, sociable, healthier, and lived longer lives Less active, alert, sociable, healthier, lived shorter lives