Stress and Coping

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Stress and Coping
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What IS Stress?

• Stress as a stimulus theories
• Stress as a response theories
• Stress What happens to you physically,
  psychologically, etc.
• Stressor what causes/triggers this response in
  you.

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Brief Summary of Stress Symptomology

• Visual and auditory accuity heightens
• Enhanced respiratory capacity
• Quicker response time to stimuli
• Enhanced muscular function
• Elevated blood pressure
• Elevated blood sugar (liver)
• Decreased rational/logical decisional capacity
• Suppressed immunity

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Effects of Long-Term Stress

• Hans Selye General Adaptation Syndrome
• Basically, long term stress damages the system,
  and leaves the individual vulnerable to
• Infectious disease
• Cardiovascular disease
• Further stress caused by impaired cognitive
  function

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Coping Mechanisms/Strategies

• Coping strategies refer to the specific efforts,
  both behavioral and psychological, that people
  employ to master, tolerate, reduce, or minimize
  stressful events.
• Two categories
• Problem solving strategies active efforts to
  alleviate stressful circumstances
• Emotion-focused strategies efforts to regulate
  the emotional consequences

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Defense Mechanisms

• Cognitive strategies which defend the ego.
  Self-protective.
• Common defense mechanisms
• Denial
• Displacement
• Intellectualization
• Projection
• Rationalization
• Reaction formation
• Regression
• Repression
• Sublimation
• Suppression

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Community Health Implications

• Infectious Diseases
• Contraction
• Progression
• Immune system function
• Cancer
• Fewer complications
• Prolonged survival
• Infertility
• Risk behaviors

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Community Stress and Coping

• Workplace stress
• Higher levels of community stress leads to
• Higher BMI/higher rates of obesity
• Lower self-efficacy (especially concerning health
  behavior changes)
• Loss of sleep, worry, anxiety, dreams, physical
  illness, not showing up at appointments, trying
  to handle the problem alone (without letting
  family know), apathy, daydreaming, inability to
  concentrate or make decisions, and physical
  aggression or violence are a few examples of how
  some will react.
• Verbal aggression can be released through
  blaming, ridicule, sarcasm, and belittlement.

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Is Community Stress Related to Our Health Issue?

• What evidence can we look for?
• How does stress relate to adolescent sexual
  behavior?
• How does stress relate to parental
  availability/communication?
• Is gang involvement relevant?
• Do religious beliefs cause stress or mitigate it?