Health Psychology Ch. 13

Music:

“Stressed Out”

A Tribe Called Quest

“Under Pressure”

Queen

Today’s Agenda

1. The Field of Health Psychology 2. Stress:

a) What makes events more stressful b) Appraisal and coping

3. Stress and Disease a) The physiological response b) Type A and heart disease

4. Coping with Stress and Promoting Health a) Relaxation b) Social support c) Exercise and nutrition

5. Movies: “Health and Stress” (6 min.) “Weight Control” (6 min.)

1. The field of Health Psychology

Definition: Concerned with the role of behavior and psychological factors in preventing

illness and maintaining good health 3 Major killers in Canada:

Heart Disease, Cancer, Stroke Causes?

1) Tobacco #1 culprit for cancer contributes also to heart disease

2) Being overweight emerges as second most important factor in cancer, after cigarettes

3) Inactivity Lack of exercise

4) Stress 5) Diet & Alcohol

Cancers caused by what you eat? red meat and processed meats with nitrates

Excess alcohol related to several fatal illnesses

1. Health Psychology (cont’d)

Changing patterns of illness, p. 564

2. Stress Physical and psychological response to perceived

environmental threat Stressors

Threatening or challenging events that place demands on the person.

Major Life Events Daily hassles Catastrophic events

a) Factors that render events more harmful: Unpredictability/ uncertainty Pressure Lack of control Repeated exposure/ chronicity Loss and Failure Conflict (p. 566-567)

2. Stress: Conflict (cont’d)

2. b) Appraisal and Coping with Stress

Primary appraisal: “Am I O.K., or in trouble?”

Secondary appraisal: “How will I deal with this?” Consider your ability to cope

Events StressAppraisal

Emotional, physical & behavioural responses p. 570-578

2. b) Coping with Stress

Defensive Coping: Avoiding negative feelings associated with stress

through the use of defense mechanisms e.g. denial, see p. 577

Emotion focused: Control or change emotional reaction:

E.g. venting, drinking, meditating (see p. 568)

Problem focused: Change or do something about the situation:

E.g. study harder, get help See constructive coping (p. 578 )

3. Stress and Disease a) The fight-or-flight response:

See Figure 13.6, p. 574

3. Stress and Disease a) The physiological response:

Secretion of catecholamines and corticosteroids Increases energy Also reduces the effectiveness of the immune system

Therefore, the ability to ward off infections is compromised Natural killer cells can’t do their jobs as well

i.e. cannot destroy foreign agents or abnormal cells Impaired healing process

Stress causes inflammation Provokes illness

3. Stress and Disease (cont’d)

Physical disorders aggravated by stress:

3.b) Self-Report Questionnaire See questions shown in class Give yourself a point for each answer that agrees

with the key below: 1 a, b 2 a 3 a, b 4 a 5 a, b 6 d 7 c 8 a 9 c 10 a

3. b) Type A and Heart Disease

7 or above =Type A 3 or below=Type B

Coronary heart disease: Leading cause of death in North America Atherosclerosis: narrowing of coronary arteries (buildup of fatty deposits)

Reduction in blood flow in coronary arteries (reduced supply to the heart) Risk factors:

Physical inactivity Smoking, obesity, family history High cholesterol, high blood pressure Depression:

Physiological hyper-arousal Type A personality

3. b) Type A and Heart Disease (cont’d)

Friedman & Rosenman (1974) 8-year study 3,000 healthy men Type A: Competitive

Impatient Time-conscious/time-urgency Easily-angered Verbally aggressive “workaholics”

Type B: Easy-going Non-competitive, relaxed Enjoys leisure time Understanding/forgiving

3. b) Follow-up After 8 years, 257 men suffered a heart attack 69% of these were Type A. What makes Type As more prone to heart disease?

1) self-imposed stress As all forms of stress, involves inflammation

Leads to platelet dysfunction and encourages coagulation 2) more physiologically reactive to stress 3) less social support

Toxic core of Type A: cynical hostility

3. b) Type A and Heart Disease p. 583

4. Coping with Stress and Promoting Health!

1) Relaxation Meditation:

Counteracts the effects of stress on the body Biofeedback: The mind influences the body!

2) Social Support: Increases immune functioning/ suppression of corticosteroids

Related to release of oxytocin Social interactions also boost intellectual performance

3) Watch your Weight! Single most important thing women can do to reduce risk of breast cancer

4) Exercise: Lowers risk of stroke, heart disease, diabetes, depression, high blood pressure AND

improves overall brain health! 3 X per week, 30-45 min. each time Aim for Body Mass Index of 19-24/ BMI = weight (kg)/height (meters)²

4. Promoting Health! 5) Nutrition:

Reduce “bad” fats (trans and saturated) Reduce processed meats (with nitrates) Reduce salt

Helps reduce blood pressure Reduce sugary drinks

Related to weight gain and spikes in blood sugar levels Eat more fish (increase omega 3’s)

May help depression Increase calcium, vitamin D, whole grains fruits and vegetables (to protect your heart)

6) Reduce alcohol: Especially for women and breast cancer

3rd Midterm

Next week Feb. 15th Same as before:

60 multiple choice; 4 short answers In class; 2 hours; worth 25% of overall grade One question from movies shown in class

Tackle the problem! You know what to do…

& You’ll O.K.

5. Short Movies

“Health and Stress” Studies by Sheldon Cohen determine the mechanisms by

which stress affects the immune system, and how emotional states like happiness and loneliness may influence our ability to fight off infection. (6 min.)

“Weight Control” Researchers are helping people respond to the obesity

epidemic by determining the relative importance of intensity and duration in exercise. (6 min.)