PSYC 314 Midterm 1

False

Physical well-being
Mental/emotional well-being
Social well-being

Scientific study of how health and psychology intersect

There is no perspective better/more important, consider them all together

The start of modern medicine. The role of psychological factors ignored; physicians only healed body

Everything (health, illness, injury) explained by what is underlying devient (deviate from what is normal) - illness is caused by biological causes, to fix it, you fix the part that is brolen

This led to the creation of the biomedical model

Leading causes of death changed from acute diseases to chronic conditions; biomedical model had limited success with chronic conditions

Genetics, age, nutrition, disease, etc

personality, self efficacy, stress, coping, etc

support, gender, culture, income, race, etc

Model too inclusive and unscientific (anything goes, lack of clear boundaries) - health can be defined as anything

Unclear boundaries between perspectives

adoptionse of model limited to what physicians/experts know

human behaviour is complex, and there is no one rule, law, or finding that applies to everyone equally

stimulus/change in an environment

Something in an environment that leads to response or leads to change

Major life changes (positive or negative) assumed to be stressful

Daily hassles can build up and turn into chronic stress - accumulation of little difficult things

Psychological response has impact on physiological response: Fear response affects physical reactivity

psychological

Breathing focus
Heart rate increase
Blood pressure rises
Muscles tense
Blood glucose rises
Pupils dilate, tunnel visions
Sweating increases
Digestion slows
Mouth gets dry
Bladder relaxes
Hands and feet get cold

Salivary test (best)
Blood test
Piss test

Cortisol influenced by exercise, diet, mood, etc
Individual differences
Inconsistent results across type of stressors (situation)

Public speaking (social evaluation stress)

How an event/sitaution is appraised by a person

you do not experience the stress

Primary appraisal

Secondary Appraisal

Primary appraisal

Secondary appraisal

Secondary appraisal

Stimulus (stressful event/stressor) leads to cognitive appraisal (primary and secondary) lead to either "not a threat" or stress + response

No stress if the demands of a situation can be completely overcome by available resources (no discrepancy)

Alarm
Resistance
Exhaustion

physiological mobilization for action

Continue to try to adapt (stressor not gone)

Allostasis: body tries to adapt to changes in its environment

SNS and PSNS tug of war to alarm or return to normal

breakdown of organs, disease, death; burnout

if stressor continues

False

Cortisol levels vary throughout day (even when not stressed)

Alarm stage

Resistance stage cortisol similar levels to normal; hard to tell difference if measuring only cortisol

Causes serious adversive health effects

Physiological effects on various bodily systems

unhealthy health behaviours (substance use, unhealthy eating, lack of exercise, poor sleep)

Elevated cortisol
Elevated blood glucose; increased storage of visceral fat
Higher BP and Cholesterol; plaque buildup in arteries (atherosclerosis)
Impaired immune functioning; increased susceptibility to infection
Inflammation (Cortisol loses inflammation control over time)

Accumulating effects of (wear and tear) that result from the body adapting repeatedly to stressors over time

impairs body’s ability to adapt to future stressors

highly stressful or traumatic event

Symptoms lasting more than one month

Intrusion
Avoidance
Negative Cognition/Mood
Alterations in Arousal

Intrusiveecurrent memories, nightmares, flashbacks

avoidance of trauma related reminders

avoiding intrusive thoughts/flashbacks

negative thoughts/emotions (fear, horror, anger, etc)

reckless behaviour, sleep disturbance, etc

Trauma (environmental stressor) interacts with pre-existing vulnerabilities (diathesis) to develop PTSD

Protective factors buffer stress:
- Strong social support

- Adaptive coping strategies

- High self-efficacy and control

- Positive appraisal/meaning-making

- Early psychological intervention

Positive psychological changes folllowing highly challenging event or experience (trauma)

Appreciation of life
Renewed commitment to goals (or new goals)
Greater sense of personal strength
Greater intimacy in relationships
Warmer, more loving personality

Freeze

Parasympathetic break on the motor system

dissociate

feelings of anxiety and panic during highly stressful events

Stress that origination in workplace, associated with employment (or lack of)

Stress and well-being in the workplace is predicted by 3 factors: demands, autonomy, and support

psychological/physical pressures of a job (workload, time pressure, etc)

Amount of autonomy employees have over their tasks (ability to set pace, choose methods, etc)

quality of relationships between supervisors and coworkers (emotional support and instrumental support - help with tasks)

High Demands + Low Control + Low Support

Low Demands + High Control/Support

High Demands + High Control and/or High Support

stress experienced at work can be brought home; stress experienced at home can be brought to work

stress experienced at work can be brought home and transmitted to spouse, children, etc

Aversive (strong dislike) and primarily uncontrollable environmental stimuli

Noise, crowding, air pollution → cataclysmic events (disasters)

Worse for those who believe it is harmful to their health

Things that people do to reduce their stress

TRUE

attempts to actively deal with problem or manage the tension

attempts to distance yourself from problem and not think about it

Approach Coping

Problem is solved (more permanently), tension reduced
Release of emotions
(healthy) Assimilation of trauma
Stress reduction

Lead to burnout (try to fix all the time; can’t)
Increased distress (frustrating over time)
Non-productive worry and rumination

Down time for recover and rest from stress response
Multi task with the stress; tasks can help deal with stress
Some problems get better over time and are not easily controllable
Short term stress reduction
Increased hope and courage
Small levels of dosing: processing what is happening a little at a time (processing slowly at a time – thinking a few minutes, taking a break, going back to thinking), think about it little by little

Increased distress
Interfere with appropriate action at idea time
Emotional numbness – if people try not to think about smth hard, you become numb to that situation (but become numb in general)
- Overall blunted affect, cold response
Disruptive behaviours (drugs, alcohol)

False

the outcome

Positive adaptation or successful coping after a stressful or adverse situation

Recovery from stress/adversity without a lasting impact

high levels of self-esteem
(perception of) personal control
optimism

Positive: problem solving

Negative: denial/avoidance

when it is long term/chronic

Positive: disclose (revealing personal feelings to others)

Negative: rumination

FALSE

verbal

Positive: positive reappraisal

Identifying something positive in stressful situation (not whole situation)

Positive: acceptance

That stressors that are not controllable, persist over time (chronic pain)

Accept stressor is there, try to live your life to the best

Positive: support-seeking/empathy

Negative: withdrawal

People tend to their relationships (care for/protect) and befriend to team up to deal with stressor

women

Lowers Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, etc
Modulates HPA activity
- Counteracts HPA as well as SNS
Increases social behaviours

During/after childbirth
During breastfeeding
Sexual activity
Mutual smiling

Attachment
Pair bonding
Trust
Social recognition
Stress reduction
Outgroup aggression (protective instinct)

buffers the impacts/effects

When social support is high, the impact of stress is reduced. Social support acts as buffer between stressful events and negative health outcomes

Reduces risk of harmful outcomes (PTSD, Depression)
Enhances treatment

Emotional/Esteem
Tangible/Instrumental
Informational Support
Companionship Support - availability of others to spend time with

Feeling loved, cared for by others
Valued and respected by others
Empathy, concern, positive regard

Receiving maternal aid, assistance from others

Getting advice and info from others

Availability of others to spend time with

emotions/esteem

Getting support without realizing it

keeping info from someone in order to protect them; avoiding potential concern

expressing concern; helping without request

TRUE

TRUE

reduced blood pressure; increased cardiovascular health; enhanced immune system functioning; improved pain management; lower cortisol output

improved mood; reduced aggression increased trustworthiness and trust of others; reduced impact of stress

heart rate, blood pressure

pet

HAI leads to higher oxycontin
HAI effects similar to oxycontin

In response to touch/petting and mutual gaze

Rhythmic slow movements of fish → calming response
Blue, green colours → lower amygdala arousal; low contrast colours

natural elements/surfaces

Significant reductions in: Health (prevalence) rate, Diastolic blood pressure, Salivary cortisol
Overall reduced stress
Decreases in incidence of: Type 2 diabetes, All-cause morality, Cardiovascular morality (in particular)

Likely more active when outside in green spaces
More likely to see people outside (increased social component)
Reducing time spent in less healthy environments
Exposure to sunlight and association benefits
Might see more animals/pets

Improved stress recovery following stress induction (even if just pictures of green space)
Lower rumination and reduced depression
More significant impact on positive emotion (happiness) – rather than just reducing negative emotions

Humans have innate desire to seek out connections with other life and living systems (nature)

To create a “relaxation” response as alternative to stress response”

Alleviate stress
Reduce blood pressure
Enhance immune function

Intentionally focused awareness of one’s immediate inner and outer experiences

commonly integrated into mediation (mindfulness-based mediation)

Effective with compared to other treatments, but not significantly different from CBT or behavioural techniques

Health disparities are inequalities (differencesaps) in health (morbidity and mortality) or health care between groups

Environmental and lifestyle factors largely to blame

Less healthy diet, lower consumption of traditional foods, less physical activity due to historical changes to way of life

Reduced access to healthy food
Stress → elevated cortisol levels

Leads to high blood glucose level → diabetes

people live in more remote places - cost of food high; have greater disruption to traditional way of life - many sled dogs killed, cultural roles about masculinity)

New disease
Loss of land
Criminalization
Loss of culture
Genocide
Forced assimilation

Vicarious trauma (stories)
Lack of culture and cultural identity
Marginalization and discrimination
Compromised parental functioning
Modelling of poor coping
geneticiological vulnerabilities

Intergenerational Epigenetic Effects are epigenetic changes that can be heritable via various processes and can affect multiple generations.

childhood adversity (no books, abuse, neglect)

Allostatic load

Feeling like you belong, understand your identity

differing resilience

Decrease in youth suicide, improved education, fewer children in foster care

Regaining title to ancestral land
Self governance
Regaining control of education
Cultural organizations that help organize cultural events

Lower

For people with lower income, getting a little more money drastically increases healthcare/health. If people with higher income get a little more money, it will not increase their healthcare/health by a lot

Low status --> Chronic stress --> increased morbidity/morality, lower quality of life

report more frequent stressful life events and more chronic stressors

burden of coping with limited resources and negative life events

Childhood adversity gets programmed into the immune system through multiple mechanisms, including epigenetics (changes in gene expression)

Some individuals able to overcome low-SES adversities by prioritizing
1. Shifting Oneself --> accepting stress for what it is and adapt through reappraisals
2. Persisting --> enduring life with strength by maintaining meaning and optimism

lower life expectancy, higher rates of mental illness, higher crime, lower well-being

some people look down on me because of my job situation or income

TRUE

High levels of competition in society - trying to escape the social bracket they are born in
Social evaluation anxiety

Increased stress due to greater threats to self esteem, social status, fear of judgement

stigma, prejudice, discrimination create hostile environment; leads to increased stress for minorities and increased disease and illness

direct experience of discrimiantion/harrassment
social stigma; internalized bias and stigma
rejection
hiding/concealing identity

discriminization and marginalization

institutional racism limits resources and opportunities

personal experiences of racism increases stress over time

subjective social status: how people percieve their own social status within their groups
perceived social support
racial socialization: learning about race, and the place of your race in society
racial identity: where you belong

suicidal ideation

personal control
support-seeking and social support
positive reappraisal

leaading people to defend and protect status quo

if it gets worse enough, people will throw away inequality and band together (?)

"othering" - racism, xenophobia, bigotry

A dynamic state of physical, mental, and social well-being—not merely the absence of disease.

The study of psychological, behavioral, and social factors that influence health, illness, and healthcare.

Illness is the subjective experience of symptoms; disease is the objective biological dysfunction

Focus shifted from infectious diseases to chronic conditions that were linked to behaviour and lifestyle

Due to rising chronic illness, limitations of the biomedical model, and recognition of behavioral risk factors.

Individuals are dynamic systems interacting with other systems; changes in one affect others

FALSE

Predicting health behaviors based on beliefs about susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers, and self-efficacy

Belief about whether health outcomes are controlled by oneself (internal) or by external forces

Health promotion, illness prevention/treatment, etiology research, healthcare system improvement

Design interventions, public campaigns, behavior change programs

Support coping, adherence, pain management, rehab

Study psychosocial risk factors (e.g., stress, personality)

Enhance communication, reduce costs, inform policy

Hospitals, clinics, research institutions, public health, policy organizations.

Behavioral assessment, psychoeducation, CBT, motivational interviewing, program evaluation.

The study of the origins or causes of disease.

The study of disease distribution and determinants in populations.

One’s belief in their ability to perform behaviors that influence health outcomes.

External factors like income, education, and environment that shape health outcomes.

Medical practices aimed at preventing illness rather than treating it.

Stress is a process that occurs when perceived demands exceed perceived resources, shaped by ongoing person–environment interactions.

It emphasizes stress as a dynamic interaction involving cognitive appraisal, not just external events or physiological reactions.

Evaluation of whether an event is harm loss, threat, or a challenge

Evaluation of coping resources and options for dealing with stressor

Ongoing reevaluation of a situation as new information or outcomes emerge.

It highlights the role of perception in stress, not just objective conditions.

The SAM system (fight-or-flight, adrenaline) and the HPA axis (cortisol release)

Worry, rumination, impaired concentration, anxiety, depression.

It buffers stress through emotional, informational, and instrumental support

Sudden, overwhelming events (e.g., natural disasters, war)

Significant changes requiring adjustment (e.g., divorce, job loss)

Minor irritations (traffic, deadlines) that accumulate and can lead to stronger health outcomes than major events

Ongoing, long-term stressors (e.g., poverty, caregiving, discrimination)

Role conflict (multiple roles conflicting), role ambiguity, workload, lack of control

A self-report measure of subjective stress appraisal.

A checklist of major life events ranked by stress impact.

Heart rate, blood pressure, cortisol levels, galvanic skin response.

Perception that damage has already occurred (e.g., injury, loss).

Anticipation of future harm or loss.

Viewing a situation as an opportunity for growth or mastery.

Comfort, caring, esteem, or help available from others (family, friends, groups).

Emotional/esteem, tangible/instrumental, informational, companionship

Perceived support

Social support protects against negative effects of high stress

Social support benefits health regardless of stress level

Support helps people avoid or minimize exposure to stressors

Belief that one can make decisions and take effective action to influence outcomes

Behavioral, cognitive, decisional, informational, retrospective

Higher perceived control → lower stress responses and better health outcomes

Commitment, control, challenge.

Linked to better coping, lower stress responses, and healthier behaviors.

Linked to greater stress reactivity, poorer coping, and worse health outcomes

Increases risk behaviors (smoking, poor diet, alcohol use) and decreases health behaviors (exercise, sleep, adherence)

They indirectly increase risk for chronic illness (e.g., cardiovascular disease, diabetes).

SAM system and HPA axis

Activates fight-or-flight response via adrenaline/noradrenaline → ↑ heart rate, blood pressure

Releases cortisol for sustained stress response; chronic activation suppresses immunity and damages health

Can temporarily boost immune activity

Suppresses immune function, slows wound healing, increases vulnerability to illness

The cumulative wear and tear on the body from repeated stress activation

Cardiovascular disease, asthma, tension headaches, gastrointestinal issues, immune-related condition

Support protects against stress effects, especially under high stress

Support benefits health regardless of stress level

A resilience trait with commitment, control, and challenge

Physiological wear and tear from chronic stress

Cognitive and behavioral efforts to manage the perceived discrepancy between demands and resources.

Because coping strategies change over time as situations evolve

Altering the problem (problem-focused) and regulating emotional response (emotion-focused)

Managing or maintaining social relationships under stress (e.g., compromise, empathy, dyadic coping)

When stressors are changeable (able to be changed

Information seeking, planful problem-solving, ending toxic relationships, skill acquisition

When stressors are uncontrollable (e.g., chronic illness, bereavement)

Exercise, relaxation, social support, distraction, positive reappraisal, finding meaning, denial.

Partners collaboratively managing shared stressors

Actively processing and expressing emotions, linked to better health outcomes

Adjusting to stressors that cannot be changed (e.g., chronic pain)

Lowers physiological reactivity, improves mood, sleep, and resilience

Techniques like progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, meditation to reduce sympathetic arousal

Promotes present-moment awareness, reduces rumination and emotional reactivity

Exercise, yoga, tai chi, journaling, social engagement

Cognitive restructuring, problem-solving training, time management

Stress management programs combining cognitive, behavioral, and relaxation techniques

teaches coping skills, relaxation, cognitive restructuring; reduces anxiety, depression, and improves immune function

E for chronic pain, anxiety, and stress-related illness

Building networks, support groups, peer counseling

Sleep hygiene, balanced diet, regular exercise, reduced substance use

Coping aimed at altering the stressor itself

Coping aimed at regulating emotional responses to stress

Coping aimed at managing social ties under stress

Identifying and challenging maladaptive thoughts, replacing them with adaptive appraisals