Stress Coping and Health The Relationship Between Stress

Stress, Coping, and Health

The Relationship Between Stress and Disease • Contagious diseases vs. chronic diseases – Biopsychosocial model – Health psychology • Health promotion and maintenance – Discovery of causation, prevention, and treatment

Stress: An Everyday Event • Major stressors vs. routine hassles – Cumulative nature of stress – Cognitive appraisals

Major Types of Stress • Frustration: blocked goal • Conflict: incompatible motivations – Approach-approach – Approach-avoidance – Avoidance-avoidance • Change: having to adapt – Social Readjustment Rating Scale – Life Change Units • Pressure – Perform/conform

Overview of the Stress Process

Responding to Stress Emotionally • Emotional Responses – Annoyance, anger, rage – Apprehension, anxiety, fear – Dejection, sadness, grief – Positive emotions • Emotional response and performance – The inverted-U-

Responding to Stress Physiologically • Physiological Responses – Fight-or-flight response – Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome • Alarm • Resistance • Exhaustion

Responding to Stress Behaviorally • Behavioral Responses – Frustration-aggression hypothesis – catharsis – defense mechanisms • Coping – – – Reappraisal Confronting problems Using humor Expressing emotions Managing hostility

Effects of Stress: Behavioral and Psychological • Impaired task performance • Burnout • Psychological problems and disorders • Positive effects

Effects of Stress: Physical • Psychosomatic diseases • Heart disease – Type A behavior - 3 elements • strong competitiveness • impatience and time urgency • anger and hostility – Emotional reactions and depression • Stress and immune functioning – Reduced immune activity

Factors Moderating the Impact of Stress • Social support – Increased immune functioning • Optimism – More adaptive coping – Pessimistic explanatory style • Conscientiousness – Fostering better health habits • Autonomic reactivity – Cardiovascular reactivity to stress

Firefighter Specific Stressors • • Reliance on teamwork Low job control Sleep disturbances/Shift work Boredom Coworker conflict Management-Labor conflict Second jobs Marital/Family spillover

Firefighter Stress Reactions • • • Apprehension/Dread Intrusive thoughts No hope Sleep difficulties Gastrointestinal symptoms Throat and mouth symptoms

At-Risk Firefighters • Research reveals 2 distinct profiles for at-risk firefighters – Profile 1 (somaticizers) Reported greater frequency and intensity of physical symptoms • Head/neck/facial tension • Gastrointestinal distress • Cardiopulmonary complaints – Profile 2 (psychological stress) Reported higher levels of • • Apprehension/dread Anger Generalized anxiety Agitated depression

Implications for treatment • Identify high-risk firefighters – No penalty or stigmatization • Potential interventions – Psychoeducation • • • Work redesign Coping skills training Relaxation training Conflict-resolution training Leadership training Sleep hygiene education

Coping Skills • Problem-focused coping – Taking direct action – Planning – Suppression of competing activities – Restraint coping – Seeking social support • Emotion-focused coping – Focusing on and venting emotions – Behavioral disengagement – Mental disengagement – Positive reappraisal – Denial – Acceptance – Turning to religion