Role of stress in illness

• What is a weakness of the idea that there is a relationship between stress and illness?

  There are individual differences in how people react to stress
• What consistent differences have been found in the stress/immune system relationship?

  Gender differences
• According to Kiecolt-Glaser et al., how do women react to marital conflict compared to men?

  Women show more adverse hormonal and immunological changes
• How does stress affect immune system functioning as people age?

  Stress has a greater effect on immune system functioning as people age
• What term is used to describe people who respond to stress with greater increases in blood pressure and heart rate?

  Hyperresponsive
• Why is it important to consider individual differences when discussing stress effects on health?

  Individual differences must be considered before discussing how stress affects the cardiovascular and immune systems
• What are the key factors that influence the relationship between stress and illness?

  • Individual differences in stress response
  • Gender differences in hormonal and immunological changes
  • Age differences affecting immune system functioning
  • Hyperresponsive individuals experiencing greater cardiovascular damage
• What is a weakness of the idea that there is a relationship between stress and illness?

  Stress is not always negative.
• What antibody did Evans et al. study in relation to stress?

  sIgA
• What was the immediate stress condition arranged by Evans et al. for the students?

  Students were asked to give talks to other students.
• What was the effect of immediate stress on the levels of sIgA in students according to Evans et al.?

  Levels of sIgA increased.
• What happened to sIgA levels during examination periods according to Evans et al.?

  Levels of sIgA decreased.
• What are the two effects of stress on the immune system as mentioned in the study material?

  • Up-regulation (increased efficiency) for short-term acute stress
  • Down-regulation (decreased efficiency) for chronic stress
• How does the duration of stress affect the immune system according to the study material?

  The longer the stress, the more the immune system shifts from adaptive changes to detrimental changes.
• What conclusion can be drawn about stress and the immune system from the study material?

  Stress may sometimes be beneficial to the body’s immune system.
• What is a strength of the idea that there is a relationship between stress and illness?

  There is research support.
• What did Sheps et al. focus their research on?

  Volunteers with ischaemia.
• What type of tests did Sheps et al. give to participants?

  A variety of psychological tests, including a public speaking test.
• What significant change was observed in the participants' blood pressure?

  It increased significantly.
• What happened to the muscle of the left ventricle in some participants?

  Sections began to beat erratically.
• What percentage of participants with erratic heartbeats died within four years?

  44%
• What percentage of participants without erratic heartbeats died within four years?

  18%
• Why is the relationship between psychological stress and death significant?

  It can dramatically increase the risk of death in people with poor coronary artery circulation.
• What does the research by Sheps et al. support regarding stress and illness?

  It supports the link between stress and illness as reliable.
• What is a weakness of the idea that there is a relationship between stress and illness?

  Many studies supporting the link use the self-report method.
• Why should the self-report method be treated with caution?

  It may lead to exaggerated scores due to negative perception tendencies.
• How can a general tendency towards negative perceptions affect self-report measures?

  It can lead to an exaggerated score on both stress and illness measures.
• Why does the tendency towards negative perceptions matter in studies of stress and illness?

  It increases the likelihood of finding a significant correlation.
• What might self-report measures produce in relation to perceived stress and cardiovascular symptoms?

  An unjustified association between higher perceived stress and cardiovascular symptoms.