stress

• Who proposed the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)?

  Selye
• What does the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) suggest about stress?

  Stress helps us adapt to new situations
• What are the three stages of the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)?

  1. Alarm reaction
  2. Resistance
  3. Exhaustion
• What occurs during the 'alarm reaction' stage of GAS?

  Immediate physiological response to a stressor
• What does the 'resistance' stage of GAS involve?

  Body resists stressor by consuming energy
• What happens during the 'exhaustion' stage of GAS?

  Energy resources are drained, leading to illness
• What are 'diseases of adaptation' mentioned in the context of GAS?

  CVD and hypertension
• What evidence supports the three stages of stress responses?

  Animal studies by Selye with rats
• What physiological differences exist between rats and humans regarding stress?

  Complexity of nervous systems and cortisol levels
• What are the two types of physiological responses to stress?

  Acute and chronic
• What characterizes acute stress?

  Immediate stressor perceived by the body
• What triggers the sympathetic branch during acute stress?

  Increased activity in the hypothalamus
• What is the sympathomedullary pathway?

  Physiological arousal for fight or flight
• What happens when the stressor is no longer a threat?

  Parasympathetic branch decreases sympathetic activity
• What characterizes chronic stress?

  Long-lasting effects from HPA activation
• What does the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system do?

  Produces longer-lasting stress effects
• What is released by the pituitary gland during chronic stress?

  ACTH
• What is cortisol often referred to as?

  The 'stress' hormone
• How is cortisol level regulated?

  Negative feedback system reduces ACTH and CRF
• What is a beta bias in stress research?

  Minimizing differences between males and females
• What alternative response to fight or flight is suggested for females?

  Tend and befriend
• What is Addison's Disease characterized by?

  Inability to secrete cortisol
• What can result from an inability to sustain the fight or flight response?

  Addisonian crisis
• How does chronic cortisol release affect health?

  Causes immunosuppression and health risks
• What did Kiecolt-Glaser et al (1984) find regarding medical students?

  Reduced natural killer cells during exams
• What did Kiecolt-Glaser et al (1991) find about caregivers?

  Higher susceptibility to EBV and depression
• What did Wilbert-Lampen et al (2008) report during the World Cup?

  Increased likelihood of myocardial infarction
• What did Yusuf et al (2004) suggest about chronic stress?

  More influential than obesity for heart attacks
• What did Dharbhar (2008) find about acute stressors?

  They can enhance immune functioning
• What did Pereira et al (2003) find regarding HIV and stress?

  Stress increases risk of cervical lesions
• What are the implications of stress research for public health?

  Guidelines may reduce disease progression
• What is a limitation of stress research based on non-human animals?

  Low ecological validity due to different stressors
• What is the cumulative effect of life changes?

  Accumulated stress from multiple changes
• What does the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) measure?

  Stress associated with life changes
• What did Holmes and Rahe (1967) find about LCU scores?

  Higher scores correlate with illness likelihood
• What did Rahe et al (1970) find regarding Navy personnel?

  Stressful life events predict illness during deployment
• What do Byrne and Whyte (1980) suggest about life changes?

  Individual differences affect stress levels
• What is a methodological issue with life change research?

  Reliance on correlational studies limits causation
• What distinction do DeLongis et al (1988) make regarding stress?

  Difference between life changes and daily hassles
• What did Kanner et al (1981) find about daily hassles?

  More stressful than major life changes