LA.B Stress and addiction

• life events: def. and SRRS 


  big events, important things that happen from time to time

  social readjustment rating scale - less than 150 LCU, 30% chance of experiencing a stress related illness, 151-299, 50% chance, more than 300, 80% chance
• life events research support

  Rahe et al; positive correlation between LCU scores and illness for navel personnel aboard 3 ships when each illness was recorded, without them being aware
• daily hassles definition 


  everyday irritations and frustrations that make us feel stressed
• daily hassles: appraisals


  primary appraisal - thinking about how threatening the hassle is to our psychological health

  secondary appraisal - thinking about how well equipped we are to cope
• daily hassles scale

  hassle scale - 117 things, severity is recorded each time

  uplift scale - daily boosts that make us feel better
• daily hassles research support

  Kanner et al; DH and U vs LCU - significant positive correlation between hassle frequency and psychological symptoms
• workplace stress

  intra role - role in the workplace presents conflicting demands

  inter role - an employee has two roles

  work environment - temp, noise

  control - lack of control can lead to stress
• workplace research support - civil servants

  Bosma et al; British civil servants who felt as though they had low control were more likely to report heart disease 5 years later
• workplace research support - Swedish sawmill

  Johansson et al; high risk (low control) and low risk (high control) workers, stress hormone levels were higher in the high risk group, had more illnesses and time off work
• 3 personality types


  hardy, type a, type b
• hardy personality

  Kobasa; commitment (strong sense of purpose), challenge (change is an opportunity), control (actively trying to influence the environment)
• type a personality 


  Friedman + Rosenman; high levels of competitiveness, time urgency, hostility - higher risk of developing CHD
• type b personality 


  relaxed, laid back, tolerant, less hostile and less competitive
• personality research support

  Rosenman et al; multivariate prediction of CHD during an 8.5 year follow up - 70% of 257 men who developed CHD had been classified as having a type a personality
• general adaptation syndrome (GAS)


  Seyle; everybody's body will react the same in stressful situations

  – Alarm (hypothalamus triggers release of nor/adrenaline)

  – Resistance (long term stress = starts using up the body's resources)

  – Exhaustion (depleted resources, adrenal glands damaged, immune system is compromised)
• sympathomedullary pathway (SAM)


  stressor is perceived, hypothalamus triggers sympathetic branch of ANS and signals the adrenal medullas to secrete adrenaline and noradrenaline, targets heart and muscles (fight or flight response), parasympathetic branch is activated once stressor is gone
• hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal system (HPA)


  stressor is percieved, hypothalamus signals release of hormone CRF, pituitary gland detects CRF, which releases ACTH into the bloodstream, adrenal cortex releases cortisol which fuels the stress response
• causes of stress on health

  inhibits production of lymphocytes which destroy antigens, indirect effects (smoking, drinking), can lead to CHD, hormones can cause atherosclerosis
• stress + ill health research support - HIV

  Pereira et al; HIV pos. women who experienced many stressful life events were more likely to develop precancerous lesions of the cervix
• stress + ill health research support - med students

  Kiecolt-Glaser; lower NK (natural killer cell) activity after exam period, build up of stressful life events can suppress the immune system
• smoking: biological - initiation 


  genetic predisposition - Vink et al's twin studies: 75% concordance rate

  dopamine receptors - nicotine molecules in VTA attach to DR, leading to feelings of pleasure
• smoking: biological - maintenance + relapse

  nicotine regulation model - to avoid withdrawal symptoms

  tolerance - constant stimulation of DR reduces their sensitivity, so they smoke more to restimulate to previous levels
• smoking: biological research support

  Vink et al; monozygotic twins, 44% of smoking initiation explained using genetic factors, 56% explained using environmental factors
• smoking: learning - initiation

  role models - imitation of parents/peers

  vicarious reinforcement - expectations of gaining the same reward as their role model

  positive reinforcement - effect of nicotine on DR
• smoking: learning - maintenance

  negative reinforcement - switches off withdrawal symptoms

  classical conditioning - sensations start as a neutral stimulus, but become a conditioned stimulus, leading to association of the two
• smoking: learning - relapse

  operant conditioning - rewarding through its effects on the dopamine reward system

  classical conditioning - cues become associated with smoking

  self efficacy - low confidence in their ability to abstain
• alcohol: cognitive - initiation

  mitigation for current use - self medication to avoid emotional distress as a result of early trauma experiences

  specificity - link between emotional state and drugs used = alcohol is calming, may be used for anxiety
• alcohol: cognitive - maintenance

  self medication to improve self esteem and as a stress relief
• alcohol: cognitive - relapse

  paradox of self medication (Khantzian) - ceasing alcohol use leads to withdrawals and relapse
• alcohol: cognitive research support

  Lazareck et al; participants with a mood disorder who medicated were 7 times more likely to develop an alcohol addiction
• alcohol: learning - initiation

  positive reinforcement - receiving rewards for drinking

  vicarious reinforcement - young people may see others enjoying alcohol

  negative reinforcement - alcohol may be a way of escaping a stressful life
• alcohol: learning - maintenance + relapse

  positive reinforcement - alcohol becomes the only source of reward as other previously rewarding activities may be replaced by alcohol (motivational toxicity)

  negative reinforcement - continuing to drink and relapsing back to drink reduces withdrawal symptoms
• alcohol: learning research support

  Koob; HPA system is activated during withdrawal, makes relapse likely as symptoms are similar to stress
• gambling: cognitive - initiation

  thoughts - expectations people have if they gamble

  cost benefit analysis - if they think the benefits (financial gain) outweigh the costs (financial loss), they will gamble
• gambling: cognitive - maintenance

  gamblers fallacy - mistaken view that if something happens more frequently than normal, it will happen less in the future

  cognitive bias - thinking is biased towards perceiving favourable outcomes

  illusions of control - mistaken belief of having a special ability to influence the operation of chance outcomes
• gambling: cognitive - relapse

  recall bias - an addicted gambler who has quit will recall wins and successes and overestimate the benefits of gambling
• gambling: learning research support

  Griffiths; regular + non-regular gamblers think aloud, regular gamblers were 6 times more likely to use irrational verbalisations, were prone to illusions of control
• gambling: learning - initiation

  vicarious reinforcement - seeing other people gain from gambling

  classical conditioning - first time gamblers may enjoy the experience and associate it with gambling
• gambling: learning - maintenance

  positive reinforcement - getting rewards from gambling

  negative reinforcement - temporary escape from anxieties

  partial reinforcement - only some instances are rewarded

  variable reinforcement - can't be sure when the reward will appear
• gambling: learning - relapse

  cue reactivity - stimuli like adverts for gambling are associated with the positive physiological and emotional arousal of gambling (conditioned cues)