Stress, Coping, and Health

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Stress, Coping, and Health

• Chapter 7

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Procrastination Scale (Lay, 1986) - For student
populations

• Instructions
• People may use the following statements to
  describe themselves. For each statement, decide
  whether the statement is uncharacteristic or
  characteristic of you using the following 5 point
  scale. Note that the 3 on the scale is Neutral
  the statement is neither characteristic nor
  uncharacteristic of you. In the box to the right
  of each statement, fill in the number on the 5
  point scale that best describes you.

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• 1. I often find myself performing tasks that I
  had intended to do days before.

4
Enter your response.
0

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

5

• 2. I do not do assignments until just before
  they are to be handed in.

6
Enter your response.
0

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

7

• 3. When I am finished with a library book, I
  return it right away regardless of the date it is
  due.

8
Enter your response.
0

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

9

• 4. When it is time to get up in the morning, I
  most often get right out of bed.

10
Enter your response.
0

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

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• 5. A letter may sit for days after I write it
  before mailing it.

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Enter your response.
0

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

13

• 6. I generally return phone calls promptly.

14
Enter your response.
0

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

15

• 7. Even with jobs that require little else
  except sitting down and doing them, I find they
  seldom get done for days.

16
Enter your response.
0

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

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• 8. I usually make decisions as soon as possible.
  

18
Enter your response.
0

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

19

• 9. I generally delay before starting on work I
  have to do.

20
Enter your response.
0

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

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• 10. I usually have to rush to complete a task
  on time.

22
Enter your response.
0

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

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• 11. When preparing to go out, I am seldom caught
  having to do something at the last minute.

24
Enter your response.
0

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

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• 12. In preparing for some deadline, I often
  waste time by doing other things.

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Enter your response.
0

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

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• 13. I prefer to leave early for an appointment.
  

28
Enter your response.
0

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

29

• 14. I usually start an assignment shortly after
  it is assigned.

30
Enter your response.
0

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

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• 15. I often have a task finished sooner than
  necessary.

32
Enter your response.
0

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

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• 16. I always seem to end up shopping for
  birthday or Christmas gifts at the last minute.

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Enter your response.
0

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

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• 17. I usually buy even an essential item at the
  last minute.

36
Enter your response.
0

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

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• 18. I usually accomplish all the things I plan
  to do in a day.

38
Enter your response.
0

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

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• I am continually saying Ill do it tomorrow.

40
Enter your response.
0

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

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• 20. I usually take care of all the tasks I have
  to do before I settle down and relax for the
  evening.

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Enter your response.
0

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

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I. Relationship between Life Events and Stress
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• A. Demands, Strain, Coping, and Stress
• Demands are environmental requirements that
  motivate behavior.
• Strain occurs when resources are inadequate to
  meet demands.
• Coping is behavior to meet demands.
• Stress or distress is a case of excessive strain
  coping is inadequate.
• Excessive demands
• Limited resources

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I. Relationship between Life Events and Stress
0

• B. Characteristics of Stress
• 1. Physical Symptoms of Stress
• Allergies, colds, flu, headache.
• 2. Psychological Symptoms of Stress
• Anxiety, boredom, depression, feel helpless,
  negative mood.
• 3. Behavioral Symptoms of Stress
• Consume alcohol, nicotine, drugs, eat comfort
  foods, waste time.

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I. Relationship between Life Events and Stress
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• C. Characteristics of Stressors
• 1. Negative Life Events as Stressors
• Same domain effect negative life demands produce
  distress or stress positive life demands produce
  eustress.
• 2. Magnitude of Life Events
• Cataclysmic events are high magnitude stressors.
  Daily hassles are low magnitude stressors. Daily
  uplifts bring relief, joy, amusement.

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I. Relationship between Life Events and Stress
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• C. Characteristics of Stressors
• 3. Predictability and Controllability of Life
  Events
• Predictable stressors are preferred over
  unpredictable stressors.
• Preparatory response hypothesis predictive
  stimulus allows for preparation of shock.
• Safety hypothesis person can relax and feel safe
  during signaled-shock free intervals.

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I. Relationship between Life Events and Stress
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• D. Stressor-Stress Relationship
• Generally stress increases with increases in
  stressors magnitude.
• 1. Retrospective versus Prospective Research
• Retrospective stressed individual tries to
  recall past stressors.
• Prospective measure person's stress level before
  and after onset of suspected stressor.
• 2. Determining the Impact of Stressors
• Life change unit measure of amount of adjustment
  a demand requires
• Undergraduate Stress Questionnaire provide life
  change units for demands faced by university
  students.

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I. Relationship between Life Events and Stress
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• D. Stressor-Stress Relationship
• 3. Stressor Magnitude and Stress
• Acute stress disorder fear and helplessness
  reaction to a traumatic event that threatens
  death or serious injury subsides in four weeks.
• Posttraumatic stress disorder acute stress
  disorder lasts more than four weeks. Person
  experiences distressing recollections,
  physiological reactivity, social impairment, and
  avoids stimulus reminders.
• Terrorist attack of 11 September 2001 produced
  PTSD.
• 4. Cumulative Effects of Stressors
• As life demands accumulate they become stressors
  and produce stress.
• 5. Racism as a Stressor
• Racism experienced by African Americans and other
  minorities is associated with stress and
  psychiatric symptoms.

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II. Bodily Effects of Stress
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• A. Physiological Effects of Stressors
• 1. General Adaptation Syndrome (Selye, 1976)
• The body's physiological reaction to all
  stressors occurs in three stages
• alarm, resistance, and exhaustion (adaptation
  energy depleted).
• death
• 2. Psychological Stressors and Physiological
  Responses
• Such stressors as public speaking and job
  interviews can cause stress.
• B. Stressors and Psychophysiologic Disorders
• Stressors, e.g., anger can interact with chronic
  risk factors (cholesterol, high blood pressure)
  to increase the likelihood of heart attacks.

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II. Bodily Effects of Stress
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• C. Stressors and the Immune System
• Psychoneuroimmunology study relationship between
  psychological stressors, strength of the immune
  system, and disease.
• Immune system is body's line of defense against
  bacteria and viruses.
• 1. Stressor Effects on the Immune System
• Stressors reduce effectiveness of immune system
  and disease occurs.
• 2. Open Window Hypothesis
• Few hours after strenuous exercise the immune
  system is weak, which provides an open window for
  germs to invade and infect the body.

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II. Bodily Effects of Stress
0

• C. Stressors and the Immune System
• 3. Stressors, Immune System, and the Common Cold
• Psychological stressors can downgrade the immune
  system and increase the likelihood that a cold
  virus will result in a cold.
• 4. Multiple Stressor Effects
• Stressors simultaneously affect a person's
  psychological, physiological, and immune systems.

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III. Variables Moderating the Impact of Life
Events
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• A. Appraisal of Life Events
• Moderating variables environment or person
  characteristics that alter the relationship
  between the stressor and stress.
• 1. Appraisal and Stress
• Primary appraisal is event relevant, benign,
  positive, or stressful?
• Secondary appraisal inventory resources for
  coping with stressor.
• 2. Appraisal as a Moderator
• With trauma orientation appraisal a gruesome
  event was stressful with denial or
  intellectualization appraisal, it was less
  stressful.

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III. Variables Moderating the Impact of Life
Events
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• B. Coping and Behavior
• 1. Coping
• Problem focused coping identify problem clearly
  and consider potential solutions.
• Emotion focused coping managing the distress the
  person feels.
• Appraisal and subsequent coping is a process, not
  static event.
• 2. Health Behaviors
• Health enhancing behaviors help prevent stress or
  reduce its impact.
• Health impairing behavior increase the likelihood
  and severity of stress such behaviors as
  alcohol, drugs, and tobacco use.
• C. Social Support as a Moderator
• Buffering hypothesis social support buffers or
  protects a person from harm of a potential
  stressor. Social support also buffers immune
  system and physical health against stressors.

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III. Variables Moderating the Impact of Life
Events
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• D. Personality Differences as Moderator Variables
• 1. Procrastination
• Procrastinating students experience more stress
  at semester's end than do non-procrastinating
  students.
• 2. Sense of Humor
• With this sense, a person is inclined to smile,
  laugh, and be amused. It can help with
  stressor-appraisal and reduce the impact of
  stress.
• 3. Hardiness
• With this personality trait, a person sees life
  events as challenging, feels in control, and is
  committed to various activities.