Ayers & De Visser H3: Stress and health
Stress in not always bad for us. A small amount of stress in necessary to rise to challenges such as
exam or competition.
However long term stress had indeed negative effects: can lead to depression, burn-out and
cardiovascular disease. Stress is also associated with infections, slowly recovery, and worsening of
symptoms in illness such as asthma, herpes and reumatoide athritis.
Stress: according to the psychological definition, stress in occurs when demands are appraised as
exceeding person’s resources to cope.
Stressors: are external or internal and triggers stress response.
External: stress because of exam
Internal: stress because you have to make decision of helping a friend or do the exam.
Acute stressors: e.g death of a relative
Chronic stressors: e.g taking care for ill relative
Daily hassles: e.g. problems getting to work
Traumatic stressors: e.g. an assault
Role Strain: e.g balancing home/work roles
Stress responses can be divided into: affective, cognition, behavioral, and physiological response.
People with repressive coping style show no affective response but only heavy physiological
response.
Physiological response of stressor
The fight or flight response involves the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nerves system as a
fast, first wave response and the endocrine pathways of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA)
axis as a slower, second wave, response
The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) directly activates body systems to prepare the body for
immediate action.
The adrenal medulla is stimulated to produce hormones such as adrenaline and noradrenaline. This
causes stimulation of heart and lungs and the diversion of energy away from unnecessary functions,
e.g digestion.
At the same time the HPA axis is activated so the hypothalamus releases corticotrophin releasing
factor, which then sets off a cascade of endocrine events culminating in the release of cortisol and
other hormones from the adrenal cortex.
Cortisol is a steroid and is a critical stress hormone. It results in a decrease in blood sugar levels and
metabolic rate, hence further supporting the body in the need of fight or flight. It also influences the
regulation of blood pressure, the immune system and inflammatory response.
Normally the HPA axis works as a negative feedback loop so the presence of cortisol in the
bloodstream triggers the hypothalamus to stop producing corticotrophin releasing factor.
In chronological stress de HPA axis may be dysregulated.
Lack of control is associated with greater stress.
Stress respontivity: some people are more responsive than others. This is determined by nature and
nurture.
Children who were highly responsive to stressors but lived under low adversity settings (i.e.
supporting loving family) showed lowest rates of illnesses.
Stress in not always bad for us. A small amount of stress in necessary to rise to challenges such as
exam or competition.
However long term stress had indeed negative effects: can lead to depression, burn-out and
cardiovascular disease. Stress is also associated with infections, slowly recovery, and worsening of
symptoms in illness such as asthma, herpes and reumatoide athritis.
Stress: according to the psychological definition, stress in occurs when demands are appraised as
exceeding person’s resources to cope.
Stressors: are external or internal and triggers stress response.
External: stress because of exam
Internal: stress because you have to make decision of helping a friend or do the exam.
Acute stressors: e.g death of a relative
Chronic stressors: e.g taking care for ill relative
Daily hassles: e.g. problems getting to work
Traumatic stressors: e.g. an assault
Role Strain: e.g balancing home/work roles
Stress responses can be divided into: affective, cognition, behavioral, and physiological response.
People with repressive coping style show no affective response but only heavy physiological
response.
Physiological response of stressor
The fight or flight response involves the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nerves system as a
fast, first wave response and the endocrine pathways of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA)
axis as a slower, second wave, response
The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) directly activates body systems to prepare the body for
immediate action.
The adrenal medulla is stimulated to produce hormones such as adrenaline and noradrenaline. This
causes stimulation of heart and lungs and the diversion of energy away from unnecessary functions,
e.g digestion.
At the same time the HPA axis is activated so the hypothalamus releases corticotrophin releasing
factor, which then sets off a cascade of endocrine events culminating in the release of cortisol and
other hormones from the adrenal cortex.
Cortisol is a steroid and is a critical stress hormone. It results in a decrease in blood sugar levels and
metabolic rate, hence further supporting the body in the need of fight or flight. It also influences the
regulation of blood pressure, the immune system and inflammatory response.
Normally the HPA axis works as a negative feedback loop so the presence of cortisol in the
bloodstream triggers the hypothalamus to stop producing corticotrophin releasing factor.
In chronological stress de HPA axis may be dysregulated.
Lack of control is associated with greater stress.
Stress respontivity: some people are more responsive than others. This is determined by nature and
nurture.
Children who were highly responsive to stressors but lived under low adversity settings (i.e.
supporting loving family) showed lowest rates of illnesses.
