BBH 311 (quiz 2) Study Questions and
Correct Answers
Gender Differences in emotion regulation difficulties ✅Bardeen hypothesized that
differences in emotion regulation strategies may explain this paradox given that men are
more likely to utilize suppression and women more likely to use rumination as regulatory
strategies. Perhaps women with better executive functioning are able to think critically
about a stressful situations for many different (and likely creative) angles, which may
boost the stress response in comparison to men who are able to direct attention away
and utilize suppression.
Men with good inhibition ( which is the ability to stop yourself from attending to
distractions) have fewer difficulties in emotional regulation while women with better
inhibition have more difficulty with emotion regulation
Intergenerational transmission ✅likelihood is way you were parented is how you will
parent even if you really didn't like how they parented you
Self- regulation ✅the ability to meet self-regulatory demands such as inhibiting
impulses, making decisions and controlling emotions
Who ruminates more? ✅Ruminate-- repeatedly think about a stressful thought;; more
strongly correlated with bad health outcomes
Women ruminate more-- so focused on it and do it well and block out other thoughts
Who uses suppression? ✅men-- able to stop themselves from thinking about a
stressful thought and can think about other things
Gender differences among highly stressed individuals? ✅women are more likely to
admit stress but not necessarily sweat more ( unless there is a romantic relationship
where there is fear that their lover will leave then there are physiological symptoms)
Herpesviruses and Inflammation ✅Higher herpesvirus titers= higher inflammation=
poor health
Gender differences among the Bereaved ✅Males: high inhibition and low antibody
titers
Females: high inhibition and high antibody titers
,Bereavement Study ✅- 54 bereaved individuals: 39 female, 15 male
- Baseline data; there are 4 visits throughout the first year after the death of a spouse,
so we will be able to examine associations longitudinally as we get more data.
Results of Bereaved ✅Females who were beareaved had more immune dysregulation
(antibody titers)
Intervention for males and females who have low inhibition
Morbidity and Mortality after Bereavement ✅females are very likely to experience a
cardiovascular event (due to the immune dysregulation) after first 6 to 12 months of the
loss of a loved one
Men with good inhibition are at a lower risk
How should you act around the bereaved? ✅-Acknowledge it happened but don't dwell
on it because that would make it worse;; act normal
-Make it so they don't ruminate as much on it
Be able to separate from suicidal thought and suicidal attempt
- if they are talking about what they will use to kill themselves then that is an attempt
and where you might have to intervene but do not jump to conclusions if a person says
"I hope I can join my husband in heaven sometime soon."
Hostility and Health ✅- cortisol appears to be an important mechanism for those who
experience adverse health outcomes
Cortisol is a glucocorticoid that is released by the adrenal glands when the HPA axis is
activated by stress-- cortisol is important for establishing homeostasis after exposure to
a stressor
Diurnal Pattern ✅look at this when studying cortisol
Cortisol sensitivity ✅has to do with hostility and health
Cortisol sensitivity is more strongly predictive of glucocorticoid resistance and negative
health outcome such as cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, sepsis, type 2
diabetes
What happens when a person is exposed to a stressor and how does it change
It is the change in concentrations over time and may be as important as total cortisol
output ( particularly as it related to a stressor)
, Heart Rate Variability (HRV) ✅- variation in the time interval between heartbeats
- vagus nerve (place electrodes on vagus nerve to activate parasympathetic)
More variability= more parasympathetic influence
High parasympathetic= high HRV
High sympathetic= low HRV
Need to note that the difference between baseline and stress induced HRV may be
particularly important
More change there is the more active your parasympathetic influence
Vagus nerve stimulator benefits ✅- reduced depression
- lower inflammation
HRV and self- regulatory strength ✅self regulatory strength may help combat the
upregulation of hostile thought/feelings
HRV is a good indicator of self regulatory strength
Emotion regulation is better with those with a higher HRV
What is HRV ✅variation in the time interval between heart beats
Differences in HRV ✅women likely have better HRV than men
Older you are= worse HRV
Increase HRV with exercise (HIIT)
Babies with good HRV= cry less
How do you study HRV? ✅PPG
- LED lights
Electrocardiogram (ECG)
- measures electrical impulses of the heart
Results of HRV and cortisol ✅if hostile and have low HRV (poor emotion regulation)
you have more cortisol sensitivity which is bad
High hostility and high HRV then you are the same cortisol secretions as one who is not
hostile
Correct Answers
Gender Differences in emotion regulation difficulties ✅Bardeen hypothesized that
differences in emotion regulation strategies may explain this paradox given that men are
more likely to utilize suppression and women more likely to use rumination as regulatory
strategies. Perhaps women with better executive functioning are able to think critically
about a stressful situations for many different (and likely creative) angles, which may
boost the stress response in comparison to men who are able to direct attention away
and utilize suppression.
Men with good inhibition ( which is the ability to stop yourself from attending to
distractions) have fewer difficulties in emotional regulation while women with better
inhibition have more difficulty with emotion regulation
Intergenerational transmission ✅likelihood is way you were parented is how you will
parent even if you really didn't like how they parented you
Self- regulation ✅the ability to meet self-regulatory demands such as inhibiting
impulses, making decisions and controlling emotions
Who ruminates more? ✅Ruminate-- repeatedly think about a stressful thought;; more
strongly correlated with bad health outcomes
Women ruminate more-- so focused on it and do it well and block out other thoughts
Who uses suppression? ✅men-- able to stop themselves from thinking about a
stressful thought and can think about other things
Gender differences among highly stressed individuals? ✅women are more likely to
admit stress but not necessarily sweat more ( unless there is a romantic relationship
where there is fear that their lover will leave then there are physiological symptoms)
Herpesviruses and Inflammation ✅Higher herpesvirus titers= higher inflammation=
poor health
Gender differences among the Bereaved ✅Males: high inhibition and low antibody
titers
Females: high inhibition and high antibody titers
,Bereavement Study ✅- 54 bereaved individuals: 39 female, 15 male
- Baseline data; there are 4 visits throughout the first year after the death of a spouse,
so we will be able to examine associations longitudinally as we get more data.
Results of Bereaved ✅Females who were beareaved had more immune dysregulation
(antibody titers)
Intervention for males and females who have low inhibition
Morbidity and Mortality after Bereavement ✅females are very likely to experience a
cardiovascular event (due to the immune dysregulation) after first 6 to 12 months of the
loss of a loved one
Men with good inhibition are at a lower risk
How should you act around the bereaved? ✅-Acknowledge it happened but don't dwell
on it because that would make it worse;; act normal
-Make it so they don't ruminate as much on it
Be able to separate from suicidal thought and suicidal attempt
- if they are talking about what they will use to kill themselves then that is an attempt
and where you might have to intervene but do not jump to conclusions if a person says
"I hope I can join my husband in heaven sometime soon."
Hostility and Health ✅- cortisol appears to be an important mechanism for those who
experience adverse health outcomes
Cortisol is a glucocorticoid that is released by the adrenal glands when the HPA axis is
activated by stress-- cortisol is important for establishing homeostasis after exposure to
a stressor
Diurnal Pattern ✅look at this when studying cortisol
Cortisol sensitivity ✅has to do with hostility and health
Cortisol sensitivity is more strongly predictive of glucocorticoid resistance and negative
health outcome such as cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, sepsis, type 2
diabetes
What happens when a person is exposed to a stressor and how does it change
It is the change in concentrations over time and may be as important as total cortisol
output ( particularly as it related to a stressor)
, Heart Rate Variability (HRV) ✅- variation in the time interval between heartbeats
- vagus nerve (place electrodes on vagus nerve to activate parasympathetic)
More variability= more parasympathetic influence
High parasympathetic= high HRV
High sympathetic= low HRV
Need to note that the difference between baseline and stress induced HRV may be
particularly important
More change there is the more active your parasympathetic influence
Vagus nerve stimulator benefits ✅- reduced depression
- lower inflammation
HRV and self- regulatory strength ✅self regulatory strength may help combat the
upregulation of hostile thought/feelings
HRV is a good indicator of self regulatory strength
Emotion regulation is better with those with a higher HRV
What is HRV ✅variation in the time interval between heart beats
Differences in HRV ✅women likely have better HRV than men
Older you are= worse HRV
Increase HRV with exercise (HIIT)
Babies with good HRV= cry less
How do you study HRV? ✅PPG
- LED lights
Electrocardiogram (ECG)
- measures electrical impulses of the heart
Results of HRV and cortisol ✅if hostile and have low HRV (poor emotion regulation)
you have more cortisol sensitivity which is bad
High hostility and high HRV then you are the same cortisol secretions as one who is not
hostile
