Outline

1. Outline • Stress – definition • 3 components of stress • Frustration • Conflict • Pressure • 4 important factors • Nature of the stress • Perception of the stress • Stress tolerance • External resources

2. Outline • Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome • Stress and Anxiety • Incidence • Assessment • Test Anxiety

3. Stress A response to situations that involve demands, constraints, or opportunities Stress - definitions

4. Stress Stressor Anything which requires a person to adapt to changing conditions Stress - definitions

5. Stress Stressor Coping strategy The strategy adopted to manage the stress and the stressor Stress - definitions

6. Stress Stressor Coping strategy Eustress Stress produced as part of positive life experiences Eu- same beginning as the words Eutopia and evangelist Stress - definitions

7. Stress Stressor Coping strategy Eustress Dystress (distress) Stress produced as part of negative life experiences Stress - definitions

8. Frustration When attainment of goal is blocked Or when goal itself is missing 3 Components of Stress

9. Frustration Conflict Conflict – forced choice between two or more important goals Approach – avoidance Approach – approach Avoidance – avoidance 3 Components of Stress

10. Frustration Conflict Pressure Pressure – a constraint that works to shape your behavior in a certain way Can be internally-imposed or externally-imposed 3 Components of Stress

11. Nature of the stress Severity Duration Imminence Other simultaneous stressors Stress – 4 important factors

12. Nature of the stress Perception of the stressor Is minor setback seen as serious challenge? Is serious challenge seen as minor setback? Stress – 4 important factors

13. Nature of the stress Perception of the stressor Stress-tolerance Two people could have similar perceptions of a stressor, but respond very differently to it Biologically-based, but can be learned to some extent Stress – 4 important factors

14. Nature of the stress Perception of the stressor Stress-tolerance External resources E.g., money, social support Chandrasena et al. (1991) – study of suicide cases: no immigrants in sample had acquired a social support network after arriving in Canada Stress – 4 important factors

15. Hans Selye – Canadian endocrinologist Born in Hungary, studied in Prague and at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore McGill 1932-1976 Founded Canadian Institute of Stress 1979 Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome

16. Selye first suggested that humans have a general reaction to stressors His GAS model indicates three stages of response to stress: Alarm Resistance Exhaustion Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome

17. Alarm Recruits energy and attention Stops non-essential processes Improves perception within a narrow focus Produces analgesia Inhibits growth & the immune system Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome

18. Alarm Resistance The body attempts to return to normal Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome

19. Alarm Resistance Exhaustion Resources depleted Cognitive function compromised Person tires easily Blood pressure increases, producing heart disease and stroke Immune system depressed Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome

20. Anxiety – an emotional state caused by stress Anxiety disorders: a set of internalizing disorders with physical & mental effects (e.g., rumination) Marked by worry, apprehension, tension Physical effects include bodily tension, elevated heart rate, sweaty palms Anxiety

21. Fight-or-flight response evolved to deal with emergencies – but a person should not be in that state over a long period of time. Negative mood, worry about future being unpredictable & uncontrollable Chronic over-arousal, tendency to avoid anxiety-provoking situations Anxiety

22. Common disorder – e.g., in U.S., 23 million affected each year – costs US $42.3 billion/year Most common type of disorder for women (30%) Second most common type of disorder for men (19%) Co-morbidity common with other depression, other anxiety disorders Anxiety - Incidence

23. Anxiety • Six primary types of anxiety disorder: • Phobic Disorders (Specific and Social) • Panic Disorder (with and w/o Agoraphobia) • Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) • Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) • Acute Stress Disorder (ASD)

24. Some common specific phobias PhobiaTarget Acrophobia Heights Algophobia Pain Astraphobia Thunderstorms & lightning Claustrophobia Enclosed places Hydrophobia Water Monophobia Being alone Mysophobia Contamination or germs Nyctophobia Darkness Ochlophobia Crowds Pathophobia Disease Pyrophobia Fire Zoophobia Animals, or some particular animal

25. Excessive anxiety and worry occurring more days than not for a period of at least 6 months, about a number of events or activities The individual finds it difficult to control the worry Generalized Anxiety Disorder

26. 3 of these 6 symptoms: Restless, keyed up, on edge Easily fatigued Difficulty concentrating Irritability Muscle tension Sleep disturbance Generalized Anxiety Disorder

27. State: anxiety level varies from one situation to another Trait: enduring personality characteristic STAI – 40 items (20 state, 20 trait); responses on 4 point scale indicate agreement with each item Groups or individuals; no time limit and takes about 15 minutes; 5-6th grade reading level Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory

28. Good reliability for Trait: .73 to .86 (Test-retest) Low reliability for State – which is expected Good concurrent validity – STAI-Trait correlates well with other measures of anxiety Good discriminant validity – e.g., STAI-State gave different scores within subjects tested before and after successful major surgery Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory

29. 21-item, self-report, paper and pencil Reliability = Alpha .92 Validity = good on content, criterion, and construct Check for anxiety Support findings on a broader measure like the MMPI-2 (BAI is a more specific, so more sensitive, test) Beck Anxiety Inventory

30. Mandler & Sarason (1952) Test anxiety is an emotional state in response to being tested (either formally or informally) Eysenck’s theory worry uses up Working Memory, leaving little capacity left for task performance Test Anxiety

31. Task relevant responses – aimed at accomplishing task at hand Positive response to test situation Task irrelevant responses – thinking about things other than task at hand Negative response to test situation Mandler & Sarason (1952)

32. Mandler & Sarason (1952) TAQ assesses pre-disposition to think or act in ways that interfere with completion of a task Highly reliable Some evidence for validity Focus on situation – TAQ measures state anxiety Test Anxiety Questionnaire

33. Focus on person – measures trait anxiety Less text-anxious people increase effort & attention toward test challenge More test-anxious people focus inwardly, think about their insufficiency, interpret neutral stimuli in a negative way. Test Anxiety Scale (Sarason, 1958)