The document discusses stress, its biological and physiological effects, and its impact on health. It defines stress and explains the body's stress response through the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and sympathetic nervous system, which results in increased cortisol release and the fight-or-flight response. Prolonged or frequent stress activation can lead to allostatic load and increased risk of health issues like cardiovascular disease through sustained changes in immune, cardiovascular and stress response systems. Stress is also linked to depression, memory deficits, and reduced hippocampal volume, with implications for learning. Racial discrimination is positively associated with stress levels and negatively with mental health and wellbeing.

1. Stress

2. Warm up
• Names
• Pronouns
• What do you see in this graph:

3. Bar Graph
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4. Objectives
• Understand the underlying principles of
health psychology
• Be able to discuss the physiology of stress,
including defining stress/stressors and how
the stress response impacts us

5. What is Health Psychology?

6. What is Health Psychology?
Biopsychosocial Model: Biology, psychology,
and social factors are just as important in the
development of disease as
biological causes (e.g.,
germs, viruses ).
Biomedical Model
(old): Prioritizes
biological factors.
Biology
Psychology
Social

7. Being a Health Psychologist
Clinical Health Psychologists
▪ Hospitals
▪ Primary care
▪ urgent care
▪ Chronic illness centers
▪ Rehab centers
Research Health Psychologists
▪ Universities
▪ Public health
▪ Hospitals
▪ Private organizations
Behavioral Medicine: OT, rehab, preventative med
Teams
▪ Physicians
▪ Social workers
▪ Affiliates
▪ Religious leaders

8. Today’s plan
• What is stress & What are stressors
• Step 1 on the assignment
• Physiological response to stress
• Types of stresses in our life
• Effects of stress

9. A lot of people are thinking about stress…
• APA released top 6 most important Psych
right now
• 2 of the top 6 were about stress
• 1 was about problems with how reporters
talk about psych research (last week’s topic)

10. But who cares about APA, others also want
you to know about mental health….

11. • What happens to you when you are too
stressed?

12. • What do you think of when you think about
what causes you stress?

13. Stress
• Stress refers to a range of negative perceptions
and reactions experienced when pressure
becomes too much.

14. (Hooker & Pressman, 2023)

15. Stress and Health
Major Life Events Daily Hassles

16. Life Events
● There is a strong body of evidence linking life events to
psychological disorders, such as depression.
(e.g. Brown & Harris, 1978; Risch et al., 2009)

17. Measuring stress…
• What do you notice about the list on the next
slide?
• Any patterns?

21. Life Events
• Social Readjustment Rating Scale
–Provides a systematic approach to measuring life
events.
–Consists of a checklist of life events.
–Each life event has a weighted score (known as a life
change unit)
• Life Change Units were assigned on the basis of initial
research by Holmes and Rahe (1967)
–Individuals rated the degree of social readjustment
that each life event would require.
–Mean scores across the sample were used.

22. Stress
• From an evolutionary perspective, the biological
response to stress is adaptive.
– “Fight or flight” enabled ancestors to deal with
acute stressors.
• In modern life, stressors are rarely acute.
Instead they are long-lasting.
• As a result, the biological stress systems are
repeatedly activated.
(Baker et al,. 2018; Lee, 2022)

23. (Hooker & Pressman, 2023)

24. Stress and You
• Transactional Approach conceptualizes
stress as a transaction between stress and
the environment. The stress experienced by
an individual is dependent on their appraisal
of the stressor and the coping methods they
use.
(Lazarus, 1966; Lazarus & Folkman, 1984)

25. (Hooker & Pressman, 2023)

26. Memo Section 2 Requirements
• As always, remember to name concept, define it, and connect it
back to the scenario (A workplace or school environment) (what
are the implications of X, or why is it important to think about, etc)
• Take notes on our body’s biological response to stress
– What does our body do when the stress response is sustained?
– important that people understand that this response is out of
our control
– At minimum must mention: cortisol release (and how that comes
to be), fight or flight response (how that happens), autonomic
nervous system (why it is important the stress response moves
through this system)

27. The Nervous System
• The nervous system allows us to adapt to
changes within our body and environment by
using our senses to understand, interpret and
respond to internal and external changes.
• The nervous system consists of:
–Brain
–Spinal Cord
–Nerves

28. The Nervous System
• The nervous system
has two distinct parts:
1. Central Nervous System
– comprises the brain and
the spinal cord and is
protected by bone
2. Peripheral Nervous
System – comprises a
network of nerves that
connects the brain and
spinal cord to the rest of
the body.

29. Peripheral Nervous System
• The peripheral nervous system is further
subdivided into:
1. Somatic Nervous System: concerned with
coordinating the ‘voluntary’ body movements
controlled by the skeletal muscles.
2. Autonomic Nervous System: concerned with
regulating internal body processes that require
no conscious awareness. It can be divided into:
– Sympathetic Division: Mobilises the body
– Parasympathetic Division: Restores the
body’s energy

30. The Forebrain
• Two of the most
important structures in
the diencephalon (part
of forebrain):
– Thalamus:
Hypothalamus:

31. The Forebrain
• Two of the most
important structures in
the diencephalon (part
of forebrain):
– Thalamus: Plays an
important role in
regulating states of
sleep, arousal and
consciousness.
– Hypothalamus:

32. The Forebrain
• Two of the most
important structures in
the diencephalon (part
of forebrain):
– Thalamus:
– Hypothalamus:
Regulates many of the
body’s systems,
including controlling
how individuals
respond to stress.

33. Endocrine System
●Endocrine System
is an integrated
system of small
glands that work
closely with the ANS
●Endocrine Glands
secrete hormones
into the bloodstream

34. The Pituitary Gland
• Located under the
hypothalamus
• “Master” gland
– Role is to regulate other
endocrine gland secretions.
• Plays an important role in:
– Regulating growth of body
tissue
– Activation of HPA in stress
response

35. The Adrenal Glands
• Located on the top of each kidney
• Has two parts:
–Adrenal Medulla (the central core)
–Adrenal Cortex (the outer portion)

36. The Adrenal Glands
• Located on the top of each kidney
• Has two parts:
–Adrenal Medulla (the central core)
–Adrenal Cortex (the outer portion)
• The Adrenal Medulla:
–Secretes adrenaline and
noradrenaline
–Work to increase the heart rate,
mobilise glucose into the blood
• The Adrenal Cortex:

37. The Adrenal Glands
• Located on the top of each kidney
• Has two parts:
–Adrenal Medulla (the central core)
–Adrenal Cortex (the outer portion)
• The Adrenal Medulla:
• The Adrenal Cortex:
–Secretes glucocorticoids, such as
cortisol, in response to stress

38. (Hooker & Pressman, 2023)

39. The Nervous System
Stress
Restore –
homeostasis
– “rest and
digest”
(Noyes et al., 2017)

40. www.onthegophysicaltherapy.com

41. Memo Section 2 Requirements
• As always, remember to name concept, define it, and connect it
back to the scenario (A workplace or school environment) (what
are the implications of X, or why is it important to think about, etc)
• Take notes on our body’s biological response to stress
– What does our body do when the stress response is sustained?
– important that people understand that this response is out of
our control
– At minimum must mention: cortisol release (and how that comes
to be), fight or flight response (how that happens), autonomic
nervous system (why it is important the stress response moves
through this system)

42. Stress Memo Part 3
Requirements
• What happens as a result of how our body responds to
stress?
• Previous section just covered our body’s automatic
response to stress, now how does that response impact
us?
• What are the educational/health implications of those
reactions?
• As always, remember to name concept, define it, and
connect it back to education (what are the implications of X,
or why is it important to think about, etc)

43. (Hooker & Pressman, 2023)

44. Allostatic Load
• Allostasis refers to the ways in which the
HPA axis, the automatic nervous system,
the cardiovascular system and the
immune system work together to help the
body adapt to stress.
• The allostatic response begins when an
individual perceives a stressor.
(Davey, 2011)

45. Allostatic Load
• The allostatic response is maintained when:
–The stressor becomes chronic.
–The stressor is repeated.
–The individual has inadequate coping resources.
• Allostatic load occurs when the body is exposed
to chronic stressors resulting in physical changes,
such as increased release of stress hormones and
changes in immune system functioning
• Or the “wear and tear” due to stressors
(McEwen & Stellar, 1993)

47. Stress and Cardiovascular Disease
• Repeated activation of the
stress response system may
increase the risk of
cardiovascular disease
through atherosclerosis.
• Atherosclerosis – the build-
up of fatty plaques in the
lining of the blood vessels,
which leads to the narrowing
of the arteries.

48. Stress and Physical Health
• There is a strong body of psychological evidence linking
stress to cardiovascular disease
• Depression and stress increases from Sept to Dec.
tends to level out rest of academic year for undergrad
students
• Stressed animals and humans = stress induced memory
deficits, volume loss in hippocampus, and potentially
other cognitive impairments
(Baker et al., 2018; Carroll et al., 2002; Gump, 2002;
NCofDC, 2014; Rahman et al., 2016)

50. Stress and Health

51. Racism and stress
Young people facing racial discrimination:
• Positive relationship between racial discrimination and
stress
• “strong and consistent negative relationship between
racial discrimination and positive mental health
outcomes, such as self-esteem, self-worth and
psychological adaptation and adjustment”
(Priest et al., 2013, Utsey et al., 2008)

52. (Shonkoff et al., 2021)

53. Coming up
• Be sure to complete the guiding concepts document
by Wed at 7pm
• Read through the Stress memo instructions
– Optional readings will really help you with the activity,
however I will not have info from those on quiz
• Memo due on Friday by midnight
– Check the rubric and requirements for each section before
submitting!
• Survey 2 opens on Feb 15 and closes Feb 19
– Quick check in
• Quiz due on Sunday by midnight