Deck 10: Stress, Coping, and Resistance

Question 1

Which medical researcher and theorist has most significantly shaped our current thinking about human stress?

A) George Vaillant
B) M. Seligman
C) Janet Giele
D) Hans Selye

Answer 1

D

Question 2

According to Yehuda, which gender is most likely to experience a higher incidence of PTSD?

A) both genders equally
B) men
C) women
D) It has not been determined.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

According to Selye's theory of the general adaptation syndrome, what is the final stage of response to stress?

A) alarm
B) exhaustion
C) resistance
D) immune reaction

Answer 3

B

Question 4

first phase of the "general adaptation syndrome" is _______.

A) resistance
B) alarm reaction
C) mobilization of the immune system
D) exhaustion

Question 5

Which of the following would be an example of a "problem-focused" way of coping with stress?

A) Deny any fear or distress.
B) Accept the problem with resignation.
C) Seek information or advice.
D) hope for the best and try to see the silver lining.

Question 6

general, stress

A) decreases with age for females, but increases for males.
B) stays about the same over the life span.
C) increases with age.
D) decreases with age.

Question 7

________ psychologists suggest that the reaction to acute stress is an adaptive mechanism that enabled our primitive ancestors to summon optimal levels of energy.

A) Cognitive
B) Social
C) Evolutionary
D) Clinical

Question 8

Chronic tightness in the neck and shoulders, as a response to stress, would be an example of which phase of the general adaptation syndrome?

A) exhaustion
B) alarm
C) resistance
D) tension

Question 9

Which researcher and theorist first coined the term "stress" and proposed that there are three stages to the stress response?

A) George Vaillant
B) George Bonanno
C) Shelley Taylor
D) Hans Selye

Question 10

Compared to other adults in the U.S.,_______ adults have greater incidence of high blood pressure and stroke than other racial/ethnic groups.

A) nonHispanic white
B) black
C) Asian American
D) Hispanic

Question 11

Which of the following is FALSE regarding Selye's model?

A) He believed that stress led to a suppression of the immune system.
B) He believed that if the stressor is severe enough, it could lead to death.
C) It emphasizes physical aspects of stress.
D) It has six stages.

Question 12

the negative effect of stress is smaller for those who have adequate social support than it is for those whose social support is weak, researchers refer to this as the _______.

A) resistance effect
B) general adaptation syndrome
C) resilience effect
D) buffering effect

Question 13

Holmes and Rahe (1967)'s checklist measure is based on the premise that ____ change requires adaptation.

A) positive
B) negative
C) sporadic
D) any

Question 14

Selye's approach would be considered

A) a stimulus-oriented approach
B) a response-oriented approach
C) an interactionist approach
D) a cognitive approach

Question 15

Using the figure below, which of the following statements BEST describes the data?

A) Men and women report having more days with stressors as they go from middle (40-59) to older adulthood
B) Men and women report having about the same days with stressors as they go from middle (40-59) to older adulthood
C) Men and women report having fewer days with stressors as they go from middle (40-59) to older adulthood
D) Men report more days with stressors than women at all ages

Question 16

"general adaptation syndrome" has three phases. In what order do they occur?

A) alarm reaction, resistance, exhaustion
B) alarm reaction, exhaustion, resistance
C) resistance, exhaustion, alarm reaction
D) resistance, alarm reaction, exhaustion

Question 17

life events approach to the study of stress would be considered

A) a stimulus-oriented approach
B) a response-oriented approach
C) an interactionist approach
D) a demand approach

Question 18

Which of the following features of a social support appears to be most critical in providing a buffering effect in the face of stress?

A) size
B) frequency of contact
C) perception of quality of support
D) perception of the status of its members

Question 19

which stage of the general adaptation syndrome does an increased risk of illness occur?

A) alarm
B) resistance
C) exhaustion
D) in every stage

Question 20

Results of Almeida's diary study of about 1,500 adults showed that the most common stressors were

A) those that involved health problems.
B) problems at work or school.
C) money problems.
D) interpersonal arguments and tensions.

Question 21

Faced with the news that her father's tumors have grown, an adult says to her friend, "At least we've spent more quality time together and express our love for one another more once he got the diagnosis." This is an example of what form of coping?

A) problem-focused
B) proactive coping
C) meaning-focused
D) social-focused

Question 22

Research examining stress-related growth has shown

A) that how one appraises and copes with problems may be the key to deriving benefits from stressful experiences.
B) that women, especially breast cancer patients, show more stress-related growth than men.
C) that personal growth and wisdom result mainly from daily stressors rather than severe, ongoing stressors.
D) that those who report personal growth and wisdom after trauma are most likely in denial.

Question 23

Using the figure below, which of the following individuals is at the greatest risk for developing breast cancer? Source: Adapted from Lillberg, Verksalo, Kaprio, et al. (2003).

A) Veronica: Young, in good health, living with your parents and attending school, but needs to arrange for a ride to school
B) Gina: Middle-aged, in good health, divorced, but happily married, best friend diagnosed with pancreatic cancer-stage 2
C) Claire: older, high cholesterol and 10 lbs overweight, divorced once, widowed for 3 years, falling out with her sibling, employer cut her hours from 35 to 20 hours a week, and therefore, she lost her benefits
D) Wanda: young, Type 2 diabetes (controlled), getting married in six months

Question 24

Social support and coping strategies are both examples of _______.

A) stress responses
B) resistance resources
C) resiliencies
D) convoy aids

Question 25

finding from the National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE) was that:

A) events that happened at school or home were rated as the most stressful.
B) people tend to perceive their own stressful events as more severe than they are perceived by a noninvolved rater.
C) most people did not report any stressors on the days studied, perhaps caused by social desirability of talking directly to the interviewer.
D) the least common stressors were interpersonal tensions.

Question 26

theory that women developed additional stress responses aimed to protect calm and quiet children, to remove them from harm's way, and to marshal resources to help is called:

A) fight-or-flight theory.
B) Seyle's General Adaptation Syndrome.
C) urban press.
D) tend-and-befriend theory.

Question 27

general, stress

A) decreases with age for females, but increases with age for males.
B) stays about the same over the life span.
C) increases with age.
D) decreases with age.

Question 28

Which statement best describes gender differences related to PTSD?

A) Men are more exposed to trauma than women during their lifetimes and men are more likely to suffer from PTSD.
B) Men are more exposed to trauma than women during their lifetimes; women are more apt to suffer from PTSD.
C) There is not enough research on PTSD among men to make comparisons.
D) There are no gender differences in either exposure to trauma or likelihood of developing PTSD.

Question 29

According to Carver, which of the following would be an example of "acceptance" coping?

A) "I've been concentrating my efforts on doing something about the situation I'm in."
B) "I've been giving up trying to deal with it."
C) "I've been learning to live with it."
D) "I've been saying to myself, 'This isn't real.'"

Question 30

Genetic changes have been found in groups experiencing low socioeconomic status and posttraumatic stress disorder. These finding illustrate:

A) Selye's model.
B) the tend and befriend model.
C) environment-gene interactions.
D) a stimulus-oriented viewpoint.

Question 31

According to Yehuda, which gender is most likely to experience a higher incidence of PTSD?

A) both genders equally
B) men
C) women
D) It has not been determined.

Question 32

Using the figure below for reference, which of the following statements BEST describes the data? Source: Adapted from Almeida & Horn (2004).

A) Men and women report having more days with stressors as they go from middle (40-59) to older adulthood
B) Men and women report having about the same days with stressors as they go from middle (40-59) to older adulthood
C) Men and women report having fewer days with stressors as they go from middle (40-59) to older adulthood
D) men report more days with stressors than women at all ages

Question 33

study of changes in gene expression due to subjective perceptions of the social environment is called _______.

A) social psychology
B) human social genomics
C) evolutionary psychology
D) behavioral genetics

Question 34

Males typically exhibit a _____ response to stress; women typically exhibit a _____ response to stress.

A) fight or flight; tend and befriend
B) fight or flight; care and share
C) provoked; dismissive
D) provoked; avoidance

Question 35

Which of the following would be an example of a "problem-focused" way of coping with stress?

A) deny any fear or distress
B) accept the problem with resignation
C) seek information or advice
D) distancing oneself from the problem

Question 36

phrase "social support" includes which of the following actions?

A) consoling a friend over a lost job
B) loaning money to your brother
C) referring your mother to a good doctor
D) all of the above

Question 37

study examining how people coped with the Washington, DC sniper attacks in 2002 showed that people restricted their usual activities in many areas. Women reduced activities significantly more than men for all types of activities EXCEPT:

A) gas fill-ups.
B) food shopping.
C) socializing with friends.
D) taking public transportation

Question 38

According to Carver, which of the following would be an example of "denial" coping?

A) "I've been concentrating my efforts on doing something about the situation I'm in."
B) "I've been giving up trying to deal with it."
C) "I've been learning to live with it."
D) "I've been saying to myself, 'This isn't real.'"

Question 39

According to Carver, which of the following would be an example of "active coping" style of coping?

A) "I've been concentrating my efforts on doing something about the situation I'm in."
B) "I've been giving up trying to deal with it."
C) "I've been learning to live with it."
D) "I've been getting comfort and understanding from someone.'"

Question 40

the diary study that tracked the daily stressors of about 1,500 people, it was found that the proportion of days that people reported experiencing any stressors began to decline after

A) adolescence.
B) emerging adulthood.
C) middle adulthood.
D) late adulthood.

Question 41

According to research, which of the following features of social support is most closely linked to a buffering effect?

A) perception of the quality of support
B) size of support network
C) number of times that the person has been in contact with members of their support network
D) availability of support from one's children

Question 42

Researchers are challenging the concept of "grief work," the idea that people experiencing trauma need to "let it all out," because

A) there is no research on grief-work therapy.
B) it only applies to people in Western cultures.
C) men and women who experience traumatic loss cope differently.
D) it labels resilient people as pathological.

Question 43

at least two arguments against the strategy of measuring a person's stress by compiling a list of their recent life changes.

Question 44

Resilience is defined as _______.

A) the maintenance of healthy functioning following exposure to potential trauma
B) the same as recovery
C) delayed stress reactions that do not cause long-term problems
D) the ways people cope in advance to prevent or mute the impact of a stressful event that will happen (or will likely happen) in the future

Question 45

Research on social support has shown

A) that the buffering effect of social support is limited to women.
B) the link between social support and better health outcomes has been found only in the U.S. and Canada.
C) that perception of quality of support is more strongly related to health than the amount of contact with others.
D) that well-intentioned social support has only beneficial effects on the recipient.

Question 46

Hardiness, according to Maddi, describes people who __________.

A) are committed to finding meaning in life
B) believe that they can control their own surroundings and the outcome of events
C) believe that all life experiences bring growth and knowledge
D) all of the above

Question 47

do we mean by the buffering effect of social support? Give several examples.

Question 48

you were conducting a study on the effects of social support on the health of college students, how would you measure social support? Why is this way of measuring social support better than others?

Question 49

Describe a study designed to explore this set of questions:
1) Are there age differences in the way adults respond to life crises?

Question 50

Which statement best describes gender differences related to PTSD?

A) Men are more exposed to trauma than women during their lifetimes and men are more likely to suffer from PTSD.
B) Men are more exposed to trauma than women during their lifetimes; women are more apt to suffer from PTSD.
C) There is not enough research on PTSD among men to make comparisons.
D) There are no gender differences in either exposure to trauma or likelihood of developing PTSD.
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

Question 51

friend, J'Loreal, is worried that her mother was depressed for only about a week after her husband died. J'Loreal went on to say that her mother is going to have a much more severe form of delayed grief if she doesn't go to a therapist and work through her real feelings. Do you agree with her? Come up with a response that draws upon research findings.

Question 52

one piece of evidence in support of the argument that stress can sometimes have beneficial effects on adult development.

Question 53

research to support the claim that stress may sometimes have beneficial effects.

Question 54

Religious coping to reduce stress relies upon _____.

A) finding a meaning in suffering
B) achieving a sense of control by trusting God
C) gaining social solidarity with others who share one's beliefs
D) all of the above

Question 55

an example of how personality affects health outcomes.

Question 56

the negative effect of stress is smaller for those who have adequate social support than it is for those whose social support is weak, researchers refer to this as the _______.

A) stress-related growth
B) general adaptation syndrome
C) resilience effect
D) buffering effect

Question 57

Briefly describe and contrast response-oriented theories and stimulus-oriented theories of stress.

Question 58

are giving a lecture on social support and want to end the lecture with some clear advice to your listeners about the kinds of social networks they should have. What advice would you give? Why?

Question 59

Describe the findings of one study that examined the effects of discrimination as a stressor.

Question 60

the four outcomes people can have after exposure to trauma, which is the most prevalent, according to Bonanno?

A) chronic
B) delayed
C) recovery
D) resilience

Question 61

Create, then compare and contrast, two stressors-one short-term life event and one chronic stressor. How do these two stressors differ in terms of how an individual might cope and the physical and emotional effects on an individual? Be sure to include a discussion of individual differences and resilience factors in your answer.

Question 62

S. adults from 25 to 74 years report that the largest proportion of their daily stressors arise from interpersonal tensions, followed by stressful events that happen to other people in their networks and events that happen at work or school. List your top 10 sources of stress. Categorize your stressors and compare your groupings with the national sample. Discuss the similarities and differences.

Question 63

Critique with relevant research the phrase, "Crisis is required for growth."

Question 64

Describe Taylor's Tend-and-Befriend model.