Deck 7: Stress, Trauma, and Psychopathology

Question 1

Dee Dee has been diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Deena has not been diagnosed with major depressive disorder and shows no signs of the condition. As compared with Deena, Dee Dee is ______ likely to have experienced a recent stressor.

A) less
B) equally
C) nearly twice as
D) several times as

Answer 1

nearly twice as

Question 2

In its discussion of the genetic modulation of the effects of childhood maltreatment, the textbook notes that several neurotransmitters are deactivated by the monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) gene. These neurotransmitters do NOT include ______.

A) acetylcholine
B) dopamine
C) norepinephrine
D) serotonin

Answer 2

norepinephrine

Question 3

MOST people experience ______ when something unexpected and uncontrollable happens to them.

A) post-traumatic stress disorder
B) acute stress disorder
C) psychological stress
D) trauma

Answer 3

psychological stress

Question 4

One function of the parasympathetic nervous system is to ______.

A) inhibit salivation
B) slow the heart rate
C) dilate the airways
D) constrict peripheral blood vessels

Question 5

As a response to stress, hormones in the hypothalamus are released into the bloodstream and go to the ______.

A) pituitary gland
B) adrenal medulla
C) amygdala
D) hippocampus

Question 6

The fight-or-flight response to stress was first described by ______.

A) Janice Kiecolt-Glaser
B) Walter Cannon
C) Shelley Taylor
D) Hans Selye

Question 7

Quite unexpectedly, Michael receives a substantial bill. He knows he is probably unable to negotiate a reduced settlement or arrange a payment schedule. Michael is MOST likely to experience ______.

A) post-traumatic stress disorder
B) psychological stress
C) acute stress disorder
D) trauma

Question 8

The sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system is responsible for ______.

A) restoring bodily reserves
B) eliminating bodily waste
C) activating the fight-or-flight response
D) maintaining homeostasis in the body

Question 9

Researchers will often measure concentrations of the hormone ______ in the blood or saliva to assess a person's experience of stress.

A) cortisol
B) melatonin
C) oxytocin
D) estrogen

Question 10

One function of the sympathetic nervous system is to ______.

A) constrict the pupils
B) stimulate the digestive system
C) dilate the airway
D) contract the bladder

Question 11

As compared with its effects on outgoing infants, the effects of positive parenting on inhibited, fearful infants are BEST described as ______.

A) paradoxical
B) minimal
C) attenuated
D) magnified

Question 12

The HPA is under excitatory control of the ______ and the inhibitory control of the ______.

A) amygdala; hippocampus
B) prefrontal cortex; amygdala
C) thalamus; orbitofrontal cortex
D) hippocampus; anterior cingulate cortex

Question 13

Individuals who had been mistreated as children and did NOT have a particular form of the MAO-A gene were ______ likely to be violent and engage in a variety of antisocial behaviors as adults compared with individuals who had been mistreated as children and had the particular form of the MAO-A gene.

A) more
B) less
C) just as
D) very

Question 14

The ______ brain pathway innervates a variety of organs, including the adrenal medulla, that results in the release of catecholamines from the terminal of sympathetic nerves.

A) autonomic nervous system (ANS)
B) hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis
C) arcuate fasciculus
D) mesocortical

Question 15

In response to stress, the adrenal glands produce two hormones that act on the muscle, heart, and lungs to prepare the body for "fight or flight." These two hormones are ______.

A) melatonin and thyroxine
B) leukotrienes and prostacyclin
C) leptin and renin
D) epinephrine and norepinephrine

Question 16

Daily levels of cortisol are often ______ among individuals with depression compared with individuals without depression.

A) higher
B) lower
C) more labile
D) less static

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT involved in the autonomic nervous system?

A) adrenal medulla
B) pituitary gland
C) catecholamines
D) sympathetic nerves

Question 18

As a part of the physiological response to stress, the hypothalamus produces ______.

A) adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
B) corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH)
C) melatonin
D) cholecystokinin (CCK)

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT one of the three functions of the autonomic nervous system?

A) maintains homeostatic conditions in the body
B) coordinates the body's response to exercise and stress
C) helps the endocrine system regulate reproduction
D) drives the associative learning underlying conditioning

Question 20

The HPA axis is made up all of the following EXCEPT the ______.

A) adrenal pathway
B) hypothalamus
C) hippocampus
D) pituitary gland

Question 21

The sympathetic nervous system is to the parasympathetic nervous system as ______ is to ______.

A) acetylcholine; adrenaline
B) excitation; rest
C) homeostasis; fight or flight
D) cholinergic; adrenergic

Question 22

The unpleasantness experienced during both physical and emotional pain is associated with the brain's ______.

A) somatosensory cortex
B) posterior insula
C) anterior cingulate cortex
D) hypothalamus

Question 23

Drew is a recovering addict. After a relapse, he feels isolated and alone. Seeking to continue his recovery and connect with others, he attends a few local 12-step meetings. He feels, though, that he has little in common with the others in the group and feels more alone than ever. Based on the textbook's discussion of social pain, the hurt that Drew is feeling MOST likely involves activity of the brain's ______.

A) prefrontal cortex
B) posterior insula
C) hypothalamus
D) anterior cingulate cortex

Question 24

During times of stress, the immune system ______.

A) is more active
B) remains unaffected
C) increases white blood cell production
D) is suppressed

Question 25

Rat pups raised by less nurturing mothers became more sensitive to stress throughout their lives. This is BEST seen as an example of ______.

A) social learning theory
B) epigenetic changes
C) psychoneuroimmunology
D) the general adaptation syndrome (GAS)

Question 26

In the study by Radtke and colleagues (2011), what was different about the children of mothers who experienced intimate partner violence during pregnancy as compared with children whose mothers did not experience intimate partner violence?

A) They showed DNA methylation of the gene associated with cortisol, the stress hormone.
B) They were more likely to engage in aggressive behaviors.
C) There were no differences, demonstrating the resilience of the human body to stress.
D) They were more likely to be diagnosed with a mental disorder.

Question 27

Which of the following is NOT true regarding the relationship between emotional pain and physical pain?

A) They are associated with the same brain structures.
B) As one type of pain increases, the body becomes less sensitive to the other type of pain.
C) Social support reduces an individual's sensitivity to physical pain.
D) Linguistically, they are described using similar phrases.

Question 28

The action of the sympathetic nervous system is BEST described as ______ to that of the parasympathetic nervous system.

A) opposite
B) similar
C) different
D) unrelated

Question 29

Arden's heart rate is slowing, and her digestion is facilitated. Her ______ nervous system has become active.

A) sympathetic
B) somatic
C) parasympathetic
D) secondary

Question 30

______ is the study of how psychological factors can influence the immune system.

A) Psychoimmunology
B) Allostaticology
C) Psychopathology
D) Psychoneuroimmunology

Question 31

Whereas histone ______ promotes gene activity, histone ______ inhibit(s) gene activity.

A) coding; tags
B) excitation; deactivation
C) acetylation; methylation
D) stimulation; inhibitors

Question 32

When a gene is inactive, it is wrapped around clusters of proteins called ______.

A) histones
B) nuclei
C) deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
D) mitochondria

Question 33

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is NOT involved in

A) the feeling of belonging one feels when one is part of a group
B) a person feeling excluded from playing a video game
C) a young animal emitting distress sounds when separated from its caregiver
D) caregivers showing affiliative behaviors when their young make distressed calls

Question 34

Which situation is MOST likely to involve the action of the parasympathetic nervous system?

A) Brooke's finger accidentally grazes the hot iron; she immediately jerks her hand away.
B) After a satisfying evening meal, Callum relaxes in front of the television.
C) Walking toward her car in a deserted parking garage one night, Danica is surprised by a strange man who seems to appear from nowhere.
D) Eddie's heart starts to pound, and he has "butterflies in his stomach" as he approaches the podium to give a speech in one of his college courses.

Question 35

Dr. Navarre investigates the link between coping strategies and immune system functioning during stressful situations. Dr. Navarre is BEST described as a ______.

A) psychoneuroimmunologist
B) medical psychologist
C) psychopathologist
D) neuropsychologist

Question 36

Izzy's pupils are dilated, and her heart is pounding; her breathing is shallow and rapid. Her ______ nervous system is active.

A) somatic
B) parasympathetic
C) primary
D) sympathetic

Question 37

Tiffany suffers from chronic pain. There are weeks and even months when she is in almost constant physical pain; there are, however, other periods when her pain is "in remission." As compared with these remission periods, Tiffany should be ______ sensitive to social rejection when she is in pain.

A) much less
B) less
C) neither more nor less
D) more

Question 38

Dr. Alastair examines the relationship among psychological factors, the immune system, and the nervous system. She is a ______.

A) psychoimmunologist
B) psychoneuroimmunologist
C) psychoneurologist
D) neuroimmunologist

Question 39

Which of the following is NOT true regarding the relationship between stress and the immune system?

A) The immune system can be influenced by the brain but not visa versa.
B) Stress, in the form of loss or trauma, suppresses the immune system.
C) Negative emotions associated with stress can delay healing.
D) Factors that reduce stress and negative emotions can enhance immune system functioning.

Question 40

Recent studies on the effect of maternal stress on children found that the children of mothers who had experienced abuse during pregnancy had DNA methylation of the genes associated with the hormone ______.

A) estrogen
B) testosterone
C) cortisol
D) oxytocin

Question 41

Anders owns a struggling coffee shop and has just received devastating news: a nationally known competitor is moving in on the same block. Anders has many debts to pay, and his wife is expecting their fourth child. When he hears this bad news, his heart rate zooms, and he feels faint, as if he is in shock. According to Hans Selye, Anders is in the ______ stage of the general adaptation syndrome.

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

Question 42

Much of the human stress response is hormonally driven. One hormone in particular, namely ______, has been shown to have a calming effect and to reduce anxiety.

A) testosterone
B) oxytocin
C) estrogen
D) ghrelin

Question 43

Which hormone is considered the basis for the tend-and-befriend response?

A) oxytocin
B) estrogen
C) norepinephrine
D) melatonin

Question 44

With respect to stress responses, fight or flight is to tend and befriend as ______ is to ______.

A) Shelley Taylor; Walter Cannon
B) female; male
C) testosterone; oxytocin
D) oxytocin; estrogen

Question 45

Maya owes the credit card company $20,000, her adjustable rate mortgage has just gone up, and she has been out of work for 3 months. Today her husband of 15 years just told her he was having an affair and wants a divorce. With that news, she collapsed and had to be taken to the emergency room. According to Hans Selye, Maya is in the ______ stage of the general adaptation syndrome.

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

Question 46

The cumulative wear and tear on the body by responding to stressful conditions is referred to ______.

A) the general adaptation syndrome
B) allostatic load
C) the fight-or-flight response
D) the HPA axis

Question 47

______ refers to the body's ability to achieve stability through an active process of change.

A) Allostasis
B) Homeostasis
C) Adrenergy
D) Adaptation

Question 48

According to the DSM-5, _____ disorders are those in which reactions to an event are out of proportion to the event's severity.

A) adjustment
B) anxiety
C) post-traumatic stress
D) mood

Question 49

Roger works full-time, has a part-time second job, and has started a new consulting company in response to his son's special needs. He seems to be coping with everything quite well-at least for the moment. According to Hans Selye, Roger is in the ______ stage of the general adaptation syndrome.

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

Question 50

According to the text, a direct link between psychological stress and psychopathology is seen not only in post-traumatic stress disorder but also in the _____ disorders.

A) mood
B) anxiety
C) personality
D) dissociative

Question 51

Which sequence correctly orders the stages of the general adaptation syndrome, from first to last?

A) alarm $\rightarrow$ exhaustion $\rightarrow$ resistance
B) alarm $\rightarrow$ resistance $\rightarrow$ exhaustion
C) resistance $\rightarrow$ alarm $\rightarrow$ exhaustion
D) resistance $\rightarrow$ exhaustion $\rightarrow$ alarm

Question 52

The textbook suggests that the _____ response to stress did not come to light until the year 2000 because many 20th-century stress studies lacked _____ validity.

A) fight-or-flight; external
B) fight-or-flight; internal
C) tend-and-befriend; external
D) tend-and-befriend; internal

Question 53

The three stages of general adaptation syndrome (GAS) do NOT include ______.

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

Question 54

Hans Selye called the bodily response to a variety of different stressors the ______.

A) general adaption syndrome
B) fight-or-flight response
C) allostasis
D) allostatic load

Question 55

Christine experienced trauma as a child when she witnessed her father's murder. Kim experienced no trauma as a child. Both girls are now adults. As compared with Kim's present-day stress responses, Christine's are MOST likely ______.

A) smaller
B) the same
C) larger
D) more variable

Question 56

Adbul has just discovered his term paper is due tomorrow when he thought it was due next week. According to Hans Selye, Abdul is MOST likely experiencing the ______ stage of the general adaptation syndrome.

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

Question 57

How is the typical female stress response similar to the typical male stress response?

A) Both the female and male stress responses reflect the action of oxytocin.
B) Both the female and male stress responses involve an initial response of the sympathetic nervous system.
C) Both females and males generally display a fight-or-flight response to stress.

Question 58

Which response to stress is MORE associated with females than males?

A) fight or flight
B) tend and befriend
C) grab and jab
D) meet and greet

Question 59

How do male groups differ from female groups?

A) Male groups are smaller than female groups.
B) Male groups involve more social support and bonding than female groups do.
C) Male groups are more enduring than female groups.
D) Male groups are larger than female groups.

Question 60

Allostatic load is NOT increased by ______.

A) periodic exposure to minor stressors
B) frequent exposure to stressors
C) poor habituation to a repeated stressor
D) a slow return to baseline physiology

Question 61

______ is NOT associated with an increased severity of acute stress symptoms following a traumatic experience.

A) A negative appraisal of the trauma
B) Suicide risk
C) Being married
D) High trait anxiety

Question 62

Nick did not receive a job offer that he badly wanted and that he desperately needed to improve his challenging financial situation. Since the rejection, Nick has been plagued with negative thoughts. He has become not only despondent but also self-conscious and suspicious of others. As a result, he is isolating himself. He has discontinued his search for employment, fraying his relationships with family and friends. Based on this information, Nick is MOST likely to be diagnosed with _____ disorder.

A) post-traumatic stress
B) acute stress
C) major depressive
D) adjustment

Question 63

Jarome has been diagnosed with acute stress disorder. His angry outbursts these past few weeks are an example of ______ symptoms of acute stress disorder.

A) arousal
B) dissociative
C) avoidance
D) intrusion

Question 64

With respect to the symptoms of acute stress disorder, arousal is to dissociation as ______ is to ______.

A) sleep disturbance; feeling "in a fog"
B) loss of memory; anger
C) difficulty concentrating; avoiding people
D) despondency; loss of memory

Question 65

Which phrase BEST expresses the proportion of people who will experience a threat to their own life or to that of another close to them at some point during their lives?

A) a small minority
B) a substantial minority
C) about half
D) most

Question 66

As compared with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among men, PTSD among women is ______ severe, and its duration is ______.

A) less; longer
B) less; shorter
C) more; longer
D) more; shorter

Question 67

Intrusion symptoms in acute stress disorder include ______.

A) problems with concentration
B) hypervigilance
C) recurrent distressing dreams
D) an altered sense of reality

Question 68

Kat is a middle-school teacher who survived a mass shooting at her school 3 weeks ago that claimed the lives not only of several of her colleagues but of three of her fifth-grade students. She remembers very little of the event. Kat's lack of memory is an example of a(n) ______ symptom of acute stress disorder.

A) arousal
B) dissociative
C) avoidance
D) intrusion

Question 69

Basic behavioral research in fear acquisition and extinction have helped pinpoint the regions of the brain involved in PTSD. One such area is the ______.

A) thalamus
B) basal ganglia
C) primary motor cortex
D) medial prefrontal cortex

Question 70

Karen was mugged at knifepoint 6 months ago while walking home from work. She has recently begun experiencing nightmares about being robbed and daily has intrusive memories of that original traumatic event. She is generally having a difficult time adjusting to daily life following her trauma and often reexperiences her trauma on her walks to work. Which of the following DSM disorders best describes Karen's situation? Based on this information, Karen is MOST likely to be diagnosed with ______ disorder.

A) post-traumatic stress
B) acute stress
C) generalized anxiety
D) adjustment

Question 71

______ disorder is a short-term reaction to traumatic events that lasts no longer than 1 month.

A) Adjustment
B) Acute stress
C) Post-traumatic stress
D) Social anxiety

Question 72

Acute stress disorder differs from post-traumatic stress disorder in that acute stress disorder

A) reflects fewer dissociative symptoms
B) does not require the experience of a traumatic event
C) does not last as long
D) does not involve any intrusion symptoms

Question 73

Corrine was getting a cup of coffee at a local convenience store when the cashier was confronted by masked gunmen. As the cashier reached below the counter to press an alarm, one of the gunmen shot her. Two weeks later, Corrine is still badly shaken. She is too frightened to run routine errands in her neighborhood. She startles easily. Although she is troubled by random flashbacks to the event, she finds that she can recall surprisingly little about it when she is directly asked. Corrine is MOST likely to be diagnosed with ______ disorder.

A) post-traumatic stress
B) acute stress
C) generalized anxiety
D) adjustment

Question 74

______ NOT an example of an intrusion symptom in trauma-related disorders.

A) Flashbacks are
B) Dreams related to the trauma are
C) Distress in response to reminders of the event is
D) Anger and aggression are

Question 75

Years after he barely survived an attack that killed his wife and two children, Mr. Puskari suffers recurring flashbacks and frequent nightmares of the event. They render him incapable of holding a steady job. Mr. Puskari is MOST clearly showing signs of ______ disorder.

A) adjustment
B) social anxiety
C) post-traumatic stress
D) acute stress

Question 76

Among individuals who seek mental health treatment, approximately ______ are estimated to meet the criteria for an adjustment disorder.

A) 5%
B) 10%
C) 15%
D) 20%

Question 77

For which of the DSM-5 stressor- and trauma-related disorders is there no upper limit on how long symptoms may last for the diagnosis?

A) acute stress disorder
B) There is no upper limit on how long symptoms may last for any of the stressor- and trauma-related diagnoses.
C) adjustment disorder
D) post-traumatic stress disorder

Question 78

A diagnosis of an adjustment disorder requires that the reaction to a stressful event last no longer than ______ month(s) after the stressful event ends.

A) 1
B) 3
C) 6
D) 12

Question 79

Almost ______ of those who experience a threat to their own lives or to that of someone close to them will go on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?

A) 3%
B) 5%
C) 7%
D) 9%

Question 80

Which type of trauma is associated with the HIGHEST risk of developing PTSD?

A) exposure to combat
B) motor vehicle accident
C) assaultive trauma
D) hearing about the accidental death of a loved one