Question 1

An individual's judgment about the significance of an event as stressful, positive, or controllable describes:

Accepted Answer

Primary appraisal is the process by which an individual evaluates the significance of a situation or event as stressful, positive, or controllable.

Question 2

______________________ coping strategies are most adaptive for stressors that are unchangeable.

Accepted Answer

Emotion-focused coping strategies are most adaptive for stressors that are unchangeable because they help manage the emotions associated with the stressor, rather than trying to change the stressor itself, which is not possible in this context.

Question 3

Adults who experienced multiple chronic stressors during childhood are more likely to experience poor health and engage in detrimental health behaviors as adults compared to adults who did not experience chronic stressors during childhood. What term describes this example?

Accepted Answer

The life course perspective examines how chronological age, relationships, common life transitions, and social change shape people's lives from birth to death, including how early life experiences can impact health and behavior in adulthood. This perspective is relevant to the example given, as it highlights the long-term effects of childhood stressors on adult health and behaviors.

Question 4

An individual who perceives his or her job as stressful begins looking for a new, less stressful job. This person is engaging in:

Accepted Answer

Problem management involves taking direct actions to address a problem, such as seeking a less stressful job to reduce stress.

Question 5

Which statement about coping styles is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

Coping styles refer to the methods individuals use to handle stress and difficult situations, not to outcomes like emotional and functional well-being. Emotional and functional well-being are potential outcomes of effective coping, not examples of coping styles themselves. Examples of coping styles include problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping.

Question 6

According to the John Henryism hypothesis:

Accepted Answer

The John Henryism hypothesis posits that individuals who engage in high-effort coping in the face of significant stressors and constraints, particularly socio-economic, may experience adverse health effects. This is because the persistent high effort to overcome barriers can lead to increased stress and physiological wear and tear.

Question 7

In an observational study of middle-aged and older adults, who were raised in low SES homes, people who employed a(n) ______________________ coping style were found to have a lower allostatic load.

Accepted Answer

The "shift and persist" coping style, which involves adjusting one's goals and finding meaning in life's challenges, has been associated with better health outcomes, including lower allostatic load, among individuals raised in low socioeconomic status (SES) environments. This coping style helps individuals to manage stress more effectively, potentially reducing the physiological wear and tear on the body that is indicative of high allostatic load.

Question 8

The Prenatal and Infancy Nurse Home Partnership Program utilized all of the following EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

The Prenatal and Infancy Nurse Home Partnership Program focuses on nurse visits for teaching coping skills, pre- and post-natal intervention, providing education, and incorporates a social ecological and life course perspective, but it does not specifically include racism and discrimination support groups as part of its core components.

Question 9

Historical studies on stress and coping revealed all of the following EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

Longitudinal studies are actually very useful for researching the relationship between stress, coping, and health, as they allow researchers to observe how these factors interact over time. Choices A, B, C, and D are all established findings in the field of stress research.

Question 10

The model that includes stress appraisal followed by coping efforts and coping outcomes is called:

Accepted Answer

The Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, developed by Lazarus and Folkman in 1984, describes stress as a transaction between the individual and their environment, including the processes of stress appraisal, coping efforts, and coping outcomes.

Question 11

Some stress exposures, including death or divorce, are consistently harmful to health, regardless of an individual's perception of the stressor.

Accepted Answer

The impact of stress exposures, including significant life events like death or divorce, on health can vary greatly depending on an individual's perception of the stressor, their coping mechanisms, and social support systems. Some individuals may find ways to adapt or find meaning in these events, which can mitigate negative health impacts.

Question 12

Prolonged exposure to cortisol has been found to strengthen the immune system and improve bone density.

Accepted Answer

Prolonged exposure to cortisol actually suppresses the immune system and can lead to decreased bone density, among other health issues.

Question 13

Disengaging coping strategies include distancing, cognitive avoidance, and denial.

Accepted Answer

Disengaging coping strategies are mechanisms that involve a psychological or emotional detachment from stress-inducing situations, and they include behaviors such as distancing oneself from the problem, avoiding thinking about it (cognitive avoidance), and denying that the problem exists or its impact.

Question 14

Research has found no psychological benefits related to spirituality.

Accepted Answer

Numerous studies have shown that spirituality can have various psychological benefits, including reduced stress, improved mood, and a greater sense of purpose and meaning in life.

Question 15

The stress-buffering hypothesis predicts that social support has stronger positive effects on well-being when the stressor is not present or improves.

Accepted Answer

The stress-buffering hypothesis suggests that social support primarily has positive effects on well-being in the presence of stress, helping to buffer or mitigate the negative effects of stress.

Question 16

Racism can have both direct and indirect effects on health.

Accepted Answer

Racism can directly affect health by causing psychological stress and trauma, and indirectly by creating social and economic inequalities that limit access to healthcare, healthy food, and safe living conditions, thereby impacting overall health.

Question 17

Acute stress always leads to enhanced health, while chronic stress is always damaging to health.

Accepted Answer

Acute stress can sometimes enhance performance or immune function in the short term, but not necessarily lead to enhanced health overall. Chronic stress, on the other hand, is often damaging to health, but the impact can vary depending on individual resilience and coping mechanisms.

Question 18

Negative social support can promote worse health outcomes and influence negative health behaviors.

Accepted Answer

Negative social support, such as criticism, hostility, or lack of understanding from one's social network, can lead to increased stress, which in turn can worsen health outcomes and encourage unhealthy behaviors like smoking, poor diet, or lack of exercise.

Question 19

The Ways of Coping Inventory is one way to measure biomarkers related to stress.

Accepted Answer

The Ways of Coping Inventory is a psychological tool used to assess the coping strategies individuals use in response to specific stressors, not to measure biomarkers related to stress.

Question 20

The Prenatal and Infancy Nurse Home Partnership Program had a positive impact on reducing child maltreatment and child injuries.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that the Prenatal and Infancy Nurse Home Partnership Program, by providing home visits from nurses to low-income, first-time mothers, has had a positive impact on reducing instances of child maltreatment and child injuries, among other positive outcomes.

Quiz 10: Stress, Coping, Adaptation, and Health Behavior