Deck 13: Understanding Stress and Coping Strategies in Health Psychology

Question 1

Which statement about health psychologists is/are TRUE?

A) They investigate the effects of psychological factors on illness.
B) They examine the psychological principles underlying treatments for disease and illness.
C) They study how more healthful behaviour can avoid and reduce health problems.
D) All these are true.

Answer 1

All these are true.

Question 2

Disorders that can be made worse by stress are called

A) psychogenic disorders.
B) mental illnesses.
C) psychophysiological disorders.
D) diseases.

Answer 2

psychophysiological disorders.

Question 3

Which of the following would NOT be researched by health psychologists?

A) chronic illness
B) coping strategies
C) broken bones
D) smoking and drug use

Answer 3

broken bones

Question 4

Which of these statements is/are TRUE with respect to health psychology?

A) It has become an important part of psychology in relatively recent decades.
B) It has paid particular attention to the immune system.
C) both of these options.
D) neither of these options.

Question 5

Positive events

A) may produce stress.
B) generally result in less detrimental effects than do negative events.
C) both of these options
D) neither of these options

Question 6

Brett sees an attractive woman he wants to meet. As he approaches her, he experiences sweaty palms and a racing heart. In this situation, __________ is the stressor.

A) his attraction to the woman
B) approaching the woman
C) his physical reaction
D) None of these is a stressor; this is a pleasant experience.

Question 7

Which of the following sequences best reflects the relative severity of the categories of stressors described in your text, from MOST to LEAST severe?

A)personal stressor ? daily hassles ? cataclysmic event
B)personal stressor ? cataclysmic event ? daily hassles
C)cataclysmic event ? personal stressor ? daily hassles
D)daily hassles ? cataclysmic event ? personal stressor

Question 8

Events that are strong stressors and that occur suddenly and affect many people at once are called

A) cataclysmic events.
B) daily hassles.
C) personal stressors.
D) life-crisis events.

Question 9

Major life events that have immediate negative consequences that generally fade with time are called

A) cataclysmic events.
B) daily hassles.
C) personal stressors.
D) life-crisis events.

Question 10

The minor irritations of life that we all face time and time again are called

A) cataclysmic events.
B) daily hassles.
C) personal stressors.
D) annoyance stressors.

Question 11

Which category of stressor is CORRECTLY matched with an example?

A) daily hassle-hurricane Katrina
B) personal stressor-being fired
C) cataclysmic event-spending time on hold on the phone
D) None of these is correctly matched.

Question 12

Experiencing intense fear while reliving a shocking event in dreams or flashbacks describes

A) post-traumatic stress disorder.
B) personal stressors.
C) the general adaptation syndrome.
D) daily hassles.

Question 13

About how many soldiers returning from Iraq show symptoms of PTSD?

A) one in two
B) one in four
C) one in five
D) one in six

Question 14

In what way do daily hassles represent a problem for our physical and psychological well-being?

A) Their effects tend to cumulate, or add up, over time.
B) They increase dopamine-4
C) They require a great deal of coping.
D) all of these options

Question 15

A researcher assesses the number of hassles and the number of uplifts that survey respondents report experiencing during a given time period; she also includes a measure of physical and psychological health. Given your text's discussion, which of the following measures do you think would correlate MOST STRONGLY with health scores?

A) number of hassles
B) number of uplifts
C) number of hassles plus the number of uplifts
D) ratio of hassles to uplifts

Question 16

Physiological reactions to stress include

A) an increase in heart rate and blood pressure.
B) an increase in hormone activity.
C) activation of the sympathetic nervous system.
D) All of these

Question 17

Which statement best captures the relationship between psychosomatic and psychophysiological disorders?

A) Psychophysiological disordersis a new term for psychosomatic disorders.
B) Psychosomatic disordersis a new term for psychophysiological disorders.
C) Psychosomatic disordersare psychological; psychophysiological disordersare physical.
D) Psychosomatic disordersare physical; psychophysiological disordersare psychological.

Question 18

Psychophysiological disorders include

A) headaches.
B) constipation.
C) high blood pressure.
D) All of these

Question 19

Some health psychologists have criticized the general adaptation syndrome, because it

A) suggests that one's physiological reaction to stress is always the same, which may not be true.
B) does not take into account how an individual interprets or appraises a stressful event.
C) both of these options
D) neither of these options

Question 20

A correlation coefficient between scores on a measure of stress and scores on a measure of well-being might reflect

A) the effect of stress on the immune system.
B) people's tendency to engage in unhealthy behaviours when they are stressed.
C) people's tendency to utilize health care resources less effectively when they are under stress.
D) Any of these

Question 21

How does stress affect the immune system?

A) It may decrease immune system response.
B) It may overstimulate the immune system.
C) both of these options
D) neither of these options

Question 22

Positive ways of coping include

A) emotion-focused coping.
B) learned helplessness.
C) avoidant coping.
D) all of these options

Question 23

Which of these statements is TRUE regarding emotion-focused coping?

A) Emotion-focused coping is less effective than problem-focused coping.
B) Emotion-focused coping is more effective than problem-focused coping.
C) Emotion-focused coping is frequently used than problem-focused coping when the situation is uncontrollable.
D) None of these is true.

Question 24

A woman who is repeatedly abused by her husband may believe that she has no control in the situation and decide to give up and stop defending herself. This is an example of

A) avoidant coping.
B) emotion-focused coping.
C) learned helplessness.
D) the frustration-aggression hypothesis.

Question 25

Which of these statements does NOT describe an effective use of social support?

A) You learn coping strategies from others with similar problems.
B) Others can provide actual goods or services to help in stressful situations.
C) Social support demonstrates that you are an important member of a social network.
D) You have someone else to blame for your problems.

Question 26

The knowledge that we are part of a mutual network of caring, interested others is called __________support.

A) coping
B) social
C) network
D) socioemotional

Question 27

Which of these was NOT identified by your text as an effective coping strategy?

A) Turn a threat into a challenge.
B) Acknowledge the sources of stress in our lives.
C) Wait until stress happens to react.
D) Evaluate your coping strategy.

Question 28

A person can learn to control __________ processes through conscious thought in biofeedback.

A) coping
B) emotional
C) cognitive
D) physiological

Question 29

With respect to the relationship between the Type A behaviour pattern and coronary heart disease, your text suggests that

A) the Type A pattern is as good a predictor as any other variable of who will develop heart disease.
B) the association between the Type A pattern and the development of heart disease cannot be explained away by pointing to another variable, such as smoking.
C) both of these options
D) neither of these options

Question 30

Which of these is NOT a characteristic associated with Type A behaviour?

A) hostility
B) competitiveness
C) time urgency
D) patience

Question 31

Research cited in your text suggests that, compared to more passive women, women who adopt a "fighting spirit" in response to breast cancer

A) may cope less effectively in the short term.
B) may live longer.
C) may not live as long as passive women.
D) may develop heart disease as well.

Question 32

Research cited in your text suggests that women with breast cancer who received psychotherapy___________ than did similar women who did not participate in therapy.

A) experienced more anxiety
B) lived longer
C) experienced more pain
D) died earlier

Question 33

Which of these is NOT one of the reasons that people smoke?

A) Smoking is sometimes seen as a "rite of passage" for adolescents.
B) Smoking may be seen as "cool" or sophisticated act.
C) Smoking may be seen as a way to calm oneself in stressful situations.
D) Once they become dependent on nicotine, smoking is the only way to continue to get it.

Question 34

Which of the following two sets of factors make it difficult to stop smoking?

A) physical withdrawal symptoms and learned helplessness
B) psychological dependency and low self-esteem
C) social rewards and physical dependency on nicotine
D) All of the above sets of factors

Question 35

Of smokers who quit cold-turkey, _________ are successful.

A) 25%
B) 15%
C) 5%
D) 1%

Question 36

In many countries around the world, a __________ proportion of children and adolescents smoke cigarettes than is the case in North America.

A) much higher
B) slightly higher
C) lower
D) substantially lower

Question 37

Which of the following terms is most nearly synonymous with the phrase "subjective well-being"?

A) pride
B) wealth
C) happiness
D) optimism

Question 38

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of happy people as described in the text?

A) extroverted
B) optimistic
C) high self-esteem
D) learned helplessness

Question 39

Which of the following points/point to genetic factors in feeling happy?

A) The existence of a set point for happiness
B) Similarity in happiness levels between identical twins raised apart
C) Happiness returns to previous levels after major life-changing events
D) All of these

Question 40

Regarding happiness, which statement is TRUE?

A) Women are happier than men are.
B) Men are happier than women are.
C) People who live in rich countries are happier than people who live in poor ones.
D) Most people tend to be reasonably happy.

Question 41

Research has shown that people's set point for happiness is determined:

A) partly by genetics
B) mostly by genetics
C) mostly by daily fluctuations in mood
D) partly by observing how happy other people are

Question 42

What did researchers from the University of British Columbia find was true for children who experience daily stressors?

A) they had higher levels of cortisol and more difficulty with sleep
B) they had lower levels of cortisol and more difficulty with sleep
C) they had higher levels of cortisol and less difficulty with sleep
D) they had lower levels of cortisol and less difficulty with sleep

Question 43

Health Canada believes Canadians should take a more active role in their own health. Which of the following are examples of healthy living as outlined by Health Canada?

A) eating healthy
B) participating in physical activity
C) avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption
D) all of these options

Question 44

The Canadian Cancer Society estimated that in 2012 there would be approximately ________ new cases of cancer and ________ deaths.

A) 125,000; 50,000
B) 150,000; 65,000
C) 185,000; 75,000
D) 200,000; 100,000

Question 45

Which of the following food choices would be best for maintaining healthy eating habits?

A) eating coloured vegetables and avoiding fruit/vegetable drinks with added sugar or salt
B) eating whole grains and avoiding white breads and pasta
C) eating lean meat and avoiding processed meat.
D) all of these options

Question 46

Which of the following simple activities can improve your health and help you manage the stress in your life?

A) walking
B) dancing
C) using the stairs instead of the elevator
D) all of these options

Question 47

Which of the following is a benefit to participating in organized sports and can help in the management of stress?

A) it's an easy way to be physically active
B) it can improve your mood and attitude
C) it can create a new network of friends and social support
D) all of these options

Question 48

Research by Trisha daSilva and colleagues found which of the following to be true with regard to yoga and deep breathing?

A) yoga reduces the levels of the stress hormone cortisol
B) yoga increases the levels of the neurotransmitter GABA which is related to mood
C) deep breathing associated with yoga has positive impacts on emotions, stress, and positive thinking
D) all of these options

Question 49

A person's response to events that are threatening or challenging is called _______________.

Question 50

In the general adaptation syndrome, the resistance stage _______ the exhaustion stage.

Question 51

Illnesses once derided as "psychosomatic" are now more properly termed _________ disorders; they are real medical problems exacerbated by emotional and psychological difficulties.

Question 52

Researchers have found that being part of a mutual network, called __________, enables us to experience lower levels of stress and be better able to cope with the stress that we do undergo.

Question 53

In the long term, the most effective means of reducing smoking may be changes in __________ and attitudes toward the habit.

Question 54

The least effective method for quitting smoking involves quitting suddenly on one's own, a technique known as __________.

Question 55

___________ refers to one's overall evaluation of one's life in terms of both personal thoughts andpersonal feelings.

Question 56

The way we interpret or appraise an event can impact how stressful that event feels for us. This is known as ________.

Question 57

Cognitive appraisal includes two main categories: emotion-focused coping and ________ coping.

Question 58

Even at a healthy weight, Canadians may not be getting enough vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to live healthy and manage ________.

Question 59

Exercising for at least 15 minutes a day can improve health and ________.

Question 60

Yoga has been found to be an effective tool for coping with anxiety and ________.

Question 61

Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has been found to be effective in helping school-aged girls improve their ________ and their overall ability to cope with stress.

Question 62

Does a positive attitude help one cope with cancer? Review the empirical evidence.

Question 63

Quitting smoking: Review some of the approaches described in your text to help smokers quit cigarettes. How successful are these methods overall? Which is the most successful? The least successful?

Question 64

In what ways can Canadians take steps to promoting health and wellness in their lives?