Psychology 473, Stress, Coping and Health/Performance
Spring 1999, Tuesdays 3-5:30 p.m., Room 100
Instructor: Kevin G. F. Thomas
Office: Room 121 (UASV); Psychology 531 (main campus)
Phone: 520-458-8278 x134 (UASV); 520-626-4825 (main campus)
E-mail: thomaske@u.arizona.edu
Office hours: Mondays 4:30-6:00 p.m. and Tuesdays 5:30-6:30
p.m. in UASV), or by appointment
The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to the psychological study of stress, stress management, and the effects of stress on physical and mental health and performance. We will begin by attempting to define the concept of "stress," and by discussing stress physiology (i.e., ways in which the brain and various hormones react to stressful situations). We will then discuss the effects of stress on (a) physical health (e.g., on the immune system and on reproductive function), (b) mental health (i.e., the links between stress and depression), (c) cognitive function (viz., memory), and (d) the aging process. We will then discuss psychological, personality, and socioeconomic factors associated with stress responses. Finally, we will discuss some of the psychological research on stress management, and how that research may be applied to our everyday lives.
This class will be conducted in a mixed lecture and seminar style. At each class meeting, I will lecture on some topics and we will discuss others together. Everyone will come prepared with questions and comments on the readings, and thus we will all learn from each other.
Required Reading
Sapolsky, R. M. (1998). Why zebras don’t get ulcers: An updated guide to stress, stress-related diseases, and coping. New York: W. H. Freeman.
Selected journal articles and book chapters (see course outline below).
Course Requirements
Class attendance is crucial. If you miss a class, you not only deprive yourself of the learning opportunities made available by that class, but you also deprive others of the opportunity to learn from you. That being said, there may, however, be circumstances that will make it impossible for you to attend class. If such circumstances arise, please be sure to let the instructor know as soon as possible. If you do miss a class, be sure to get the notes from that class from (preferably more than) one of your classmates. Also, be prepared to deliver a short in-class presentation the following week.
Due at least one hour before each class is a question or comment on the week’s reading. As you do the assigned reading, consider at least one issue or interpretation of the readings that you believe is important enough to merit discussion. I shall read and evaluate these before class and may make use of them in guiding discussion. Place your typed or neatly-written questions/comments in my mailbox, hand them to me, or e-mail them to me by 2 p.m. each Tuesday before class.
There will be a midterm examination testing the course material covered to that point. There will be two written exercises during the semester. Each exercise will require you to develop a carefully-formulated idea about a stress-related issue of interest to you. Papers should conform to the specifications contained in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (4th ed.). The take-home final will consist primarily of essay-type questions.
Grading
Class attendance/participation
3% (approx. 0.25% per class meeting)
Weekly questions/comments
12% (1% per assignment; best 12 count toward final grade)
In-class presentations
10%
Midterm examination
15%
Two short papers
15% each
Take-home final
30%
Please note that failure to complete either the midterm or one of the short papers will result in the take-home final being worth 45% of your total grade. Please also note there is no curve in this class. I encourage you to study together and to help each other understand the course materials.
I reserve the right to make changes to the course outline that follows. Changes will be announced in class at least one week before they are due to take effect. Each student is responsible for being aware of any such changes. Readings marked with the symbol ‡ will not be covered in class but will be provided for you to add to your personal libraries.
Course Outline
January 19 No class (Instructor
Absence)
January 26 PART I. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
Class introductions and syllabus review
What is "stress"?
• Mason, J. W. (1975a). A historical view of the stress field. Part I. Journal of Human Stress, 1, 6-12.
• Mason, J. W. (1975b). A historical view of the stress field. Part II. Journal of Human Stress, 1, 22-36.
• Selye, H. (1975). Confusion and controversy in the stress field. Journal of Human Stress, 1, 37-44.
Brain regions involved in the stress response
Stress hormones
• Michelson, D., Liciono, J., & Gold, P. W. (1995). Mediation of the stress response by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. In M. J. Friedman, D. S. Charney, & A. Y. Deutch (Eds.), Neurobiological and clinical consequences of stress (pp. 225-238). Philadelphia: Lippincott-Raven.
• Grossman, A. B. (1991). Regulation of human pituitary responses to stress. In M. R. Brown, G. F. Koob, & C. Rivier (Eds.), Stress: Neurobiology and neuroendocrinology (pp. 151-171). New York: Marcel Dekker.
• Dobrakovová, M., Kvetñanský, R., Oprsalová, Z., & Jezová, D. (1993). Specificity of the effect of repeated handling on sympathetic-adrenomedullary and pituitary-adrenocortical activity in rats. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 18, 163-174.
• Romero, L. M., Levine, S., & Sapolsky, R. M. (1995). Patterns of adrenocorticotropin secretagog release in response to social interactions and various degrees of novelty. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 20, 183-191.
‡ Romero, L. M., & Sapolsky, R. M. (1996). Patterns of ACTH secretagog secretion in response to psychological stimuli. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 8, 243-258.
• LeDoux, J. (1995). Setting "stress" into motion: Brain mechanisms of stimulus evaluation. In M. J. Friedman, D. S. Charney, & A. Y. Deutch (Eds.), Neurobiological and clinical consequences of stress (pp. 125-134). Philadelphia: Lippincott-Raven.
PART III. EFFECTS OF STRESS ON PHYSICAL HEALTH
The cardiovascular system
Digestive and metabolic function
• Engel, G. L. (1971). Sudden and rapid death during psychological stress: Folklore or folk wisdom? Annals of Internal Medicine, 74, 771-782.
• Morse, R. D., Martin, J., & Moshonov, J. (1991). Psychosomatically induced death: Relative to stress, hypnosis, mind control, and voodoo: Review and possible mechanisms. Stress Medicine, 7, 713-732.
• Sapolsky, R. M. (1998). Stress, metabolism, and liquidating your assets. In R. M. Sapolsky, Why zebras don’t get ulcers: An updated guide to stress, stress-related diseases, and coping (pp. 53-62). New York: W. H. Freeman.
• Mizock, B. A. (1995). Alterations in carbohydrate metabolism during stress: A review of the literature. The American Journal of Medicine, 98, 75-84.
‡ Nilsson, P. M., Møller, L., & Solstad, K.
(1995). Adverse effects of psychosocial stress on gonadal function and
insulin levels in middle-aged males. Journal of Internal Medicine, 237,
479-486.
• Burks, T. F. (1991). Role of stress in the development of disorders of gastrointestinal motility. In M. R. Brown, G. F. Koob, & C. Rivier (Eds.), Stress: Neurobiology and neuroendocrinology (pp. 565-583). New York: Marcel Dekker.
• Sapolsky, R. M. (1998). Dwarfism and the importance of mothers. In R. M. Sapolsky, Why zebras don’t get ulcers: An updated guide to stress, stress-related diseases, and coping (pp. 80-100). New York: W. H. Freeman.
• Albanese, A., Hamill, G., Jones, J., Skuse, D., Matthews, D. R., & Stanhope, R. (1994). Reversibility of physiological growth hormone secretion in children with psychosocial dwarfism. Clinical Endocrinology, 40, 687-692.
• Kreuz, L. E., Rose, R. M., & Jennings, J. R. (1972). Suppression of plasma testosterone levels and psychological stress: A longitudinal study of young men in officer candidate school. Archives of General Psychiatry, 26, 479-482.
• Warren, M. P. (1980). The effects of exercise on pubertal progression and reproductive function in girls. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 51, 1150-1157.
‡ Lederman, R. P. (1995). Relationship of anxiety, stress, and psychosocial development to reproductive health. Behavioral Medicine, 21, 101-112.
• Sapolsky, R. M. (1998). Stress-induced analgesia. In
R. M. Sapolsky, Why zebras don’t get ulcers: An updated guide to stress,
stress-related diseases, and coping (pp. 159-171). New York: W. H.
Freeman.
March 23
MIDTERM EXAMINATION
March 30 The immune system
• Irwin, M. (1991). Stress-induced immune dysfunction in humans. In M. R. Brown, G. F. Koob, & C. Rivier (Eds.), Stress: Neurobiology and neuroendocrinology (pp. 585-612). New York: Marcel Dekker.
• Sklar, L. S., & Anisman, H. (1979). Stress and coping factors influence tumor growth. Science, 205, 513-515.
Memory
PART V. EFFECTS OF STRESS ON AGING
The aging process and death
Depression
• Veith, R. C. (1991). Sympathetic nervous system function in depression and panic disorder. In M. R. Brown, G. F. Koob, & C. Rivier (Eds.), Stress: Neurobiology and neuroendocrinology (pp. 395-435). New York: Marcel Dekker.
April 27
PART VII. MODULATION OF THE STRESS RESPONSE BY
PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABL
Social support
Predictability and control
Personality and temperament
Social hierarchies
Cults
• Sapolsky, R. M. (1998). Personality, temperament, and their stress-related consequences. In R. M. Sapolsky, Why zebras don’t get ulcers: An updated guide to stress, stress-related diseases, and coping (pp. 262-286). New York: W. H. Freeman.
• Sapolsky, R. M. (1998). The view from the bottom. In R. M. Sapolsky, Why zebras don’t get ulcers: An updated guide to stress, stress-related diseases, and coping (pp. 287-308). New York: W. H. Freeman.
PART VIII. COPING WITH AND MANAGING STRESS
The application of psychological research on stress to everyday life
• Cox, R. H. (1991). Developing strategies for stress
management. In M. R. Brown, G. F. Koob, & C. Rivier (Eds.), Stress:
Neurobiology and neuroendocrinology (pp. 615-645). New York: Marcel
Dekker.