Stress, Biopsychosocial Factors, And – Exam Questions | Ch4

CHAPTER 4: STRESS, BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS, AND ILLNESS

True/False Statements

1. Informational support includes direct assistance such as when people

lend money.

Section Reference: Social Support

2. If individuals believe that they are capable of coping with an illness, their

recovery is not statistically affected by the addition of social support.

Section Reference: Social Support

3. Cognitive control strategies involve taking concrete actions to reduce the

impact of a stressor.

Section Reference: A Sense of Personal Control

4. Pessimists are likely to adopt a set of internal-stable-global attributions to explain negative life events.

Section Reference: A Sense of Personal Control

5. At the present time, all the research evidence indicates that hardiness is

linked to good health.

Section Reference: Personality as Resilience and Vulnerability

6. The Structured Interview for assessing Type A behaviour is widely used

because of its ease of administration and low cost.

Section Reference: Type a Behaviour and Beyond

7. Release of hormones such as the catecholamines and corticosteroids

appear related to atherosclerosis as well as diminished immune system functioning.

Section Reference: Stress, Physiology, and Illness

8. Essential or primary hypertension is the result of a disorder in a body

system such as the kidneys.

Section Reference: Hypertension

9. Obesity, alcohol use, low levels of physical activity and a positive family

history of hypertension are all related to the development of hypertension.

Section Reference: Hypertension

10. Current research suggests there is little connection between moderate stress and later development of cancer.

Section Reference: Stress and Cancer)

11. Tension headaches are muscular in origin and involve a slow progression.

Section Reference: Recurrent Headache

Matching

Match the concept with the characteristics listed in questions one to five.

a. Type A behaviour

b. hardiness

c. resilience

d. stamina

e. internal locus of control

12. The belief that one can influence events in their lives and have

a sense of purpose or involvement in the events of their lives.

Section Reference: A sense of persona control

13. A behaviour pattern marked by a sense of time urgency, hostility and self-

critical competitiveness.

Section Reference: Type A Behaviour and Beyond

14. Children with these characteristics are able to resist the adversities of life

and grow up well-adjusted even in extreme conditions.

Section Reference: Personality as Resilience and Vulnerability

15. Marked by believing one is responsible for successes and failures.

Section Reference: A Sense of Personal Control

16. Involves high levels of self-esteem, personal control, and optimism.

Section Reference: Personality as Resilience and Vulnerability

Match the disorder with the characteristics in questions six through ten

a. atherosclerosis

b. cardiac arrhythmia

c. migraine

d. essential hypertension

e. leukemia

17. Results from the constriction and dilation of blood vessels, and may be

preceded by an aura.

Section Reference: Recurrent Headache

18. Medically defined as blood pressure exceeding 140/90.

Section Reference: Hypertension

19. Heart flutters or fibrillation.

Section Reference: Coronary Heart Disease

20. May result in a "heart attack" due to the narrowing of the coronary arteries by

fatty plaques.

Section Reference: Type A Behaviour and Beyond

21. A type of cancer in which white blood cells proliferate rapidly.

Section Reference: Stress and CancerMultiple Choice

22. The perceived comfort and caring a person receives from other people or

groups is referred to as

a) eustress.

b) social support.

c) social network.

d) self‑esteem.

Section Reference: Social Support

23. Which of the following is NOT one of the four basic types of social support?

a) emotional

b) informational

c) attitudinal

d) tangible

Section Reference: Social Support

24. When Jackson’s teacher unexpectedly required him to take on an extra project for

a class that requires him to do additional work in the library at nights, his family

agreed to provide child care for his 6-year-old. In doing so, they were offering

a. tangible or instrumental support.

b. attitudinal support.

c. esteem support.

d. informational support.

Section Reference: Social Support

25. Jill was recently diagnosed as having leukemia. Research indicates that

she might be in particular need of

a) emotional and esteem support.

b) cognitive expressive support.

c) esteem support.

d) esteem and informational support.

Section Reference: Social Support

26. Cutrona's study of college students indicated that the LEAST frequently

offered type of support was

a) emotional.

b) informational.

c) esteem.

d) tangible.

Section Reference: Social Support

27. Which of the following is NOT a frequently suggested factor in whether people

receive social support?

a) their own assertiveness

b) a need for independence

c) discomfort in confiding in others

d) educational background

Section Reference: Social Support

28. Which of the following are factors that influence providing support?

a) having appropriate resources or skills to help

b) having too much stress of one’s own to deal with

c) insensitivity to the needs of others

d) all of the above

Section Reference: Social Support

29. Which of the following statements about receiving support is true?

a) Women receive more support from their spouses than men do.

b) Asian Canadians have the largest social networks of any sociocultural groups.

c) The composition of social networks does not vary much across sociocultural groups.

d) The larger the city in Canada that one immigrates to, the less likely one is to join community organizations or spend time with friends.

Section Reference: Social Support

30. Which group of Canadians reports smaller social networks and appears to use their social networks less frequently?

a) native-born Canadians

b) first-generation Asian Canadians

c) immigrants to Canada’s major metropolitan areas

d) immigrants to Canada’s rural areas

Section Reference: Social Support

31. The best way of expressing the relationship between social support and

mortality rate is that

a) they have no relationship.

b) social support increases mortality rate

c) high social support is correlated with a lower mortality rate.

d) social support definitely causes lower mortality.

Section Reference: Social Support

32. Deanna is convinced that she can cope on her own with the emotional

demands of her illness. What is true about the value for social support for

Deanna?

a) She would benefit most from the support of her spouse.

b) She is unlikely to benefit from social support.

c) She would benefit most from the support of hospital staff.

d) She would benefit most from the support of female friends.

Section Reference: Social Support

33. Nidhi believes that, while having a good social support network helps

her a great deal in times of stress, it really doesn't affect her well-being during

other less stressful times of her life. She seems to be endorsing the _____

hypothesis regarding social support and health.

a) buffering

b) direct effects

c) stress reduction

d) tangible

Section Reference: Social Support

34. According to the buffering hypothesis, the protective effect of social support

occurs

a) in low stress situations.

b) in high stress situations.

c) in moderate stress situations.

d) without regard for level of stress.

Section Reference: Social Support

35. The notion that social support is beneficial to health regardless of the level

stress experienced is called the _____ hypothesis.

a) buffering

b) social network

c) direct effects

d) social support

Section Reference: Social Support

36. For social support to reduce stress most effectively, which of the following

conditions needs to be met?

a) We need to notice that it is being given.

b) We need to perceive that it is supportive.

c) It needs to match the demands of the situation.

d) All of the above.

Section Reference: Social Support

37. According to recent research, which of the following statements is true

regarding the relationship between marriage and health?

a) Being married definitely carries health benefits.

b) Being divorced or single increases the likelihood of heart disease due to loneliness.

c) Being married, in and of itself, does not produce a health benefit.

d) Being married actually produces higher levels of stress and therefore is less beneficial to one's health.

Section Reference: Social Support

38. When are social ties detrimental to our health?

a) When other people interfere with our efforts to engage in healthful activities.

b) When others encourage our own healthy behaviours.

c) When others engage in healthy behaviours themselves.

d) When our social network overprotects us.

Section Reference: Social Support

39. Research has found that human-animal interaction benefits

a) physical health.

b) mental health.

c) stress management.

d) All of the above.

Section Reference: Human-Animal Interaction (HAI)

40. Which biological factor is believed to mainly underlie the health benefits of human-animal interaction (HAI)?

a) cortisol

b) epinephrine

c) oxytocin

d) acetylcholine

Section Reference: Human-Animal Interaction (HAI)

41. Throughout her pregnancy, Karla has taken natural childbirth classes where

she has learned breathing techniques to use during labor. She has engaged in _____ control.

a) cognitive

b) behavioural

c) informational

d) decisional

Section Reference: A sense of personal control

42. Al-omari deals with the stress of his daily painful skin medical

treatments, by imagining himself walking across campus again with his friends,

laughing and joking with them. Al-omari is using which type of control?

a. decisional

b. cognitive

c. behavioural

d. informational

Section Reference: A Sense of Personal Control

43. The type of personal control which leads to the most consistently beneficial

effect on reducing stress is _____ control.

a) social support

b) behavioural

c) cognitive

d) emotional

Section Reference: A Sense of Personal Control

44. Which of the following attributions concerning one's failure on an exam is

representative of internal locus of control?

a) "The teacher hates me."

b) ''I didn't study enough.''

c) " I guess it just wasn't my lucky day."

d) ''Those exam questions were just too difficult.''

Section Reference: A Sense of Personal Control

45. Which of the following is necessary to develop high levels of self-efficacy?

a) A high level of internal control.

b) A belief that a behaviour will be effective.

c) Believing that one has the skills and resources available to perform the behaviour well.

d) Both b and c are necessary.

Section Reference: A Sense of Personal Control

46. Across the life span, our sense of personal control

a) changes as we age.

b) is affected by the process of social learning.

c) becomes more external as we reach older age.

d) all of the above

Section Reference: A Sense of Personal Control

47. Pennebaker’s research on the impact of disclosure has found that

having people talk or write about negative events

a) increases stress significantly.

b) is more effective than relaxation in reducing stress.

c) has a modest but positive effect on reducing stress.

d) has no effect on stress reduction.

Section Reference: Social Support, Therapy, and Cognitive Processes

48. Which of the following statements about personal control is true?

a) Locus of control has relatively little impact on rehabilitative behaviours.

b) Boys and girls tend to have the same levels of external locus of control.

c) Minority and economic status are not related to locus of control.

d) Limited access to power and financial advancement is linked to an external locus of control.

Section Reference: A Sense of Personal Control

49. According to Seligman, learned helplessness is a principal characteristic

of

a) depression.

b) anxiety.

c) schizophrenia.

d) internal locus of control.

Section Reference: A Sense of Personal Control

50. Which combination of attribution types is most likely to result in an

individual becoming depressed, feeling helpless, and losing self‑esteem?

a) external, unstable, specific

b) external stable, specific

c) internal, unstable, global

d) internal, stable, global

Section Reference: A Sense of Personal Control

51. Pessimistic people who believe that they have little personal control

a) have more illnesses.

b) have better health habits

c) are more likely to seek a doctor's care for treatment of hypertension.

d) do a good job in controlling their own stress.

Section Reference: A Sense of Personal Control

52. Kobasa and Maddi proposed that hardiness includes the three

characteristics of

a) coherence, commitment, and resilience.

b) control, coherence, and commitment.

c) control, commitment, and challenge.

d) love, honor, and truth.

Section Reference: Personality as Resilience and Vulnerability

53. Children who thrive in spite of terrible conditions are said to have

a) depression.

b) resilience.

c) sociability.

d) tolerance for ambiguity.

Section Reference: Personality as Resilience and Vulnerability

54. Research has revealed that the concept of hardiness

a) has received consistent research support.

b) has received inconsistent support.

c) is assessed with tests that may actually measure negative affect.

d) both b and c

Section Reference: Personality as Resilience and Vulnerability

55. Chris is competitive, self‑critical, easily angered, and very impatient. He could be described as having a(n)

a) external locus of control.

b) hardy personality.

c) internal locus of control.

d) Type A behaviour pattern.

Section Reference: Type A Behaviour and Beyond

56. A trained interviewer who intentionally annoys and interrupts her clients is

probably looking for signs of

a) Type A behaviour.

b) coherence.

c) internal locus of control.

d) external locus of control.

Section Reference: Type A Behaviour and Beyond

57. The Jenkins Activity Survey is a self-report instrument used to measure

a) resilience in children.

b) locus of control.

c) Type A behaviour.

d) self-efficacy.

Section Reference: Type A Behaviour and Beyond

58. Evidence on the relationship of stress to Type A behaviour suggests that

a) Type A people interpret stressors as threats to personal control.

b) Type A people experience stress quickly and strongly.

c) Type A people show greater reactivity to stressors compared to Type B individuals.

d) All of the above.

Section Reference: Type A Behaviour and Beyond

59. The physiological portion of the response to stress is called

a. hypertension.

b. hardiness.

c. reactivity.

d. resilience.

Section Reference: Type A Behaviour and Beyond

60. Which of the following statements best reflects the findings from studies of reactivity during stress?

a) The Type A reactivity pattern does not appear until the adult years.

b) There is no correlation between reactivity and income or education level.

c) There are no reactivity differences between Type A and Type B people.

d) Reactivity differences between Type A and Type B participants depend on gender.

Section Reference: Type A Behaviour and Beyond

61. The decline researchers have found in Type A behaviours in old age is most likely due to

a) Type A people learning more Type B behaviours as they age.

b) social disapproval for this behaviour pattern and thus change due to social pressures to do so.

c) the earlier ages of death for Type A individuals.

d) all of the above

Section Reference: Type A Behaviour and Beyond

62. Which statement best expresses the findings on the relationship between Type A behaviour and health?

a) No relationship has emerged in the best research.

b) There is a strong link between Type A behaviour and all kinds of illness.

c) Only a few studies have been done so its best to conclude that there is no evidence available.

d) There is a link between Type A behaviour, as it is measured by the Structured Interview, and coronary heart disease.

Section Reference: Type A Behaviour and Beyond

63. Which of the following factors is related to the development of Type A behaviour pattern?

a) early temperament

b) noncompetitive situations

c) genetics

d) both a and c

Section Reference: Type A Behaviour and Beyond

64. Which of the following has been described as the "deadly emotion" for Type A people?

a) competitiveness

b) hostility

c) jealousy

d) impatience

Section Reference: Type A Behaviour and Beyond

65. In the study where subjects with high and low stress received nasal drops containing the common cold virus, results indicated

a) no consistent relationship between catching a cold and stress level.

b) both groups were likely to develop a cold.

c) subjects in the high stress group were much more likely to catch a cold than those in the low

stress group.

d) placebos were able to produce cold symptoms.

Section Reference: How Stress Affects Health

66. Regarding the relationship between stress and illness, the _____ is to body physiology as _____ is to individual behaviour.

a) indirect route; direct route

b) direct route; indirect route

c) direct route; direct route

d) indirect route; indirect route

Section Reference: How Stress Affects Health

67. The link between stress and cardiovascular disease may be the result of the greater _____ when people are under chronic, severe stress.

a) wear and tear on body systems

b) concentrations of activated platelets in the blood

c) progression of atherosclerosis.

d) all of the above

Section Reference: Stress, Physiology, and Illness

68. Sudden death usually involves

a) a history of malnutrition.

b) intense religious beliefs.

c) cardiac failure with an underlying cardiovascular disorder.

d) the presence of an extreme stressor regardless of the person's cardiac health.

Section Reference: Coronary Heart Disease

69. Which of the following statements reflects how stress affects the immune system?

a) Stress has no influence on the immune system.

b) Increased cortisol and epinephrine actually improve T cell functioning.

c) Because of the presence of cortisol, T cells confuse mutant cancer cells with healthy cells and ignore them.

d) High levels of stress reduce the production of the enzymes that repair damaged DNA.

Section Reference: Psychoneuroimmunology

70. Positive emotions have been found to ____ immune function whereas

negative emotions have been found to ____ immune function.

a) improve; improve

b) reduce; reduce

c) improve; reduce

d) reduce; improve

Section Reference: Psychoneuroimmunology

71. In studies investigating the impact of optimism on immune function, findings indicate that:

a) the influence of optimism depends on whether the stressor is short-term or chronic.

b) optimism always increases immune function.

c) optimism is not related to immune function.

d) none of the above were found.

Section Reference: Psychoneuroimmunology

72. Research findings that immune function can be conditioned suggests that:

a) immune function can be impaired via conditioning.

b) immune function can be boosted via conditioning.

c) conditioning affects immune functioning only for chronic stressors.

d. both a and b.

Section Reference: Psychoneuroimmunology

73. When investigators filtered house dust into asthmatic children's hospital

rooms they discovered that

a. it triggered asthmatic attacks in almost all of the children.

b. none of the children had asthmatic attacks.

c. many children had asthmatic attacks but most didn't.

d. the children weren't allergic to house dust after all.

Section reference: Asthma

74. Which statement best describes the relationship between stress and

headaches?

a) All headaches have been found to be stress‑related.

b) All headaches are caused by some organic problem.

c) Intense stress will always produce headaches.

d) Stress is only one factor in headaches.

Section Reference: Recurrent Headache

75. Research on the relationship between stress and psychophysiological

disorders has found

a) a definite and strong causal relationship for most disorders.

b) that the nature of the relationship is unclear.

c) that stress has no relationship with these disorders.

d) that these disorders are caused solely by organic dysfunction.

Section Reference: Other Disorders

76. When people receive a diagnosis of essential or primary hypertension it

means that

a) the mechanisms that cause their hypertension are unknown.

b) their hypertension is caused by disorders in essential body systems.

c)there are identifiable biomedical causes for their disease.

d) they have heart disease.

Section Reference: Hypertension

77. Cases of high blood pressure that are caused by disorders of other body

systems are called

a) hypertensive defects.

b) primary hypertension.

c) atherosclerosis.

d) secondary hypertension.

Section Reference: Hypertension

78. Studies comparing individuals from crowded versus uncrowded neighbourhoods found

a) no real differences in hypertension levels.

b) no similarity to findings from animal studies on crowding.

c) residents from crowded neighbourhoods had higher heart rate and blood pressure increases during stressful tasks than did residents from uncrowded neighbourhoods.

d) residents from uncrowded neighbourhoods had higher heart rate and blood pressure increases during stressful tasks than did residents from crowded neighbourhoods.

Section Reference: Hypertension

79. In Canada, approximately ______ of adults are classified as hypertensive.

a) 8%

b) 15%

c) 20%

d) 31%

Section Reference: Hypertension

80. Which of the following findings support the idea that CHD is a “disease of modernized societies”?

a) People live longer in advanced societies and thus have a higher likelihood of developing CHD.

b) People in advanced societies probably have higher levels of the risk factors for CHD.

c) People in advanced societies probably have less social support networks than do people in less advanced societies.

d) all of the above

Section Reference: Coronary Heart Disease

81. The significance of the observation that dozens of disease forms share the basic characteristic of unrestrained cell growth which we refer to as cancer is that

a) stress can't possibly be related to all these diseases.

b) the search for causes of these diseases is difficult.

c) the medical community has a hard time communicating due to a lack of common terminology.

d) all of the above

Section Reference: Stress and Cancer

82. Research on cancer and high levels of stress leads to which of the following conclusions?

a) There is a clear link between stress and the later development of

cancer.

b) Retrospective studies are the best methods for investigating the link between stress and

cancer.

c) Stress reduction interventions have little effect on cancer patients.

d) Stress is most likely linked to cancer because of its effect on the immune system.

Section Reference: (Stress and Cancer)

Short Answer Questions

83. Your friend Janice has to give a presentation to her boss and is very nervous about doing so. In what ways might you give her social support that could help to reduce her stress?

84. Compare and contrast the buffering and direct effects hypotheses.

85. Discuss the sub-scales of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control scale from the standpoint of internal/external LOC.

Essay Questions

86. This chapter focuses on a variety of personal characteristics that contribute to the experience of health. If you were a parent, which characteristics would you seek to develop in your children and why? In what ways would you foster this development?

87. Your friend has just been told that he has Type A behaviour pattern. Help him understand the concept and the various factors that contribute to its development and maintenance.

88. If you were asked to arrive at a general conclusion regarding the relationship between stress and illness, what would it be? Support your answer with evidence.

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