Article: wed march 10.pdf Carol S.

Aneshensel Research in Mental Health: Social Etiology Versus Social Consequences Sociological research on mental health is focused on identifying how social organization and processes affect mental health The Social etiology model is concerned with the occurrence of one particular disorder Is derived from medicine The social Consequences Model o The national comorbidity survey and its replication study are the best evidence that support the need for multiple outcome studies o Each disorder such as depression and anxiety have a unique relationship in terms of causation versus social selection o The social consequences model treats indicators of social placement as signifying ongoing social processes that organize peoples lives in ways that influences their mental health o Mental and emotional disorder is a normal byproduct of society Sociological research shortchanges itself by adopting the social etiological model Example: the mental health cost of poverty among children is not limited to the impact of poverty on problematic behavior but includes as well its impact on emotional distress., in the disorder specific model, only those children having the condition under investigation react to poverty in other ways wed march 10 -2.pdf The Sociological Study of Stress Leonard I pearlin Sociologists should be interested in the mediation and otcomes of stress Stress can be placed into two categories, life events and enduring or recurrent life problems, referred to as chronic strains All change in a environment is potentially stressfull, because all change requires adjustment The quality of change is also potentially harmful Undesired, nonnormativte, unscheduled and uncontrolled are the most harmful Role overload is a condition that exists when deamnds on energy and stamina exceed the individual capacities. It is found most commonly in homemaker roles and caregivers Role capacity which exists when one is an unwilling incumbent of a role, including retirees and house wives. Events lead to chronic stress, chronic stress lead to events, strains and events provide meaning contexts for each other Events can pile onto each other causing more and more stress, the stresses build upon each other.

ing is the action that people take in their own behalf as they attempt to avoid or lessen the impact of life problems Coping aims to manage the meaning of the situation in a manner that reduces its threat, or to keep the symptoms of stress within mangable bounds Social support represents the resources that one actually uses in dealing with life problems We should expand our assessment of efficacy to include the ability of the mediators to inhibit the scop and severity both of the primary stressors and of secondary stressor. Woman are more vulnerable then men to certain stressfull circumstances such as network losses. wed march 10 -3 .pdf The Epidemiology of social stress R.Jay Turner Evidence indicates that social causation processes are of greater significance than social selection processes in relationships between social class and mental health Stressfull life events associated with physical and mental health Life stress is indexed in this study in terms of stressful life events, assessed using a 34 items checklist of negative events Likelyhood of expeieincing trauma increases with age Higher levels of stress are observed in woman Older people experience less stress than younger people Never married males less stressfull then married male? Never married female more stressful?

3/10 Lecture notes Topic: Stress Why stress kills-a movie to watch Stress coping and health, Everyone copes with stress differently Major sources of stress o Life trauma, is more dramatic when a stressful has happened in earlier on in life o Men who can deal with stress have higher levels of good cholesterol How to manage stress, take a break, breathe deeply, exercise, think ahead Video: Job related stress o Stress affects your hearts o Woman who dont speak there minds are much more likely to die Big stressors, life events, life traumas, (In Decreasing Importance) o Life events are sudden, and not expected, (Chronic strains + daily hassles are very similar) Over achievers are more likely to get stressed

Social support o Support from friendly, friends, doctors, psychiatrists, teachers o Overall emotional support Instrumental support can come from the support by for example money Instrumental support can also be like getting together to do homework or getting aid from someone Personal coping reasons o Meditation/yoga o Rest o High self esteem o Personal control (You feel like you are in control of the environment) o Self efficacy (You have mastery over your environment/ life) Strong willed people are better able to cope then not Stress is any circumstance that threated or are perceived to threaten ones well being and that thereby tax ones coping abilities Minor stresses are not considered minor stress Is stress cumulative? Yes it can Not everyone reacts to stress the same way Stress is dependent on individual appraisals Types of stress o Frustration o Conflict o Change o Pressure Frustration: , a blocked goal , they are brief and insignificant o For example a traffic jam, daily commute o Some can be more significant, example, loss of a partner / loved one o Overlap with chronic stressors and daily hassles Conflict, should I or shouldnt I do this? Kurt lewin and miller o Approach-approach, choice between 2 attractive goals Least stressful type of conflict o Approach avoidance, choice to pursue goal that has both attractive and unattractive aspects Produce vacillation, going back and forth between decisions o Avoidance- avoidance, choice between two unattractive goals, most stressful Change o Having to adapt to different situations