Stress Physiology & Coping Flashcards
7 cards from real HCC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Stress Physiology & Coping flashcards as text
From a holistic coaching perspective, which approach best supports a client dealing with chronic occupational stress?
Answer: Addressing lifestyle, beliefs, body-based practices, and meaning together
Holistic coaching addresses the whole person—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual—recognizing that chronic stress requires integrated, multi-dimensional intervention.
Diaphragmatic breathing reduces stress primarily by:
Answer: Activating the parasympathetic nervous system via vagal stimulation
Slow diaphragmatic breathing stimulates the vagus nerve, activating the parasympathetic nervous system and counteracting the fight-or-flight response.
Which stress coping style is characterized by taking direct action to change or eliminate the stressor?
Answer: Problem-focused coping
Problem-focused coping targets the stressor itself through planning, information-seeking, and direct action, making it most effective when the situation is controllable.
A client frequently catastrophizes minor setbacks, amplifying their stress response. A holistic coach would most likely help them develop:
Answer: Enhanced cognitive flexibility and reframing skills
Catastrophizing is a cognitive distortion; developing cognitive flexibility and reframing skills helps clients develop more accurate, adaptive interpretations of events.
The role of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in stress regulation is to:
Answer: Provide executive control that can inhibit or modulate the amygdala's fear response
The prefrontal cortex exerts top-down regulation over the amygdala, allowing rational evaluation to dampen emotional reactivity and modulate the stress response.
Social support buffers stress primarily through which mechanism?
Answer: Reducing perception of threat and increasing perceived coping resources
Social support reduces the subjective appraisal of stress by making individuals feel less alone and more capable of coping, influencing the stress response before it fully activates.
Which of the following is a physiological marker of the parasympathetic 'rest-and-digest' state?
Answer: Reduced heart rate and increased digestive activity
Parasympathetic activation slows heart rate, stimulates digestive processes, and conserves energy—the opposite of the sympathetic stress response.