(4) Health Psychology

Question 1

Illness caused by… (4 factors)

Answer 1

Bio, social, cultural, behavioural factors

Question 2

Health psychology is the overlap between which two fields?

Answer 2

Cognitive psych and medicine

Question 3

What is stress?

Answer 3

Body’s direct response to a dangerous situation/stimuli

Question 4

Sympathetic NS excitation leads to (4)

Answer 4

• Increase in HR/BP
• Inhibition of digestion and sexual activity
• Adrenaline, norepinephrine, cortisol released into bloodstream
• Fight or flight engaged

Question 5

Fight or flight

Answer 5

• Emergency muscle activation (legs)
  -Waste products abandoned
  Irrelevant organic activities halted

Question 6

Alternate fight/flight behaviours

Answer 6

• Fight only when cornered
• Freeze
• Camouflage

Question 7

Eustress

Answer 7

Good stress (motivational)

Question 8

Neustress

Answer 8

Neutral stress (response evoked with no consequence)

Question 9

Distress

Answer 9

Bad stress (acute/chronic)

Question 10

Biggest worries today

Answer 10

Money and time

Question 11

What is the physiological issue with modern stress

Answer 11

• Physiology designed to react to immediate threat
• Current environment creates chronic threats

Question 12

Promoting resilience (4)

Answer 12

• Emphasis on positive protective factors
• Increase social connectedness
• Promote rest/relaxation
• Increased self-efficacy

Question 13

Sleep deprivation results in poor…

Answer 13

• cognitive function
• mood
• work performance
• quality of life

Question 14

Chronic sleep deprivation results in poor

Answer 14

• Insulin regulation
• obesity
• diabetes
• immune system response

Question 15

Why do adolescents engage in risk taking behaviour (physiologically)

Answer 15

• Reward system develops before critical thinking (risky behaviours are rewarding)

Question 16

Why do adolescents engage in risk taking behaviour (evolutionarily)

Answer 16

Drive them out of the home to prevent incest

Question 17

(Addiction) Which is more difficult to fight, physiological or psychological dependence?

Answer 17

Psychological

Question 18

Harm reduction

Answer 18

Focus on risks/consequences of using rather than using itself

Question 19

Alcohol/drug use dependent on

Answer 19

social environment

Question 20

what kind of therapy works well for alcoholics

Answer 20

CBT

Question 21

Children with strong cardiovascular reactions showed

Answer 21

Association between stress and illness

Question 22

Ppl with high cortisol responses to lab stressors reported…

Answer 22

more negative life events and were more prone to upper respiratory infections

Question 23

Thoughts and somatic aspects of stress differ from person to person based on

Answer 23

Their perception of symptoms

Question 24

Pain motivates

Answer 24

Tend to injuries/illness/discomfort, restrict activity while healing, seek help

Question 25

Gate-control theory

Answer 25

- spinal cord do the signal - small nerve fibres carry signal to brain (open gate) - large nerve fibres stop/start flow of pain signal (close gate) - brain controls pain signal

Question 26

Support for gate control theory

Answer 26

- Less pain when focused - Less pain when distracted - pain soothed by release of endorphins - higher self efficacy -> more endorphins released

Question 27

according to gate control theory, why are individuals with anxiety more sensitive to pain

Answer 27

heightened anxiety -> more vigilant to threat -> gate more open -> more pain sensitivity

Question 28

Why does believing you can control pain help

Answer 28

- minimize hopelessness - minimize resignation to pain - foster control and optimism minimize negative pain responses

Question 29

3 goals of psychology in palliative care

Answer 29

- enhance comfort/quality of life - address mental/emotional/social needs - help people cope with stress/loss/change