Peoples - health behaviour psychology Flashcards
describe the health belief of self-efficacy
The belief that one can successfully perform a specified behaviour e.g. quit smoking; eat a low-fat diet, pass an exam
People who believe they can succeed are more likely to:
- Formulate intentions to act
- Set themselves goals
- Exert greater effort and persevere for longer
- Regard errors and failures as learning experiences
Self-efficacy is acquired through own successes and failures, observations of others’ experiences and assessments of own abilities (that other people may communicate)
describe health locus of control (HLoC)
Individuals differ as to whether they tend to regard events as controllable by them (internal LoC) or uncontrollable by them (external LoC)
- People who believe they are responsible for their own health would be described as having internal HLoC
- People who believe that their health is uncontrollable by them, or in the hands of fate / luck, or ‘powerful others’ (e.g. doctors) are described as having external LoC
Perceptions of control may differ for different health outcomes / different aspects of health, e.g. development of cancer “as fate / bad luck”, but diabetic control as the “patients responsibility”
Note that people can have high internal LoC (children with diabetes are encouraged from a young age to have responsibility for own self-care) BUT low self-efficacy (less confident in their ability to look after their own health)
Describe Leventhal’s Self-regulatory model of illness behaviour
health beliefs and health behaviour L
s12
name some determinants of health behaviour
- Heredity
- Learning - operant conditioning and social learning
- Social / environmental influences
- Emotional state
- Interaction with health professionals
- Cognitive factors - beliefs - most researched
discuss some of the shortcomings of health behaviour models
Models theorise that intention leads to behaviour, but research shows us that there is a Intention-behaviour gap
- Can be reduced using ‘implementation intentions’ which describe the what, where, how and when of a particular behaviour - goal setting approach
The major models don’t include ‘anticipated emotions’
HOW DO WE USE THESE MODELS TO CHANGE (RATHER THAN EXPLAIN) BEHAVIOURS?
describe stage models of health behaviour (change)
give two examples
In contrast to ‘static’ or ‘continuum’ models, ‘stage’ models propose that changing health-related behaviors requires separate phases, and different processes are important / more likely to be successful during these different phases:
- Transtheoretical Model / Stages of Change Model
- Health Action Process Approach (HAPA)
describe decisional balance in therms of health behaviour change
The pros and the cons of decision-making. As individuals progress through the stages of change, decisional balance shifts in critical ways
Precontemplation stage - pros in favour of behaviour change are outweighed by the relative cons for change and in favour of maintaining the existing behaviour.
Contemplation stage - the pros and cons carry equal weight, leaving the individual ambivalent toward change.
Preparation / Action phase -If the decisional balance is tipped, such that the pros in favour of changing outweigh the cons for maintaining the unhealthy behaviour, many individuals move to the Preparation or even Action stage.
Maintenance stage, the pros in favour of maintaining the behaviour change should outweigh the cons of maintaining the change in order to decrease the risk of relapse.
describe decisional balance in a stage model of health behaviour change
The pros and the cons of decision-making. As individuals progress through the stages of change, decisional balance shifts in critical ways
Precontemplation stage - pros in favour of behaviour change are outweighed by the relative cons for change and in favour of maintaining the existing behaviour.
Contemplation stage - the pros and cons carry equal weight, leaving the individual ambivalent toward change.
Preparation / Action phase -If the decisional balance is tipped, such that the pros in favour of changing outweigh the cons for maintaining the unhealthy behaviour, many individuals move to the Preparation or even Action stage.
Maintenance stage, the pros in favour of maintaining the behaviour change should outweigh the cons of maintaining the change in order to decrease the risk of relapse.
describe self-efficacy in terms of a stage model of health behavioural change
The degree of confidence individuals have in maintaining their desired behaviour change in situations that trigger relapse (from Bandura’s (1977) Self-efficacy theory
Precontemplation and Contemplation stages - temptation to engage in the problem behaviour is far greater than self-efficacy to abstain
Preparation to Action - the disparity between feelings of self-efficacy and temptation closes, and behaviour change is attained.
Maintenance - relapse often occurs in situations where feelings of temptation trump individuals’ sense of self-efficacy to maintain the desired behaviour change.
describe some of the ways in which HOW changes occur in a stage model of health Behaviour change
- Consciousness Raising (Get the Facts)
- Dramatic Relief (Pay Attention to Feelings)
- Environmental Re-evaluation (Notice Your Effect on Others)
- Self Re-evaluation (Create a New Self-Image)
- Social Liberation (Notice Public Support) Processes
- Self Liberation (Make a Commitment)
- Counter Conditioning (Use Substitutes)
- Helping Relationships (Get Support)
- Reinforcement Management (Use Rewards)
- Stimulus Control (Manage Your Environment)
briefly outline the transtheoretical model
a stage model of health behaviour change
see health behaviour change lecture slides 11 and 12
describe the though process of someone who is In need to CBT
psychological interventions L - slide 7
depression/anxiety
Behaviour is maintained through a series of distorted or unhelpful cognitions (thoughts) and a vicious cycle between thoughts and behaviours, which is perpetuated by irrational ‘self talk’, such as:
- Selective abstraction
- Dichotomous reasoning / All or nothing thinking
- Overgeneralization - same situation will happen in every situation
- Magnification / Catastrophising
- Superstitious thinking
how can cbt help
CBT helps by:
Guiding patient to identify the link between their thoughts, emotions and behaviours (e.g. by keeping a diary)
Cognitive restructuring via Socratic questioning (e.g. what evidence is there for this? is there another perspective? How might someone else describe the situation?)
Trying out new behaviours
briefly describe Motivational interviewing (MI) and Brief Behavioural Counselling
MI developed by Miller & Rollnick (2002):
- Increase motivation as a precursor to changing behaviour. The person must want to change / see the benefits of change
- Helps patient to identify the (conflicting) costs and benefits of change / no change
- Creates ‘cognitive dissonance’, which is uncomfortable. The patient wants to resolve this dissonance by changing beliefs
- Non confrontational approach – encourage person to think about change without persuading them
Brief Behavioural Counselling is an elaboration of this approach
describe the key tasks involved in brief behavioural counselling
psychological interventions L - s 15
throughout all - exchange info and reduce resistance
establish rapport
set agenda - multiple behaviours
single behaviour
assess importance and confidence - explore importance - build confidence
