A3: Theories Of Stress, Behavioural Addiction And Physiological Addiction

Question 1

What is the health belief model (HBM)?

Answer 1

Predicts the likelihood of behaviour change. Key factors are perceived seriousness, perceived susceptibility, cost-benefit analysis, demographic variables, cues to action and self-efficacy.

Question 2

What are the three steps of the health belief model?

Answer 2

Perceived seriousness
Perceived susceptibility
Cost-benefit analysis

Question 3

What is perceived seriousness?

Answer 3

How harmful will the consequences be if I do not change my health?

Question 4

What is perceived susceptibility?

Answer 4

How personally and realistically vulnerable am I to an illness/disease?

Question 5

What is cost-benefit analysis?

Answer 5

An individual weighs up the balance between the perceived benefits of changing behaviour and the perceived barriers (obstacles to change).

Question 6

What are the modifying factors of the HBM?

Answer 6

Demographic variables
Cues to action
Self-efficacy

Question 7

What are demographic variables?

Answer 7

The characteristics of a population and an individual,such as age, sex, education level, income level, marital status, occupation, religion.

Question 8

What are cues to action?

Answer 8

Internal: e.g. experience of symptoms such as pain
External: e.g. media campaigns, awareness of other people with the disease

Question 9

What is self-efficacy in relation to the HBM?

Answer 9

Does the individual believe they have the ability to successfully change their health?

Question 10

HBM: Strength: Williamson and Wardle (2002)

Answer 10

Used the HBM to devise a programme to increase the number of people seeking screening for bowel and colon cancers.

Question 11

HBM: Strength: Strong Credibility

Answer 11

Developed by heath researchers who worked directly with people who wanted to change their health-related behaviours so they based the model on real life experiences of health problems.

Question 12

HBM: Weakness: Zimmerman and Vernberg (1994)

Answer 12

Argued that once self-efficacy and demographic factors (and other variables) are added, the HBM becomes a different model altogether.

Question 13

HBM: Weakness: How rational are we?

Answer 13

Rational decisions on health related behaviours aren’t always made and this model assumes they are but it is unclear whether we make health-related decisions based on logic, emotion, habit or all three.

Question 14

Locus of control: Rotter (1966)

Answer 14

Proposed that some people believe the things that happen to them are likely under their control.

Question 15

Internal locus of control

Answer 15

Internals believe they are in control of their own behaviour and attribute their successes/failures to themselves. Positive health related changes are more likely.

Question 16

External locus of control

Answer 16

Externals do not feel in control and attribute their own successes/failures to luck, circumstance or other people. They feel hopeless to change their health.

Question 17

LoC: Strength: Avtgis (1998)

Answer 17

Found that high externals were more persuadable and conformist than high internals.

Question 18

LoC: Strength: Gale et al. (2008)

Answer 18

Measured the LoC of 7551 children aged 10 and found by the time they were 30, internals were less likely than externals to be obese or experience psychological stress.

Question 19

LoC: Weakness: Rotter (1982)

Answer 19

Later pointed out LoC is only relevant in novel situations as it has little effect on our behaviour in familiar situations where previous experience is always more important.

Question 20

LoC: Weakness: Krause (1986)

Answer 20

Found that extreme internals respond to unavailable events by becoming stressed, just as externals do (but for different reasons) so bring internal doesn’t automatically protect you from stress.

Question 21

What is theory of planed behaviour?

Answer 21

Changes in behaviour can be predicted from our intention to change, which in turn is the outcome of personal attitudes towards the behaviour in question, our beliefs about what others think and our perceived ability to control our behaviour.

Question 22

What are personal attitudes?

Answer 22

The balance of a person’s favourable and unfavourable attitudes about their behaviour. There are positive attitudes and negative attitudes.

Question 23

What are positive and negative attitudes?

Answer 23

Positive: e.g. “I enjoy smoking” less likely to make health-related behavioural changes
Negative: e.g. “My addiction is ruining my life” More likely to change behaviour

Question 24

What are subjective norms?

Answer 24

If we feel our friends and family disapprove of our health we are more likely to change. If they approve of our health we are less likely to change.

Question 25

What is perceived behavioural control?

Answer 25

A person who feels in control of their health = more likely to make health-related behavioural changes and vice versa.

Question 26

TPB: Strength: Hagger et al. (2011)

Answer 26

Found that personal attitudes, subjective norms and pbc all predicted an intention to limit drinking to guideline number of units and actual behaviour at one month and three month follow ups.

Question 27

TBC: Strength: Louis et al. (2009)

Answer 27

Found that personal attitudes towards eating predicted intention to eat healthily but subjective norms did not.

Question 28

TBC: Weakness: Miller and Howell (2005)

Answer 28

Found that they could not predict the reduction of actual gambling behaviour from intentions to give up in teenagers.

Question 29

TBC: Weakness: McEachan et al. (2011)

Answer 29

Found that the strength of correlation between intentions and actual behaviour was stronger when the two took place in close time proximity.