CH. 10: "Health Psychology: Stress, Coping, and Well-Being"

Question 1

health psychology

Answer 1

the branch of psychology that investigates the psychological factors related to wellness and illness, including the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of medical problems

Question 2

psychomeuroimmunology (PNI)

Answer 2

the study of the relationship among psychological factors, the immune system, and the brain

Question 3

stress

Answer 3

a person’s response to events that are threatening/challenging

Question 4

stresstors

Answer 4

circumstances and events in life that produce threats to our well-being

Question 5

In regards to how we handle stress, daily life is a repeated sequence of what? (3)

Answer 5

1. perceiving a threat
2. considering ways to cope
3. adapting to the threat w/ greater/lesser success

Question 6

What may attempts to overcome stress ultimately result in?

Answer 6

health problems

Question 7

For a person to find an event stressful, how must they interpret it?

Answer 7

a person must perceive it as threatening/challenging and must lack all the resources to deal with it effectively

Question 8

cataclysmic events

Answer 8

strong stressors that occur suddenly and typically affect many people at once

Question 9

What is an example of a cataclysmic event?

Answer 9

natural disasters

Question 10

personal stressors

Answer 10

major life events that have immediate negative consequences that generally fade with time

Question 11

What is an example of a personal stressor?

Answer 11

the death of a family member

Question 12

background stressors (“daily hassles”)

Answer 12

everyday annoyances, such as being stuck in traffic, that cause minor irritations and may have long-term ill effects if they continue or are compounded by other stressful events

Question 13

What is the flipside of background stressors?

Answer 13

uplifts

Question 14

posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Answer 14

a phenomenon in which victims of major catastrophes/strong personal stressors feel long-lasting effects that may include re-experiencing the event in vivid flashbacks or dreams

Question 15

Who commonly experiences PTSD? (2)

Answer 15

1. soldiers
2. victims of rape

Question 16

psychophysiological disorders

Answer 16

medical problems influenced by an interaction of psychological, emotional, and physical difficulties

Question 17

In what ways does stress affect us? (3)

Answer 17

1. increases the risk of illness
2. may hurt our ability to recover from diseases
3. reduces our ability to cope with future stress

Question 18

general adaptation syndrome (GAS)

Answer 18

a theory developed by Hans Selye that suggests that a person’s physiological response to a stressor consists of three stages

Question 19

alarm and mobilization

Answer 19

people become aware of the presence of the stressor; the sympathetic nervous system is energized

Question 20

resistance

Answer 20

the stressor persists; the body actively fights the stressor; people use a variety of means to cope

Question 21

exhaustion

Answer 21

resistance is inadequate; the ability to fight the stressor declines; negative consequences such as illness and psychological symptoms appear

Question 22

What are the three major stages to stress responses, in order?

Answer 22

1. alarm and mobilization
2. resistance
3. exhaustion

Question 23

What are the three main consequences of stress?

Answer 23

1. direct physiological results
2. behaviors that are harmful to health and well-being
3. indirect consequences of poor health-related behaviors

Question 24

coping

Answer 24

the efforts to control, reduce, or learn to tolerate the threats that lead to stress

Question 25

emotion-focused coping

Answer 25

people try to manage their emotions by seeking to change the way they feel about or perceive a problem

Question 26

What is an example of emotion-focused coping?

Answer 26

accepting sympathy

Question 27

problem-focused coping

Answer 27

people attempt to modify the stressful problem/source of stress

Question 28

What does problem-focused coping lead to?

Answer 28

changes in behavior or to the development of a plan of action with the stress

Question 29

avoidant coping

Answer 29

people may use wishful thinking/resort to more direct escape routes such as drinking

Question 30

defense mechanisms

Answer 30

unconscious strategies that people use to reduce anxiety by concealing the source from themselves and others

Question 31

emotional insulation

Answer 31

a person stops experiencing emotions and thereby remains unaffected and unmoved by both positive and negative experiences

Question 32

What do defense mechanisms fail to do?

Answer 32

they merely hide the problem and do not deal with reality

Question 33

learned helplessness

Answer 33

a state in which people conclude that unpleasant/aversive stimuli cannot be controlled

Question 34

What do victims of learned helplessness conclude?

Answer 34

there is no link between the responses they make and the outcomes that occur

Question 35

What do people experience more of when they have little or no control?

Answer 35

more physical symptoms and depression

Question 36

hardiness

Answer 36

a personality trait characterized by a sense of commitment, viewing problems as challenges, and having a sense of control over one's life and environment

Question 37

commitment

Answer 37

hardy people tend to throw themselves into what they are doing and have a sense that their activities are important and meaningful

Question 38

challenge

Answer 38

hardy people see change as positive

Question 39

control

Answer 39

hardy people have the perception that they can influence the events in their lives

Question 40

resilience

Answer 40

the ability to withstand, overcome, and actually thrive after profound diversity

Question 41

social support

Answer 41

a mutual network of caring, interested others

Question 42

What does social support enable us to experience?

Answer 42

lower levels of stress and be better able to cope with the stress we do undergo

Question 43

type A behavior pattern

Answer 43

a cluster of behaviors involving hostility, competitiveness, time urgency, and feeling driven

Question 44

What is the key component of a type A behavior pattern?

Answer 44

hostility

Question 45

type B behavior pattern

Answer 45

characterized by a patient, cooperative, noncompetitive, and nonaggressive manner

Question 46

type D (distressed) behavior pattern

Answer 46

characterized by insecurity, anxiety, and a negative outlook, puts people at risk for repeated heart attacks

Question 47

What is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States?

Answer 47

smoking

Question 48

What does whether or not a person will become a smoker depend on?

Answer 48

1. genetics 2. social factors

Question 49

In what ways do social factors determine whether or a not a person will smoke?

Answer 49

1. seeing it as "cool" 2. being exposed to smoking in media 3. treating it as a "rite of passage"

Question 50

vaping

Answer 50

the inhalation of vapors created by electronic cigarettes

Question 51

electronic cigarettes

Answer 51

battery-powered, cigarette-shaped devices that deliver nicotine that is vaporized to form a mist

Question 52

Why is the exponential growth in e-cigarette use worrisome?

Answer 52

1. nicotine is harmful to adolescent brains 2. contaminants have led to serious health consequences, lung damage, and even death 3. young users may be more prone to smoke regular cigarettes in the future

Question 53

creative noncompliance

Answer 53

refers to the practice of altering a treatment by substituting one's own medical judgment

Question 54

What is an example of creative noncompliance?

Answer 54

the tendency of many in the coronavirus pandemic to minimize its severity and insist on going out

Question 55

What is the third-leading cause of death in the US?

Answer 55

noncompliance and errors committed by patients and providers

Question 56

What is another way noncompliance can occur?

Answer 56

misunderstanding medical directions

Question 57

What can be a barrier to good medical care?

Answer 57

a lack of communication between providers and patients

Question 58

What kinds of factors contribute to the lack of communication between providers and patients?

Answer 58

1. physicians make assumption about what patients prefer, or they push a specific treatment they prefer 2. the relatively high prestige of physicians can be intimidating 3. many patients fail to ask for clear explanation 4. in some cases the material that must be communicated is too technical 5. gender and cultural expectations

Question 59

What are way in which one can improve communication with providers?

Answer 59

1. make a list of health-related concerns before your visit 2. prepare by writing down the names and dosages of all medications before your visit 3. take notes during your visit 4. ask how to access your medical records online and whether you can communication with your provider by email and phone 5. consider bringing a friend or relative with you to advocate on your behalf

Question 60

What can health-care providers do to produce greater compliance?

Answer 60

1. provide clear instructions regarding drug regimens 2. maintain warm relations with patients 3. be honest

Question 61

positively framed messages

Answer 61

suggest that a change in behavior will lead to a gain; they are best for motivating preventive behavior

Question 62

negatively framed messages

Answer 62

highlight what can be lost by not performing a behavior; they are most effective in producing behavior that will lead to the detection of a disease

Question 63

subjective well-being

Answer 63

people's sense of their happiness and satisfaction with their lives

Question 64

What characteristics do happy people share?

Answer 64

1. they have high self-esteem and may hold positive illusions 2. they have a strong sense of control over their environment and themselves 3. they are optimistic 4. men and women are generally made happy by the same sorts of activities--but not always 5. happy people life to be around other people