Ch. 8 Factors Surrounding Illness Flashcards
confirmation bias
phenomenon by which when we believe something is true we often change the way we interpret new information and the way we look at the world because of it
- we tend to try to confirm our belief and have a bias in how we process information
illusory correlation
belief that our expectations have been correct more times than they actually have been
attributions
cognitive process of assigning meaning to a symptom or behavior
misattribute
mistakenly label our physiological experiences based on external factors
(ie) you’re tired at work, people at work are sick, you think you’re fatigue is a sign of getting a cold
self-fulfilling prophecy
belief that if you believe something is going to happen, it is more likely to happen
- social psychologists suggest your expectancy of an outcome or behavior can subconsciously or consciously change your behavior to make the outcome more likely
hypochondriac
a psychological disorder characterized by excessive preoccupation with one’s health and constant worry about developing physical illness
behavioral involvement
a patient’s attitude toward self-care, specifically an active involvement in treatment
informational involvement
measure of how much the patient wants to know about his or her illness and specific details of its treatment
private body consciousness
degree to which one is sensitive to one’s health states resulting in increased vigilance over the body
appraisal delay
time taken to recognize one has symptoms after they first appear
illness delay
time between the recognition that one is ill to the decision to seek care
utilization delay
time between the decision to seek care and the actual behaviors to obtain medical health care
social sanctioning
the measures used by a society to enforce its rules of acceptable behavior
types of delay
(1) appraisal delay
(2) illness delay
(3) utilization delay
lay-referral system
nonprofessionals such as family, friends, and neighbors who patients rely on to help cope with illness symptoms instead of seeking biomedical treatment
- leading health indicators the major health concerns in the US at the beginning of the 21st Century as reflected by the Healthy People 2010 program
creative nonadherence
when patients indirectly disobey their doctors’ orders by often modifying and supplementing their treatment plans
stereotypes
widely held beliefs that people have certain characteristics because of their membership in a particular group
- many have a kernel of truth in them
- humans treat stereotypes as if they are always accurate for all members of the group
cultural competency
health care provider’s understanding of patients’ cultural characteristics, values, and traditions
cultural awareness
an appreciation of the external and material signs of diversity (ie. arts, music, dress, food, religious activities, or physical characteristics)
cultural sensitivity
reflection of personal attitudes
- includes not saying or doing things that might be offensive to someone from a different cultural or ethnic background than that of the health care provider
illness behaviors
varying ways individuals:
1) respond to physiological symptoms
2) monitor internal states
3) define and interpret symptoms
4) make attributions
5) take remedial actions
6) utilize various forms of informal and formal care
triggers
factors that increase the likelihood that a person will seek treatment
The varying ways that individuals respond to physiological symptoms, and utilize health care are all considered:
a. health behaviors
b. illness behaviors
c. proactive coping
d. reactivity measures
b. illness behaviors
The first and most important step that the patient has to negotiate successfully in the transition from health to illness is the:
a. acceptance of sickness
b. recognition of symptoms
c. reporting of symptoms
d. preparation of sickness
b. recognition of symptoms
Research assessing the utilization of health care and services routinely finds that ________ do not utilize health care as much as others do.
a. high SES individuals
b. high self-esteem individuals
c. women
d. minority group members
d. minority group members
Many social psychological processes help explain illness behaviors (or their absence). If you do not think you are sick, you are likely to ignore symptoms of the sickness and only look for evidence that you are healthy. This is called:
a. self-fulfilling prophecy
b. selective attention
c. a confirmation bias
d. impression management
c. a confirmation bias
An example of how assigning meaning to a symptom can vary across cultures can be seen in how:
a. Mexican American children consider hearing voices to be a religious experience
b. Hmong Americans consider epilepsy to be purely a physical defect
c. American Indians consider cancer a “White man’s disease”
d. Chinese Americans use acupuncture to realign energy flow
a. Mexican American children consider hearing voices to be a religious experience
A patient’s attitude to health care and the extent to which they want to be a part of their treatment is referred to as the level of:
a. self-control
b. self-efficacy
c. behavioral involvement
d. patient-practitioner coherence
c. behavioral involvement
Which of the following is NOT a major reason why people do not seek treatment?
a. People underestimate the significance of symptoms
b. People assume the symptoms will turn out to be nothing
c. People do not want to bother their doctors
d. People overestimate the significance of their symptoms
a. People underestimate the significance of symptoms
There are many cultural reasons that explain why people do not recognize that they have symptoms of an illness. Often, a long time passes from a symptom occurrence to the recognition that it is a problem. This can be harmful and is referred to as:
a. appraisal delay
b. illness delay
c. utilization
d. cultural delay
a. appraisal delay
Which of the following is not one of the five triggers (Zola, 1964) that increase the likelihood of a person seeking treatment?
a. degree to which the symptoms frighten you
b. the nature and quality of symptoms
c. whether you have experienced the symptom before
d. if the symptoms interfere with work or personal relationships
c. whether you have experienced the symptom before
The _______ form of patient-practitioner communication involves the patient doing the bulk of the talking and getting answers to their questions.
a. mutual cooperative
b. active-passive
c. patient-focused
d. consumerist
d. consumerist
