chachapter 15: health psychology Flashcards
define allostatic load
chronic stress that results in chronic physiological arousal which can cause severe damage to the body
where is the stress hormone cortisol released from?
adrenal cortex
what is health psychology
explores biological, psychological, and social/environmental factors that influence physical health
1900 vs 2015 causes of death
1900: CVD, influenza/pneumonia, tuberculosis, colitis, accidents
2015: HR disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, accidents, cerebrovascular disease
direct and indirect impact of pessimistic outlook
direct: hyper-arousal of fight or flight response
indirect: reducing positive coping and healthy behaviors
avoidance coping
harmful to health - idea of you denying what you are currently facing
how do online health communities impact people
why to talk about negative emotions and provides social support while reducing barriers
how does writing improve health
way to discuss trauma and studies found positive immune system markers in blood of those who wrote about their trauma compared to those who did not - helps people understand and find meaning in their life events
female response to stress
usually respond to threat in way termed tend and befriend. Women neurobiological response to stress releases oxytocin which is associated with seeking out and caring for others
males response to stress
less likely to seek others and usually have a smaller social group compared to women. so less opportunity to benefit from positive health effects of social support
female and male differences of physiological response to stress in marriage
women usually experience more physiological reaction compared to men in marital conflict. If the relationship is positive then women can benefit physiologically - women feel more financially secured and more emotionally attuned so feel conflict usually first
cultural differences in coping
asian Americans desire a more subtle way of asking for social support - this could be just hanging out with loved ones compared to European who explicitly asked for help. Very dependent on cultural norms
psych disorders and physical health
links between include: shared genetic causes, medical disorders contributing to psych disorder OR psych disorder contributing to medical disorders
define neuroticism
personality trait characterized by hyperactivity to stress and poor coping skills
innate vs specific immune system
innate: quick reaction that is nonspecific to pathogen. body releases cells to kill and ingest invaders
specific: slower and tailor to specific invader and remembers for later it can kill quicker and more efficiently
stress and the gut
chronic stress can impact the HPA axis which impacts the gut microbiota and brain function.
-gut cells impact the maturation and function of immune cells and activation of peripheral immune cells which regulate neuro-inflammation, brain injury, autoimmunity, and neurogenesis
how many people worldwide have HIV
35 million
HIV to AIDs
when disease symptoms become deadly usually term virus as aids. we now have drugs to help suppress virus but will not eliminate it
aging with HIV/aids
can be difficult from the psychosocial perspective. These individuals sometimes have difficulty following medications and feel social stigma, depression, LGBTQI+ status. Possible direct correlation of hiding one’s identity and health
characteristics of stress and HIV/aids
- young adults who were HIV positive and experienced a stressful life event for 3x more likely to show immune system declines
-history of trauma more likely to increase virus symptoms
-negative pessimistic outlook causes a greater decline in immune system
what percentage of all US deaths are due to CHD (coronary heart disease)
25%. also a chronic disease that 15 million Americans live with
what causes hypertension
blood being pushed too forcefully by heart through vessels or constriction of vessel walls.
how many individuals in the US have hypertensions
1/3
what is essential hypertension
cause of hypertension is unknown - accounts for 90% of cases