Definitions Flashcards
Socio-economic status
the social standing or class of an individual or group. Often measured as a combination of education, income and occupation (APA) - a sum of these factors together
health differentials
a term used to denote differences in health status and life expectancy across different groups
social capital
feelings of social cohesion, solidarity, and trust in one´s neighbours
Health behaviour
associated with an individual´s health status, regardless of current health or motivation
Antioxidants
chemical properties (polyphenols) or some substances (red wine) thought to inhibit the process of oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL) which has been shown to be important in the development of fatty deposits in the arteries
biomedical model
the basic idea is that mind, matter (body) and human behaviour can all be reduced to, and explained at, the level of cells, neural activity or biochemical activity –> reductionism
biopsychosocial model
a view that diseases and symptoms can be explained by a combination of physical, social, cultural and psychological
epidemiology
the study of patterns of disease in various populations and the association with other factors such as lifestyle factors. Key concepts include mortality, morbidity, prevalence, incidence, absolute risk and relative risk
medical psychology
based upon an essentially mechanistic model: i.e. an underlying impairment causes some symptom that requires treatment/cure in order to enable a return to “normal” health
medical psychology
based upon an essentially mechanistic model: i.e. an underlying impairment causes some symptom that requires treatment/cure in order to enable return to “normal” health
behaviour medicine
employ behavioral principles (e.g. classical or operant conditioning)
psychosomatic medicine
refers to the fact that mind and body are both involved in illness, and that they act together (connected by psychoanalysis)
medical sociology
health and illness being considered in terms of social factors - takes a wider (macro) approach to the individual (family, kinship, culture)
clinical psychology
concerned with mental health and the diagnosis and treatment of mental health problems
clinical health psychology
focus on assessment and treatment with a broader biopsychosocial approach to illness and health-care issues and which is generally the domain of clinical psychologist practitioners
health psychology
takes a biopsychosocial approach to health and illness, and have four approaches
public health psychology
emphasis on public health issues
community health psychology
method of action research and aims at the achievement of healthy groups and healthy communities
critical health psychology
understanding human health and illness should be the central goal. Often criticised for being too individualistic - and should take context and cultures more into consideration
health (Huber)
is the ability to adapt and self manage in the face of social, physical, and emotional challenges
distal factors on health behaviour
e.g. socio-economic status, age, ethnicity, gender and personality
proximal factors on health behaviour
e.g. beliefs and attitudes towards health-compromising and health enhancing behaviour
neophobia
a persistent and chronic fear of anything new (places, events, people, objects)
self-determination theory
distinguishes between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation whereby a person is motivated to behave in a certain way for the inherent personal satisfaction or rewards it produces
Health locus of control
the perception that one´s health is under personal control; controlled by powerful others such as health professionals; or under the control of external factors such as fate or luck
dispositional pessimism
having a generally negative outlook on life and a tendency to anticipate negative outcomes (as opposed to dispositional optimism)
ambivalence
the simultaneous existence of both positive and negative evaluations of an attitude-object, which could be both cognitive and emotional
unrealistic optimism
(Weinstein) Also, known as “optimistic bias”, whereby a person considers themselves as being less likely than comparable others to develop an illness or experience a negative event (4 related factors)
demographic variables
e.g. gender and age.
The Health Belief Model (HBM)
proposes the likelihood that a person will engage in particular health behaviour depends on demographic factors, such as social class, gender and age, where various of components fit together –> demographic variables –> perception of threat (perceived susceptibility, perceived severity), behavioural evaluation (perceived benefits, perceived barriers), Cues to action (external/internal), Health motivation
The theory of reasoned action (TRA)
Ajzen and Fishbein - this model assumes that individuals behave in a goal-directed manner and that the implications of their actions (outcome expectancies) are weighed up in a rational manner before the decision is taken whether to engage in the behaviour or not. Behaviour influenced by intention which is influenced by the person´s attitude towards the object behaviour (outcome expectancies belief)
subjective norm
a person´s beliefs regarding whether important others (referents) would think that they should or not should carry out a particular action.
volitional
action or doing
the theory of planned behaviour
TRA - now include perceived behavioural control (a person´s belief that they have control over their own actions in certain situations, even when facing barriers = TPB
Demographics, personality, past experience –>
outcome expectancies X outcome value, Normative beliefs X motivation to comply, Perceived internal andd external control factors —>
Attitude towards behaviour, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control –>
Behavioural intention —>
BEHAVIOUR
The transtheoretical model (TTM)
this model should address intentional behavioural change, and have 2 broad assumptions: people move through stages of change and processes involved at each stage differ (pre-complementation, complementation, preparation, action, maintenance, termination, relapse
the precaution adoption process model
people pass through stages in sequences, more sophisticated consideration of the pre-action stages than TTM
The health action process approach (HAPA)
attempsts to fill the “Intention-behaviour gap”, crucially by highlighting the role of self-efficacy and action plans. –> adoption, initiation, and maintenance of health behaviour must be explicitly viewed as a process that consists of at least a pre-intentional motivation phase and a post-intentional volition phase
The stages of change model
Prochaska and di Clemente
pre-contemplation contemplation preparation change maintenance or relapse
health locus of control
the perception that one´s health is under personal control; controlled by powerful other such as health professionals; or under the control of external factors such as fate or luck
dispositional pessimism
having a generally negative outlook on life and a tendency to anticipate negative outcomes (as opposed to dispositional optimism)
unrealistic optimism
optimistic bias, whereby a person considers themselves as being less likely than comparable others to develop an illness or experience a negative event
epidemiology
the study of patterns of disease in various populations and the association with other factors such as lifestyle factors. key concepts include mortality, morbidity, absolute risk and relative risk. type of question: who gets this disease? how common is it?
premature mortality
death before the age it is normally expected. usually set at deaths under the age of 75
coronary heart disease
a narrowing of blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart. Results form a build-up of fatty material and plaque (atherosclerosis). Can result in angina or myocardial infarcation
coronary artery bypass grafts
surgical procedure in which veins or arteries from elsewhere in the patient´s body are grafted from the aorta to the coronary arteries to improve blood flow to the heart muscle
statins
drugs designed to reduce cholesterol levels
hypertension
condition in which blood pressure is significantly above normal levels
behavioral pathogen
a behaviour practice thought to be damaging to health, e.g. smoking
behavioral immunogen
a behavioural practice considered to be health protective, e.g. exercise
artherosclerosis
formation of fatty plaque in the arteries
arteriosclerosis
loss of elasticity and hardening of the arteries
predisposition
factors that increase the likelihood of a person engaging in a particular behaviour, such as genetic influences on alcohol consumption
antioxidants
oxidation of low-density lipo-protein (LDL) cholesterol has been shown to be important in the development of fatty deposits in the arteries; antioxidants are chemical properties (polyphenols) or some substances (e.g. red wine) thought to inhibit the process of oxidation
meta-analysis
a review and re-analyiss of pre-existing quantitative datasets that combines the analysis so as to provide large samples and high statistical power from which to draw reliable conclusions about specific effects
ischaemic heart disease
a heart disease caused by a restriction of blood flow to the heart
locus of control
personality trait thought to distinguish between those who attribute responsibility for events to themselves (internal locus of control) or to external factors (external locus of control)
ambivalence
the simultaneous existence of both positive and negative evaluations of an attitude object, which could be both cognitive and emotional
illness representations
beliefs about a particular illness and state of ill health - commonly ascribed to the five domains described by Leventhal: identity, timeline, cause, consequences, and control/cure
decisional balance
where the costs of behaviour is weighed up against the benefits of that behaivor
false positive result
a situation in which an individual is told that they may have a disease, but subsequent tests show that they are not at risk or do not have the disease
transdermal patch
a method of delivering a drug in a slow release form. The drug is impregnated into a patch, which is stuck to the skin and gradually absorbed into the body
