Exam 3 - Health Psychology

Question 1

Why is pain a unique topic?

Answer 1

it’s difficult to accurately assess

Question 2

Pain perception is influenced by…

Answer 2

Actual bodily harm
Perceived harm and injury
Sick role views and perceptions
Actual and perceived treatment effects
Even when you experience the same stimulus, each person would have a different experience of what is painful or not

Question 3

what is the definition of a pain schema

Answer 3

A pain schema is a mental framework individuals have about pain, influenced by past experiences and beliefs. It shapes how they perceive and cope with pain.

Question 4

what 5 pieces of information does a pain schema include?

Answer 4

Identity, timeline & duration, consequences, causes, cure & controllability

Question 5

when do pain schemas develop? what other kinds of schemas are pain schemas similar to?

Answer 5

Pain schemas tend to develop very early (similar to illness schemas)

Question 6

Do all people have the same pain schema?

Answer 6

There are different schemas for different people for the same situation that causes us pain

Question 7

what are the three ways in which we learn pain responses?

Answer 7

classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and social learning

Question 8

Describe Leventhal et al: the common sense model

Answer 8

Leventhal et al.’s Common Sense Model (CSM) of illness representation proposes that individuals develop cognitive representations or “schemas” of illness to make sense of their health experiences. These schemas consist of five key components (the same components of a pain or illness schema)

Emotional factors, such as fear, anxiety, and emotional attachment, play a significant role in the Common Sense Model. Emotional responses are intertwined with cognitive representations and can influence how individuals perceive and respond to their illness.

For instance, emotional attachment can influence the identity component by affecting how individuals label and recognize symptoms. It can also influence perceptions of control and coping strategies. Individuals may feel emotionally attached to certain beliefs about their illness, which can shape their responses and behaviors.

Question 9

describe the process of classical conditioning

Answer 9

We are naturally fearful of things that bring us pain (Consider what would happen if you fell off the slides the first few times you were at a park)

Question 10

describe the process of operant conditioning

Answer 10

Our reaction to pain or chronic pain may be learned through reinforcement (positive or negative) principles -> changes how we report pain

Question 11

describe the process of social learning

Answer 11

We learn a lot of pain behavior from our parents (Children of chronic pain patients tend to report great illness behavior than children of healthy parents)

Question 12

what are positive reinforcers? what are negative reinforcers?

Answer 12

reinforcers relate to operant conditioning

Positive reinforcers (things that have been added): sympathy, support from others, having others care for you
Negative reinforcers (things that have been removed): avoiding work or class, neglect of parental or spousal responsibilities

Question 13

what is the definition of pain? what are the three categories of pain

Answer 13

definition: An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience normally associated
with tissue damage or described in terms of such damage

The three different types of pain are: Acute
Chronic
acute recurrent

Question 14

what are the 4 ways that we can assess pain?

Answer 14

PROMIS pain intensity (self report) - on a scale of 1-10
PROMIS pain interference (self report) - interfering with activities
PROMIS Pain behavior (self-reports) - when you’re in pain do you grimace, etc
McGill pain questionnaire -circling words to describe the pain you’re feeling

Question 15

what are some ways in which you can manipulate someone’s levels of pain?

Answer 15

Cold pressor test - submerging your hand into freezing and researchers measure how long you can withstand the pain (Can do the opposite using heat)

Using a machine (algometer) to put pressure on a person and then press a button when the pressure becomes painful (The amount of pressure can be measured and could be used to measure one’s pain)

having people remember a time where they experienced great pain

Ischemic pain (Holding your arm above your head for 30 seconds until in drain of blood, put a tourniquet on your arm and then do strength training until they feel pain)

eating chili peppers

Question 16

Evaluate the pros can cons of the PROMIS pain intensity (self report)

Answer 16

Pros:

Simple to administer: The self-report nature of the test makes it easy to administer and score.

Direct assessment: Provides a direct assessment of pain intensity experienced by the individual, which can be valuable for treatment planning and monitoring.

Cons:

Limited scope: May not capture the full complexity of pain experiences, such as different types of pain (e.g., neuropathic, nociceptive) or fluctuations in pain intensity.

Reliance on self-report: Subject to bias and inaccuracies due to individual interpretation and perception of pain.

Question 17

evaluate the pros and cons of the PROMIS pain interference (self report)

Answer 17

Pros:

Comprehensive assessment: Evaluates the impact of pain on various aspects of daily life, providing insights into how pain interferes with functioning and well-being.

Patient-centered: Focuses on the individual’s perspective, highlighting areas where pain has the most significant impact.

Cons:

Subjective: Relies on self-report, which may be influenced by individual interpretation and recall biases.

Aren’t long enough: Similar to pain intensity assessments, if the assessment period is too short, it may not capture the full extent of pain interference experienced by the individual.

Question 18

evaluate the pros and cons of the PROMIS Pain behavior (self-reports)

Answer 18

Pros:

Comprehensive assessment: Evaluates the impact of pain on various aspects of daily life, providing insights into how pain interferes with functioning and well-being.

Patient-centered: Focuses on the individual’s perspective, highlighting areas where pain has the most significant impact.

Cons:

Subjective: Relies on self-report, which may be influenced by individual interpretation and recall biases.

Limited context: Does not provide detailed information about specific activities or contexts where pain interference occurs, which could limit the precision of intervention planning.

Question 19

evaluate the pros and cons of the McGill pain questionnaire

Answer 19

Cons: Can’t be applied to everyone (the words are too complicated for people with lower education, don’t have english as a first language, too young, etc)

pros: Considers pain as a multifaceted construct, including psychological and physical manifestations of pain.

Question 20

how can listening to music affect someone’s pain response? what study was performed and what were the results?

Answer 20

Listening to music can lead to people describe symptoms of chronic pain for those who didn’t like the genre of music being played
- a study Were listening to heavy metal music - (Pantera) and reported that they were in pain based on a study

But these findings were based on people’s experience with the type of music (same stimulus, different response) - Some people actually found this pleasant because they like the music genre

our social connections also matter for this - you wouldn’t find the music painful if you grew up listening to it

Question 21

define the 5 components of an illness/pain schema

Answer 21

Identity: How individuals label and recognize their symptoms or illness.
Cause: Beliefs about the factors or causes responsible for their illness.
Timeline: Perceptions about the duration and course of the illness, whether it is acute or chronic.
Consequences: Beliefs regarding the impact of the illness on various aspects of life, such as physical, emotional, social, and functional consequences.
Control/Cure: Beliefs about the extent to which the illness can be managed or cured, including perceptions of personal control and effectiveness of treatments.