Health

Question 1

Health psychology

Answer 1

Concerned with ways psychological factors influence the causes and treatments of physical illness and the maintenance of health

Question 2

Environmental psychology

Answer 2

A scientific study of environmental effects on behaviour and health

Question 3

Sickness response

Answer 3

Coordinated, adaptive set of reactions to illness organized by the brain - keep you at home and not moving so energy can be spent getting you better

Question 4

What do WBC cells do in the immune response?

Answer 4

WBC activate and eat microbes and release cytokines (which activates vagus nerve which runs from intestines, stomach and chest to brain with “I’m sick” message)

Question 5

What’s the difference in sickness response for depressed individuals?

Answer 5

Increased levels of cytokines so they have a heightened sickness response and don’t feel well

Question 6

Psychosomatic illness

Answer 6

An interaction between mind (psyche) and body (soma) that can produce illness

Question 7

Somatic symptom disorders

Answer 7

A person with at least one bodily symptom displays significant health-related anxiety, expresses disproportionate concerns about their symptoms, and devotes excessive time and energy to their symptoms or health concerns

Question 8

(Previously) Somatoform disorders

Answer 8

Psychological concerns about explainable medical symptoms; hypochondriacs - to an extreme

Question 9

Sick role

Answer 9

Socially recognized set of rights and obligations linked with illness

Question 10

Malingering

Answer 10

Feigning medical or psychological symptoms to achieve something desirable (e.g. freed from performing unpleasant tasks)

Question 11

Patient-practitioner interaction

Answer 11

• Have to understand both the physical state and psychological state of the patient
• Tendency to focus more on physical state and disregard psychological state
• Have to motivate patient to follow regimen of care; affected by the frequency (times per day) of treatment, inconvenience/pain of treatment and number of treatments (e.g. 2-4 weeks)

Question 12

Two factors that influence personal health

Answer 12

• Health-relevant personality traits (e.g. Type A)

- Health behaviour

Question 13

Optimism

Answer 13

• Stable over time
• Predicts a positive outcome for cardiovascular health
• Aids in the maintenance of psychological health in the face of physical health problems; but also physical health
• Pessimists can become optimists!

Question 14

Hardiness

Answer 14

Characterized by 3 factors: commitment, control, challenge

• Commitment: How actively involved you are in dealing with stressor/health problems
• Control: Expectation that actions/words have a causal influence over their lives
• Challenge: Embrace change and accept opportunities for growth

Question 15

Self-regulation

Answer 15

Exercise of voluntary control over the self to bring the self into line with preferred standards; reliance on willpower

• Most effective when it focuses on what to do rather than what not to do (e.g. exercise rather than eat less)
• Importance of eating wisely, avoiding sexual risks, and not smoking

Question 16

Illusion of unique vulnerability

Answer 16

Bias toward believing they are less likely to fall victim to the problem than others