Health Psych Text Flashcards
Stress is the consequence of a person’s __________ process
Stress is the consequence of a person’s appraisal process
If a person is trying to understand an event and what it will mean, what type of stress appraisal is that?
Primary appraisal
Secondary appraisals assess what?
Secondary appraisals assess whether personal resources are sufficient to meet the demands of the environment.
In short, secondary appraisals assess what?
It assesses whether I have the resources to overcome the stressor
Describe how stress is determined by person-environment fit.
Person-environment fit considers both primary and secondary appraisals. It considers whether an event is harmful or threatening - then it assesses potential resources and of responding to the events.
Describe the 3 phases of Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome.
- Alarm - reacts to stressor with diminished resistance
- Resistance - efforts to cope with the threat
- Exhaustion - if person fails to overcome the threat, it physiologically affects them
When someone is suffering from general adaptation syndrome, what might their physiological reactions look like?
enlarged adrenal cortex
shrunken thymus and lymph glands
ulceration of the stomach and duodenum
What are the criticism of General Adaptation Syndrome?
- It assigns limited role to psychological factors (and researchers believe that psychological appraisal of events is critical to experiencing stress.
- Not all stressors produce the same endocrinological responses
- Not sure if its exhaustion itself or the chronic activation that’s implicated in stress.
What is the endpoint to Seyle’s general adaptation syndrome?
He believed stress was the endpoint - that fails to acknowledge anticipated stress or post stressful events.
Describe the mechanism of Tend and Befriend.
Tend-and-Befriend works on the mechanism of oxytocin - it stipulates that oxytocin is strongly influenced by estrogen. Thus, women are more likely to relieve stress by social support.
What are the 4 most important pathways by which stress adversely affects health?
- physiological
- health behaviors
- psychosocial resources
- health care
What can repeated activation of the HPA axis do?
How is it activated?
The HPA axis is activated in response to chronic or recurring stress - repeated activation can eventually damage its functions.
Define Reactivity - how is it related to stress?
Reactivity is the degree of change that occurs in endocrine or immune response as a response to stress.
What is Allostatic Load?
Allostatic load is basically the physiological cost of chronic exposure to stress.
What is the main difference between problem-focused and emotion-focused coping?
emotion-focused coping involves regulation of emotions while problem-focused coping involves attempts to do constructive things to rid the problem
Describe Emotional-approach coping style.
Emotional-approach coping style involves clarifying, focusing on, and working through emotions.
Describe Proactive Coping - what does it require?
- Anticipate or detect potential stressors
- Coping skills to manage it
- Self-regulatory skills
What type of appraisals are beneficial for regulating emotions during stress?
Detached reappraisal and Positive reappraisal
In regards to social support, bringing some a home-cooked meal after their spouse has died is what?
Tangible assistance
Describe the buffering hypothesis of social support. What is the difference between it and the direct effect hypothesis?
The direct effect hypothesis maintains that social support is beneficial to BOTH non stressful and stressful times.
The buffering hypothesis states that social support is a reserve and resource that blunts out the effects of stress at high levels.
What is the average time before a physician will interrupt you?
23 seconds into conversation
how long does an average visit to medical office last?
12-15 minutes
What is the average nonadherence to treatment rate?
26% of people don’t adhere to treatment recommendations
What is the average nonadherence to prescription meds?
85%
What percentage of the elderly intentionally did not adhere to their medications?
73% elderly intentionally didn’t adhere
What are the 3 goals for functioning of a hospital?
Cure, Care, and Core
Cure - physician’s responsibility
Care - patient’s care is oriented towards the staff to provide humanitarian side of medicine
Core - administration is concerned with core of the hospital
T or F: The number of Health psychologists who work in hospital settings has decreased by 40%.
False - health psychologists have doubled
What type of patients show stronger placebo effects than others?
- people who have a high need for approval
- ppl with low self-esteem
- anxious people
T or F: Pain has medical significance.
True - its symptoms is the leading cause of people to seek treatment.
T or F: “Small wins approach to problems state that global environmental change occurs first with the federal government”
False - small wins approach to problems should start with local and regional environment - it will gradually influence the quality of the global environment.
What is a problem that Stolker states about how health is defined as?
Health is defined as individualistic problems with explicit emphases on the ABSENCE of personal illness or injury - and it gives little to no consideration to issues of collective well being (social support; etc).
(key hints: Individualistic and Absence of personal illness defines health)
Stolker believes that the majority of Health Promotion programs implemented in corporate and community settings have been focused on __________ rather than __________
Stolker believes that the majority of Health Promotion programs implemented in corporate and community settings have been focused on individuals rather than environments
According to Stolker, what is the difference between health promotion that is set on individuals vs. the environment?
Health promotion is designed to make people change their habits and lifestyles (through exercise and diets) vs. environment changes such as getting a humidifier to moisten the air.
What type of social-ecological conceptualization of health-promotive environments that
Stolker proposed a socialecological conceptualization of health promotion that includes the interactions between physical and social features of environments as they affect emotional, physical , and social well-being of individuals and groups.
What is a social-ecological perspective example of behavior modification programs for smoking cessation?
smoking cessation is increased in people whose jobs ban smoking.
What are the 3 types of pain perceptions scientists have discovered?
- mechanical noniceptors - pain perception - that results from mechanical damage to tissues of body.
- thermal damage - experience of pain due to temperature
- polymodal nociception - general category referring to pain that triggers chemical reactions from tissue damage
Which peripheral nerve fiber are involved in nociceptions?
A-delta fibers are small, mylenated fibers th transmit sharp pain (they respond to mechanical or thermal paind.
C-fibers are unmyelinated nerve fibers, involved in polymodal pain and transmit dull aching pain.
what is the biological process of “the experience of pain?”
The signal from an injured area goes to the spinal cord, where it passes to a motor nerve connected to a muscle. This causes reflex that doesn’t involve the brain. The signal ALSO goes to the thalamus from the spinal cord, where pain is perceived.
Describe chronic benign pain.
chronic benign pain persists for 6 months of longer and is unresponsive to treatment (i.e. chronic back pain)
describe recurrent acute pain.
recurrent acute pain is when there are episodes of pain that are acute in character but still chronic if it occurs for more than 6 months (i.e. migraines)
What is counterirritation?
it’s that shit i’ve been telling people about! when you’re hurt in one place, you gotta hurt yourself in another
What is biofeedback?
Biofeedback is when patients utilize technology to hear the feedback of their physiological symptoms.
This will help them attempt to change their body process.
How does relaxation affect pain?
Directly - relaxes muscles and helps blood flow
Relaxation is modestly successful for controlling what type of pains?
Modestly successful for controlling acute pains; when used in conjunction to pain medication - can help with chronic pains.
What is the most effective way to cope with low level pain?
The most effective way to cope with low level pain is Distraction.
Which of the following reduced patient’s pain more:
active or passive coping skills?
Active coping skills reduced pain more
T or F: The better coping skill for chronic pain is passive coping skills.
False - active coping skills is better for those suffering from chronic pain
T or F: patients with acute pain benefit more if they use avoidant coping strategies.
True - avoidant coping strategies work well for acute pain patients, but not for chronic pain.