Health psychology Flashcards
what is health psychology?
understanding how psychological factors affect health and how they respond/cope with ill health
what was the belief regarding illness and medicine during the middle ages?
illness was divine punishment and medicine was frowned upon
what was the renaissance and Descartes view of illness?
the body is a machine and introduced the concept of mind-body communication via the brain
what is the difference between the biomedical and biopsychosocial wellness models?
the biomedical wellness model defines health as the absence of disease but the biopsychosical model looks at the interaction between biological, psychological, and social factors and how they can be related to health and illness
what is a stressor?
it is external event that triggers a stress response
what is a hassle and its effects?
minor inconveniences/annoyances which strain the ability to cope
what is a appraisal?
the interpretation of a situation, and can affect stress and coping mechanisms
what is primary and secondary appraisal?
primary appraisal: is deciding whether an event is harmful and importance? is it positive or negative
secondary appraisal: deciding how well you can cope with it?
what are the two forms of appraisal methods?
challenge appraisal: which means the perceived ability to cope is high, associated with positive stress
threat appraisal: the perceived ability to cope is low, associated with negative stress
what does coping mean?
processes used to manage demands of a stressor and includes thoughts and behaviours
what is maladaptive and adaptive coping?
maladaptive coping: coping behaviours which are detrimental
adaptive coping: coping behaviours are benficial
what are the 4 coping strategies?
reappraisal: actively changing interpretation/meaning of stressor
acceptance: accepting the situation cannot be changed
distraction: diverting attention away from the stressor
rumination: repeating negative thoughts and feelings about the stressor
what are the five coping approaches?
problem focused strategy: where challenges are tackled head on, so dealing with the stressor
emotion focused coping: focusing on feelings about the situation, and trying to change emotional impact
practical (active) coping: drawn towards the problem
avoidant coping: taking focus away from the problem
flexible coping: ability to choose and adapt coping strategies
what are the physiological effects of stress?
increased BP and HR, changes in blood comp, immune system suppression, release of stress hormones
what are behavioural effects of stress?
sleep disruption, reduced exercise and healthy eating and social support, increased physical tension
what is the placebo effect?
when positive effects are experienced (relief from pain/illness symptoms) that stems from psychological beliefs regarding treatment
what is it called when someone is experiencing negative feelings (e.g. pain or discomfort) because of their personal beliefs and expectations about something?
nocebo effect
what is the transtheoretical model?
represents the stages of changing health behaviours
what are the first 4 stages of the transtheoretical model?
- pre contemplation stage: not considering changes to behaviour
- contemplation: begin considering the possibility of changing
- preparation: prepared to change health behaviour and setting goals and plans
- action: actively engaged in new health behaviour and achieving goals
what are the final 3 stages of the transtheoretical model?
- maintenance: successfully resisting temptations to revert back to old behaviours
- relapse: a setback happens and is either a learning opportunity or makes someone give up
- recycle: if someone relapses they should be encourages to restart their behaviour change again
what is a behavioural pathogen and an example of it?
are health damaging behaviours like drinking excessively
what is a behavioural immunogen and an example?
health protective behaviours such as healthy diet
what was the focus of the framimgham heart study?
exploring heart disease
what is a social determinant of health?
non-medical factors that influences health outcomes
what are the 6 factors of social determinants of health?
- income and education
- employment and work
- housing
- early childhood experiences
- family relationship support and environment
- social inclusion
what is intersectionality?
ways in which different aspects of a person’s identity can expose them to forms of discrimination
what is the 3 stages of general adaptation syndrome?
- alarm: excitation of the autonomic nervous system
- resistance: adapting to stressor and finding ways to cope
- exhaustion: the ability to resist breaking down
what is the formal term for good stress that helps with personal growth?
eustress
what is the term for a set of attitudes that resilient people possess?
hardiness
what can fortify the immune system?
positive emotions and social support
