Health psychology

Question 1

what is health psychology?

Answer 1

understanding how psychological factors affect health and how they respond/cope with ill health

Question 2

what was the belief regarding illness and medicine during the middle ages?

Answer 2

illness was divine punishment and medicine was frowned upon

Question 3

what was the renaissance and Descartes view of illness?

Answer 3

the body is a machine and introduced the concept of mind-body communication via the brain

Question 4

what is the difference between the biomedical and biopsychosocial wellness models?

Answer 4

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

Question 5

what is a stressor?

Answer 5

it is external event that triggers a stress response

Question 6

what is a hassle and its effects?

Answer 6

minor inconveniences/annoyances which strain the ability to cope

Question 7

what is a appraisal?

Answer 7

the interpretation of a situation, and can affect stress and coping mechanisms

Question 8

what is primary and secondary appraisal?

Answer 8

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?

Question 9

what are the two forms of appraisal methods?

Answer 9

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

Question 10

what does coping mean?

Answer 10

processes used to manage demands of a stressor and includes thoughts and behaviours

Question 11

what is maladaptive and adaptive coping?

Answer 11

maladaptive coping: coping behaviours which are detrimental
adaptive coping: coping behaviours are benficial

Question 12

what are the 4 coping strategies?

Answer 12

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

Question 13

what are the five coping approaches?

Answer 13

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

Question 14

what are the physiological effects of stress?

Answer 14

increased BP and HR, changes in blood comp, immune system suppression, release of stress hormones

Question 15

what are behavioural effects of stress?

Answer 15

sleep disruption, reduced exercise and healthy eating and social support, increased physical tension

Question 16

what is the placebo effect?

Answer 16

when positive effects are experienced (relief from pain/illness symptoms) that stems from psychological beliefs regarding treatment

Question 17

what is it called when someone is experiencing negative feelings (e.g. pain or discomfort) because of their personal beliefs and expectations about something?

Answer 17

nocebo effect

Question 18

what is the transtheoretical model?

Answer 18

represents the stages of changing health behaviours

Question 19

what are the first 4 stages of the transtheoretical model?

Answer 19

1. pre contemplation stage: not considering changes to behaviour
2. contemplation: begin considering the possibility of changing
3. preparation: prepared to change health behaviour and setting goals and plans
4. action: actively engaged in new health behaviour and achieving goals

Question 20

what are the final 3 stages of the transtheoretical model?

Answer 20

5. maintenance: successfully resisting temptations to revert back to old behaviours
6. relapse: a setback happens and is either a learning opportunity or makes someone give up
7. recycle: if someone relapses they should be encourages to restart their behaviour change again

Question 21

what is a behavioural pathogen and an example of it?

Answer 21

are health damaging behaviours like drinking excessively

Question 22

what is a behavioural immunogen and an example?

Answer 22

health protective behaviours such as healthy diet

Question 23

what was the focus of the framimgham heart study?

Answer 23

exploring heart disease

Question 24

what is a social determinant of health?

Answer 24

non-medical factors that influences health outcomes

Question 25

what are the 6 factors of social determinants of health?

Answer 25

1. income and education
2. employment and work
3. housing
4. early childhood experiences
5. family relationship support and environment
6. social inclusion

Question 26

what is intersectionality?

Answer 26

ways in which different aspects of a person’s identity can expose them to forms of discrimination

Question 27

what is the 3 stages of general adaptation syndrome?

Answer 27

1. alarm: excitation of the autonomic nervous system
2. resistance: adapting to stressor and finding ways to cope
3. exhaustion: the ability to resist breaking down

Question 28

what is the formal term for good stress that helps with personal growth?

Answer 28

eustress

Question 29

what is the term for a set of attitudes that resilient people possess?

Answer 29

hardiness

Question 30

what can fortify the immune system?

Answer 30

positive emotions and social support