Health Psychology - Relapse Flashcards
Lapse
Definition + elaboration
A slight error or slip
- Individual may be able to cope with the reason for the lapse and continue with the new behavior again
- An incident where you felt that you broke your diet
- A first violation of the abstinence goal
- A single setback/ mistake/ slip
Relapse
Definition
Retrun to previous unhealthy behavior
- A breakdown in the person’s efforts to control a particular problem
Relapse
Examples
- Participants went from inactive to active at 6 months, but went back to inactive at 12 months
- Return to uncontrolled drinking or abandonment of the abstinence goal (full blown relapse)
Maintenance
Definition + elaboration
An action sustained over a certain period of time
- A sustained behavior shown during a given period and after an intervention complying with the threshold believed to improve well-being or health within the given population
- In Stages of change model: 6 months
The process of relapse
Starts with…
High risk situation (individualized, different per person)
- Negative feelings
- Interpersonal conflicts
- Social pressures
- Positive emotional states
Marlatt’s (cognitive behavioral) model of relapse
GOOD PATH
- High-risk situation
- Effective coping response
- Increased self-efficacy
- Decreased probability of relapse
Marlatt’s (cognitive behavioral) model of relapse
BAD PATH
- Ineffective coping response
- Decreased self-efficacy + positive outcome expectancies
- Lapse
- Abstinence violation of effect + perceived effects of the substance
- Increased probability of relapse
How do people get into a high-risk situation?
- Lifestyle imbalance and stress (shoulds and wants)
- Desire for indulgence
- Urges and cravings
- Rationalization
- Apparently irrelevant decisions
Difference between urge and craving?
Urge = relatively sudden impulse to engage in an act, such as alcohol consumption
Craving = subjective desire to experience the effects or consequences of an act, such as alcohol consumption
What is rationalization?
(Getting into a high-risk situation)
- Justification of certain behaviors with faulty logic
- Making excuses to explain behavior
“I deserve it, I owe myself a drink”
What are apperently irrelevant decisions?
(Getting into a high-risk situation)
A series of mini decisions that take a person into a high-risk situation
- Desicions may seem irrelevant at the time, but often lead to relapse
Example of intervention targeted at lifestyle ‘lifestyle imbalance’
- List shoulds/ wants
- List top 3 stressors in life
- What action can be taken to improve balance?
Example of an intervention targeted at ‘rationalization, denial’
Use lapse for back reasoning and to identify warning signals
Examples of interventions targeted at ‘urges and cravings’
- Engage in another activity
- Talk about the craving
- Contact someone
- Surf the urge
Explain the concept of ‘surf the urge’
Based on the assumtion that an urge never lasts forever
* People can therefore ‘ride out’ these urges
* Includes taking a step back and observe the urge, but don’t act on the impulse
