Health, Stress and Coping (Week 4)

Question 1

What is health psychology?

Answer 1

Health psychology explores the psychological effects on:

i) how people stay healthy,
ii) why they become ill, and
ii) how they respond when they do get ill.

Question 2

What is the biopsychosocial model?

Answer 2

Health and illness are influenced by biological, psychological and social variables - mind, body and context all interact to affect health and well-being.

Question 3

What are some of the main health-compromising behaviours?

Answer 3

i) Poor diet, ii) insufficient exercise, iii) smoking, iv) alcohol abuse, v) UV exposure, vi) unsafe sex, and vii) lack of sleep.

Question 4

What factors contribute to individual barriers to health promotion?

Answer 4

i) Poor health behaviours are rewarding (e.g smoking reduces anxiety, drinking is pleasurable etc.)
ii) Negative consequences of poor health behaviours occur after reward (e.g hangover occurs after the party)
iii) Negative consequences are not always immediate (e.g heart disease, lung cancer)
iv) Gender - men are more likely to engage in risky health behaviours.

Question 5

What factor contributes to family barriers to health promotion?

Answer 5

Family attitudes and patterns of behaviour - children model health behaviours of their parents/older siblings.

Question 6

What factors contribute to health system barriers to health promotion?

Answer 6

i) People do not go to the doctor if they are well so minimal emphasis on prevention.
ii) Lack of private health insurance (leads to long waiting lists and cost as a barrier)
iii) Non-compliance with doctors’ orders
iv) Unrealistic expectations of doctors

Question 7

Community, cultural and ethnic barriers include…

Answer 7

i) Lack of community value and promotion of healthy behaviours
ii) Life expectancy of Indigenous Australians if lower that the total population by about 20 years

Question 8

Social-cognitive barriers to health focus on…

Answer 8

People’s beliefs about their health and their perceptions of susceptibility to health threats.

Question 9

The health belief model suggests health behaviours are predicted by four factors:

Answer 9

1) Perceived susceptibility to the health threat
2) Perceived seriousness of the health threat
3) Benefits and barriers to undertaking particular health behaviours
4) Cues to action

Question 10

The Health Belief Model + Self Efficacy =

Answer 10

Protection motivation theory of health

Question 11

What is self-efficacy?

Answer 11

A person’s belief in their ability to successfully undertake an action/behaviour.

Question 12

Protection motivation theory suggests that…

Answer 12

If a person believes they can successfully change their behaviour, they are even more likely to do so.