L7 Flashcards
1
Q
Health psychology definition
A
11 aims to understand and change thoughts, emotions and behavior and their interaction in the context of health, illness and healthcare
2. understand and change:
thoughts<->behaviors<->emotions<->thoughts
2
Q
focus of health psychologists
A
- health promotion and maintenance: intervene at the social (e.g. gov policy, community) or individual level to promote:
- health
- prevent illness (what will your last 10 years look like?)- improvement of health care system and the formulation of health policy
- scientists who research the area
- etiology and correlates of health, illness and dysfunction (e.g. combat smoking in thailand)
- disease progression
- reduce disability
- piano staircase initiative
3
Q
health and illness definition
A
- whether a person is named as health or ill depends on:
- what the person him/herself perceives as such
- what doctors gather from the medical point of view
4
Q
Illness-wellness continuum
A
- premature death <—-> high level wellness
- premature death
- disability -> symptoms -> signs
- treatment model ->
- more health compromising behaviors - high level wellness
- -> awareness -> education -> growth
- wellness model ->
- more health enhancing behaviors
5
Q
the biopsychosocial model: overview
A
- health and illness are consequences of the interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors
- maintains that the macrolevel and microlevel processes continually interact to influence health and illness
- emphasizes both health and illness
- the world (biggest box)
- social systems- society, community, family
- the person (middle size box)
- psychological systems- cognition, emotion, motivation, behaviors
- biological systems (smallest box)
- biological systems- organs, tissues, cells
6
Q
the biopsychosocial model: triangle
A
psychological <-> social factor <-> biological factor <-> psychological factor
7
Q
contributions of psychology to health
A
- provided techniques useful in changing behaviors that affect health and illness
- committed to keeping people healthy rather than waiting to only treat them when they become ill
- developed reliable and valid measures for assessing health-related factors
- contributed a solid foundation of scientific methods for studying such behaviors
8
Q
the need for health psychology
A
- increase in chronic or lifestyle-related illness
- acute disorders
- chronic illness - advances in technology and research
- expanded health care services
- increased medical acceptance
9
Q
Stress definition
A
- a negative emotional experience accompanied by:
- physiological changes e.g. increase heart rate, cortisol level
- cognitive changes e.g. worry, anxiety
- behavioral changes, e.g. performance, smoke more
10
Q
Classification of stress
A
- stress vs stressor
- duration: acute vs chronic
- type: positive vs negative
11
Q
Stressors definition
A
- any circumstance that threatens or is perceived to threaten one’s well-being and that requires one’s coping ability
- stressful events are called stressors
- individual differences: a stressor may be stressful to some but not to others
- highly subjective - how the event is perceived determines whether it is a stressor
- e.g. flying on an airplane is stressful to someone but not the frequent fliers
12
Q
Sources of stressors (external vs internal)
A
- external vs internal
- external: from outside- you have a new academic supervisor and you do not get along well with him/her
- internal: from yourself - you have studied overnight for your exam and you have too little sleep and are exhausted
- you have a new academic supervisor and you do not get along well with him/her
13
Q
sources of stressors (major vs minor)
A
- major vs minor
- major: stressful life events or significant life changes- positive: graduation, married
- negative: e.g. unemployment, getting stick
- minor: daily stress/hassles - Hassle means “ annoying or troublesome concern”, some minor things e.g. traffic jam, changes in routine, making small decisions
- cumulative in nature
14
Q
acute stress
A
- clear when it starts and ends
-e.g. you have just enrolled in an introductory psychology course which is not your major. last night, you stayed up late to study for a mid term quiz. this morning you almost missed the shuttle bus and you had a scholarship interview at 8.30am
15
Q
chronic stress/strain
A
- continuous stress
- e.g. during your summer exchange trip, you met suki, a 18-year-old girl whose mother is diagnosed with lung cancer. suki has to do 2 part time jobs to support her two younger brothers, take care of her mother, and pay the credit card debt of her father
16
Q
social readjustment rating scale
A
- death of a spouse -> marriage -> changes
17
Q
Measuring your stress level
A
- depression anxiety stress scale-21
- rate the statements with this scale
- stress = q(1,6,8,11,12,14,18) summation
- an assessment of disturbance
- severity labels are used to describe the full range of scores in the population
- “Mild” means the person is above the population mean but still probably below the typical severity of someone seeking help
- not mild level of disorder
18
Q
Han Selye’s general adaptation syndrome theory (GAS)
A
- non-specific response
- same pattern of physiological responses occurs regardless of the type of stressors
- confronts a stressor -> mobilizes for action
- regardless of the cause of threat -> same response occurs- no individual differences
- no event differences
19
Q
GAS theory: Stages
A
- 3 stages
- alarm- mobilizes to meet the threat
- resistance - continues coping with the stressor, through confrontatoin
- exhaustion - if we fail to overcome the threat or we have consumed all body resources
- mobilizes to meet the threat
20
Q
Limitations of Selye’s theory
A
- limited role given to psychological factors
- appraisal is important in experience - not all responses to stress are uniform
- individual responses are affected by personality, emotions and biological constitutions
21
Q
Lazarus’ psychological appraisal theory
A
- appraisal plays an important role in stress experience
- primary appraisal process
- to determine the meaning of the events (to make sense of the event)- is this event positive/ neutral/ negative
- has harm already been happened(past)
- will it be a threat of future damage?
- how challenge is the event? can i overcome or even profit from it
- secondary appraisal process
- evaluation of one’s coping abilities and resources for overcoming the harm threat or challenge
22
Q
situational demands (potential stressor)
A
- perceived resources
- sufficient to meet situational demands: minimal stress
- insufficient to meet situational demands: great deal of stress
23
Q
good sides of Lazarus’ theory
A
- some responses to stress are a conscious effort to cope with stress
- cognitive responses to stress include beliefs about
- what causes it
- whether it can be controlled
- how harmful or threatening it is - emphasizes the individual differences in
(perceived) stressor x resources
24
Q
stress and well-being (different system)
A
- activates the autonomic nervous system (ANS) rapidly
- activates the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis more slowly
3.both system have major effect on health (e.g. immune functioning) and well-being
- cortisol
25
Q
Stress responses manifesting in bodily symptoms
A
brief symptoms inventory (BSI) - Somatization Sub Scale (conversion from mental health to physical symptoms)
- how much that problem has bothered you during the past 7 days (including today)?
- faintness or dizziness
- pains in the heart or chest
- nausea or upset stomach
- trouble getting your breath
- hot or cold spells
- numbness or tingling in parts of your body
- feeling weak in parts of your body
26
Q
anticipating stress
A
- anticipating a stressor can be as stressful as its actual occurrence
- medical students blood pressure study
- the blood pressure on the day before an exam was as high as that during exam
27
Q
extreme types of aftereffect of stress
A
- posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- exposure to a trauma -> chronic effects on mental and physical health- war, natural disaster, domestic abuse, getting a life-threatening disease…
- a person suffering from PTSD has undergone a highly stressful event - directly experiencing the event
- witnessing the event
- learning that an event occurred to a close friend or family member
- repeated exposure to details of traumatic events (e.g. police officers)
- war, natural disaster, domestic abuse, getting a life-threatening disease…
28
Q
Categories of PTSD - 4 clusters of symptoms
A
- intrusion
- experiencing flashbacks or distressing dreams (reliving the truam) - effortful avoidance
- avoiding external reminders - changes in cognition and mood
- feeling of detachment, impaired memory or concentration - arousal or anxiety
- hypervigilant, irritable behaviors, or anger outburst
29
Q
extreme aftereffect of stress reactions:
A
- experiencing flashbacks (reliving the trauma)
- psychic numbing
- increased arousal (vigilant, agitated)
- avoidance of the experience
- sleeping disturbance
- impaired memory or concentration…
30
Q
Acute stress disorders vs PTSD
A
- duration of disturbance
- ASD: 3 days to 1 months
- PTSD: more than one month
31
Q
Aspects of stress management
A
- cognitive aspects
- reappraise the problem and resources - behavioral aspects
- minimizing physiological risks- e.g. exercise
- breathing relaxation
- e.g. exercise
- emotional aspects
- releasing pent-up emotions- e.g. seeking emotional support/self-disclosure
- managing hostility by forgiving
- e.g. seeking emotional support/self-disclosure
32
Q
styles of stress coping
A
- problem-focused coping
- useful for controllable stressors
- target: the problem do something constructive - emotion-focused coping
- uncontrollable stressors
- thinking and feelings, regulate emotions
33
Q
problem-focused coping style: cognitive aspect
A
- confront the problems
- especially on controllable stressors
- e.g. if you are facing an exam next week, plan ahead for your revision schedule
- e.g. nearly get late for an appointment or scholarship interview? - reappraise the problems
- more rational and adaptive thinking
- change our catastrophic thinking
- take a newer perspective- positive emotion, social support up!
- catastrophic thoughts down!
. appraise the stressor: is it positive/negative - has harm already been happen (past)
- is there a threat of future damage
-how challenge is the event> can i overcome it?
- any alternatives if i change / don’t change
34
Q
problem-focused coping style - emotional aspect
A
- reappraising the resources
- sources of social support: a partner/spouse, relative, friends, coworkers, social and community ties, or even pets
-visible vs invisible, f2f vs online
- informational/practical support, e.g. advice or concrete directions
- instrumental/ tangible support e.g. provision of goods, materials or services
- appraisal support, e.g. provision of thoughts or cognitive strategies
- emotional support, e.g. that one is loved and cared for, esteemed and valued
35
Q
problem-focused coping style - example
A
- anticipating a scholarship interview
- appraise the stressor- is it a positive or negative change to me? any gains/losses that i will get? any threat or harm to me?
- evaluate resources
-do i get help from my friends or teachers? can i ask about the successful ones? do they have any suggestion to help me prepare for the interview?
- alternatives - what i can gain if i succeed? how about the loss if i fail? any other alternatives i can take to compensate this loss? internship program? financial asssistance?
- is it a positive or negative change to me? any gains/losses that i will get? any threat or harm to me?
36
Q
emotional-focused coping style - behavioral aspect
A
- stay healthy: physical exercises and sleep
- endorphins secretion during exercise gives you happy mood
- good physical activity and quality sleep gives you energy to combat stressors
- sleep well - eat healthy
- avoid eating snack/junk food for stress relief
- obesity or eating problems
3 avoid addictive behaviors
- e.g. smoking, drinking (too much), drugs
37
Q
emotional-focused coping style - behavioral/emotional aspects
A
- activities that calm your body and mind, e.g. prayer, music , dancing, movie, baking..
- mindfulness meditation, muscle relaxation, breathing exercise…
- relaxation techniques- deep breathing
-progressive muscle relaxation (RMP) - assumptions: the body responds to anxiety-provoking events with muscles tensions
- elevation of physiological tensions = subjective experience of “stress”
- deep muscle relaxation is compatible with anxiety, thus less psychological tensions
- deep breathing
38
Q
emotion-focused coping style - emotional aspects
A
- mindfulness training
- a meditation training in which a person self-regulate his or her thoughts and actions in the present moment, non-judgementally
- mindfulness-based stress reaction (MBSR) program- audio recordings for guided meditation practice
- keep tracks of how much time they practiced each day - keep a diary
- to approach stressful situations mindfully rather than reacting to them automatically
- to be aware of your emotion and gain insights
- be forgiving to others and yourself
- self-compassoin
- self-kindness: being warm and understanding toward ourselves when we suffer, fail or feel inadequate, rather than ignoring our pain or flagellating ourselves with self-criticism
- common humanity: knowing that you are not unique to the sufferings
- mindfulness: non-judgemental, here-and-now, de-centering
