PSY306 Health Psychology Morrison Ch1 & 2

Question 1

Explain Mind-body relationships

Answer 1

Stone age: Disease attributed to evil spirits and punishment from the gods
Hippocrates (circa 460–377 BC) – Humoural theory
Descartes (1596–1650) – Dualism
Mechanistic view, underpins the biomedical model

Question 2

Explain the biomedical model

Answer 2

Diseases and symptoms have underlying pathological cause

Reductionist

Question 3

Explain biopsychosocial model

Answer 3

Disease and symptoms are explained by a combination of physical, cultural, psychological and social factors (Engel, 1977)

Question 4

What is dualism?

Answer 4

The idea that the mind and body are separate entities (cf. Descartes)

Question 5

What is monoism?

Answer 5

Viewing them as one unit; one type of ‘stuff’
*Psychology has played a significant role in altering both of these perspectives due to an increased understanding of the bidirectional relationship between body and mind.

Question 6

According to Bauman (1961), what are the ‘Lay theories of health’?

Answer 6

The three main types of response were:

• a ‘general sense of well-being’; (feeling)
• identified with ‘the absence of symptoms of disease’; (symptom orientation)
• seen in ‘the things that a person who is physically fit is able to do’. (performance)

Question 7

What are the social representations of health?

Answer 7

The Health and Lifestyles survey (Cox et al. 1993)
The categories of health identified were as follows:
-Health as not ill (i.e., no symptoms, no doctor visits, therefore I’m healthy)
-Health as reserve (i.e., come from strong family; recover quickly from operation)
-Health as behaviour (i.e., usually applied to others rather than self; e.g. they are healthy because they look after themselves, exercise, etc.)
-Health as physical fitness and vitality (used more often by younger respondents, and often in reference to males)
-Health as psychosocial wellbeing (health defined in terms of mental state; e.g. in harmony, feeling proud, or more specifically, enjoying others)
-Health as function (idea of health as the ability to perform one’s duties; i.e. being able to do what you want when you want without being handicapped by ill health or physical limitation)

Question 8

What is the WHO definition of health?

Answer 8

State of complete physical, mental and social well-being and . . . not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’ (1947)

• does not address socio-economic and cultural influences on health, illness and health decisions;
• omits the major role of the ‘psyche’ in the experience of health and illness.

Question 9

What are the cross cultural perspectives of health?

Answer 9

Cultures vary in their health belief systems.
-Holistic explanations
Westernised treatment divides mind, body and soul whereas non-Westerners integrate these ‘three elements of human nature’
-Spiritual explanations
Uncommon in Western civilisations e.g., faith, God’s reward
supernatural forces such as ‘hexes’
-Collectivist vs. individualistic
Eastern communities locate health and illness in the social world vs. Western view that individuals are responsible for their behaviour

Question 10

Explain health psychology

Answer 10

Health psychology takes a biopsychosocial approach to health and illness. Its main goals (derived from Matarazzo’s definition, 1980) are to develop our understanding of biopsychosocial factors involved in:

• the promotion and maintenance of health;
• improving health-care systems and health policy;
• the prevention and treatment of illness;
• the causes of illnesse.g., vulnerability/risk factors.

Question 11

What are the approaches and domains of health psychology?

Answer 11

• Clinical health psychology merges clinical psychology’s focus on assessment and treatment with a broader biopsychosocial approach;
• Public health psychology addresses issues such as immunisation, epidemics, and implications for health education and promotion;
• Community health psychology employs the methods of action research and aims to produce healthy groups and healthy communities;
• Academic health psychology focuses on research, teaching and supervision conducted from academic base;

Question 12

Describe a snapshot of Australia’s health

Answer 12

-Between 1907 and 2012, death rate fell more than 70%From 2,504 to 550 deaths per 100,000 people (ABS, 2013; AIHW, 2013)
-Lifespan increasing – 25 years longer than a century ago
-Less people are smoking (11.6% of adults); fewer children are taking up smoking or being exposed to smoke (AIHW, 2020)
-Fewer people are drinking at risky levels and more are abstaining
-Obesity rates are increasing in 18+ (AIHW, 2020)
2 in 3 adults were overweight or obese in 2017-18;
1 in 4 children and adolescents; Associated with many chronic conditions and premature death
-Considerable health inequalities remain

Question 13

What are the Top 5 leading causes of death for males in Australia?

Answer 13

(2016)

1. Ischaemic heart disease
2. Trachea and lung cancer
3. Dementia & Alzheimer’s
4. Cerebrovascular disease (including stroke)
5. Chronic lower respiratory diseases

Question 14

What are the Top 5 leading causes of death for females in Australia?

Answer 14

(2016)

1. Dementia & Alzheimer’s
2. Ischaemic heart disease
3. Cerebrovascular disease (including stroke)
4. Chronic lower respiratory diseases
5. Trachea and lung cancer

Question 15

What percent of Australia’s disease burden is preventable by reducing modifiable risk factors.

Answer 15

38%

Question 16

What small lifestyle behaviours could have big health gains for the Australian population?

Answer 16

• Extra 15mins of brisk walking 5-days a week = 14% reduction
• Extra 30mins of brisk walking 5-days a week = 26% reduction
• Maintain weight = 6% reduction
• Lose 3kgs = 14% reduction

Question 17

What are the effects of socio-economic status on mortality?

Answer 17

• Higher rates of mortality associated with lower socio-economic areas.
• This means that social inequity is associated with behavioural inequity

Question 18

Why is the USA an exception to the general rule of wealth being associated with longer living and better health outcomes?

Answer 18

Some social groups (e.g., Native Americans) have health more characteristic of developing countries rather than a rich industrialised one.

The HIV epidemic caused a higher proportion of death and disability to young and middle-aged Americans than in most other advanced countries.

USA is a leading country for cancers related to tobacco (i.e., lung).

High incidence of homicide compared to other industrial countries.

Question 19

What are the impacts of poverty on health?

Answer 19

People who live in developing countries live significantly shorter lives than those who live in the more affluent developed countries (WHO, 2000).

Contributing factors are economic, environmental, and social (e.g. lack of safe water, poor sanitation, inadequate diet and poor access to health care – i.e., Rahimi et al., 2007).

The problems now facing many developing countries in Africa is that of HIV infection and AIDS.

Within the industrialised countries, richer people live longer and have less illness than the economically less able.

Question 20

What is the difference between the social causation model and social drift model?

Answer 20

Social Causation Model
Low socio-economic status (SES) ‘causes’ health problems.
There is something about occupying a low socio-economicgroup that negatively influences the health of individuals.

Social Drift Model
Health problems ‘cause’ low SES.
After onset of a health problem, people may not maintain a job or levels of overtime required to maintain their standard of living. Thus drift down the socio-economic scale.

Question 21

Why do lower SES groups engage in more health-damaging behaviours including: higher intake of alcohol, eating a less healthy diet and less exercise.

Answer 21

• less aware of risks;
• lack of opportunities;
• stress associated with living with poverty;
• coping.

Question 22

What are the stresses in a low SES’ lifespan?

Answer 22

Carroll et al. (1996):
Childhood: family instability, overcrowding, poor diet and restricted educational opportunities;
Adolescence: family strife, exposure to others’ and one’s own smoking, leaving school with poor qualifications, experiencing unemployment orlow-paid and insecure jobs;
Adulthood: working in hazardous conditions, financial insecurity, periods of unemployment, low levels of control over work or home life and negative social interactions;
Older age: small occupational pension, inadequate heating, food, etc.

Question 23

What are the three key factors that contribute to work stress?

Answer 23

• the demands of the job;
• the degree of freedom to make decisions about how best to cope with these demands (job autonomy);
• the degree of available social support.

Question 24

Name some work-related health issues

Answer 24

Work-life balance and work-home spillover - Associated with poor health, anxiety, depression, lack of energy and optimism, backaches, headaches, sleep disorders and fatigue (Hämmig and Bauer, 2009). Affects more women than men, and can influence health of wider family (e.g., through saving time preparing healthy meals).

Unemployment and stress - While work is stressful, not having a job is often more stressful. Threat of unemployment can also impact health. Social support may mitigate impact of unemployment (Milner et al., 2016). Better mental health than even those employed with low social support – buffering effect.

Question 25

What are the gender differences in health?

Answer 25

Women:
-Expected to live five years longer (than AU men)
-Greater resistance to infections
-More economic disadvantage and social isolation
-Access health care more frequently, including screening
Men:
-Engage in more health-risk behaviours
-Have less acute illness than women
-Over 3 times as likely to die early due to heart disease.