Psychobiology of Disease Flashcards
Components of the interactional model of stress (4)
stimulus and response
pattern of cognitive appraisals, emotional reactions, physiological responses and behavioural tendencies that occur in response to a perceived imbalance between situational demands (primary appraisal) and the resources needed to cope with them (secondary appraisal).
3 stages of Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome
- Stage 1: alarm reaction, shift to sympathetic dominance (e.g. increased arousal)
- Stage 2: resistance, HPA axis releases ACTH to maintain increased arousal
- Stage 3: exhaustion, adrenals lose their ability to function normally
Basic outline of the Psycho-physiological and behavioural pathways linking stress and disease?
Events cause stress which leads to physiological changes and behavioural changes which contributes to disease
What does type A behaviour increase the risk of?
CHD
Features of type A behaviour? (5)
- Time urgency
- Free-floating hostility
- Hyper-aggressiveness
- Focus on accomplishment
- Competitive and goal-driven
What is the placebo effect
an inactive substance (e.g. sugar pill) can sometimes improve a patient’s condition simply because the patient has the expectation that it will be helpful.
What is the nocebo effect
A negative effect that occurs after receiving treatment (therapy, medication), even when the treatment is inert/sham
Warnings about the possible side effects of a medicine makes it much more likely that the patient will report experiencing those effects
One out of 20 placebo treated patients discontinued treatment due to ‘side effects’ (Mitsikostas, Mantonakis, & Chalarakis, 2014)
Relationship between social support and health?
- Individuals with adequate social relationships have a 50% likelihood of survival compared to those with poor or insufficient social relationships
- Social support exerts a beneficial effect beyond the protective psychological role
- Associated with decreased mortality
