Psychological factors and asthma control

Question 1

Why are Psychological Factors Important?

Answer 1

Impact on disease process – difficulties with adherence to treatment or taking in information

Respiratory Illness has significant psychological impact

Psychological theory can help us understand health behaviours (e.g. How people respond to illness and management)

Reduced Quality of Life compared to healthy controls

Question 2

» Emotions

Answer 2

– Depression (Harrison, 1998; Miller and Wood, 1997)

Panic (Nouwen, 1999) Denial (Adams, 2000)

Question 3

» Cognitive factors

Answer 3

– Reduced confidence

– Beliefs around vulnerability (Greaves et al, 2002)

Question 4

Anxiety

Answer 4

a state of intense apprehension, uncertainty, and fear resulting from the anticipation of a threatening event or situation, often to a degree that normal physical and psychological functioning is disrupted

Question 5

what are the three main cues in anxiety

Answer 5

Psychological Cues
Behavioural Cues
Cognitive Cues

Question 6

Denial and Avoidance

Answer 6

Coping by avoidance can be good in the short- term (within three days) but long term it leads to more anxiety and depression, reduces physical functioning and more discomfort.

Question 7

Impairment Disability Triad (WHO) - BAD

Answer 7

» Impairment: any loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological or anatomical structure or function. In comparison to the range considered ‘normal’ for a healthy human being.
» »
Disability: any restriction or lack of ability to perform an activity (resulting from an impairment). Relative to prior status.
Internal focus – about the individual (not the individual and their context)

Question 8

International Classification of Function – Interaction of Concepts (WHO 2001) - GOOD

Answer 8

Disability and functioning are viewed as outcomes of interaction between health conditions (diseases, disorders and injuries) and contextual factors . . . Among contextual factors are external environmental factors (for example, social attitudes, architectural characteristics, legal and social structures as well as climate, terrain and so forth), and internal personal factors, which include gender, age, coping styles, social background, education, profession, past and current experience, overall behaviour pattern, character and other factors that influence how disability is experienced by the individual.

Question 9

Leventhal’s Self-Regulation Model

Answer 9

» Aka the “Common Sense Model”
» Looks at how the person makes sense of their
condition
» Looks at Illness Representations (beliefs about the condition) and how these go on to affect mood, motivation and behaviour

Question 10

» Leventhal, 1991

Answer 10

1. Identity: name, signs and symptoms
2. Cause: internal or external
3. Consequences: physical, social, economic, emotional
4. Time-line: acute, recurrent, chronic
5. Cure / Control