Psychophysiological disorders + health psychology Flashcards
1
Q
what are psychophysiological disorders?
A
- genuine physical illnesses, with identifiable medical explanations, in which psychological factors play a significant role.
ex: high bp + stress
2
Q
psychophysiological disorders - previously known as?
A
psychosomatic disorders
- psyche (mind) has unfavourable effect on soma (body)
3
Q
difference compared to somatic symptom disorders
A
somatic symptom = physical symptom without identifiable medical explanations, as a manifestation of psychological problems
4
Q
differentiation between psychophysiological vs somatic
A
physical vs psychological = difficult to distinguish
- dividing into physical + mental causes is artificial because there are many contributors + lots of overlap/interplay.
5
Q
nature vs nurture - twin study
A
if one twin develops schizophrenia, odds for other one are about 48%. not 1:1, more than just genetic component
6
Q
mind-body link + fields of study
A
basis for fields of study called:
- behavioural medicine: interdisciplinary field, behavioural science applied to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of medical problems.
- health psychology: study of psychological factors that promote and maintain health
7
Q
key to behavioural medicine + health psychology
A
prevention!
- advocate for healthy lifestyle, healthy changes, health policy.
8
Q
CVD as psychophysiological disorder
A
- genuine physical disease with medical explanation, in which psychological factors play a huge role
9
Q
CVD facts
A
~45% of deaths cause by CVD
- leading cause of death in Canada
10
Q
what is psychological about CVD?
A
- behaviours promote
- prevented by altering lifestyle
- mental health impacts ability to cope
- mood disorders are more present with chronic illness.
11
Q
what is stress?
A
physiological response to our environment
- stressors: stimuli that are stressful
- response: emotional upset, poor performance etc.
12
Q
Hans Selye descrives stress how?
A
- body’s response to sustained stress : General Adaptation Syndrome.
13
Q
what is General Adaptation Syndrome?
A
- alarm reaction: ANS activated by stress
- Resistance: Damage occurs or organism adapts to stress
- Exhaustion: organism dies or suffers irreversible damage
14
Q
Hans Selye + his rats
A
noticed they developed gastric ulcers, large adrenal glands, smaller lymph nodes.
15
Q
several ways to categorize stress
A
- major vs minor
- acute vs chronic
- psychogenic vs neurogenic
- controllable vs uncontrollable
- predictable vs unpredictable
16
Q
what is allostatic load
A
refers to wear + tear on body from chronic physiological stress
17
Q
individual differences in stress
A
- diff response
- diff perception of stress
- diff coping strategies to deal with stress.
18
Q
2 types of coping
A
problem-focused coping
emotion-focused coping
19
Q
what is problem-focused coping?
A
solution focused: direct action to solve a problem, or seek information that’s relevant to a solution.
- best when person can do something about situation
20
Q
what is emotion-focused coping?
A
efforts to reduce negative emotional reaction to stress
- best when situation is uncomfy + there’s no direct solution
21
Q
what is the Goodness of fit hypothesis?
A
measure of adaptativeness; adaptation maximized by match of situation to coping strategy
22
Q
2 ways of unhealthy coping
A
denial
avoidance
- may work in short term, but long-term is not effective
23
Q
what is social readjustment rating scale
A
2 psychiatrists.
- give score (Life change units) to 43 life events.
- if higher than 300 = at risk for illness
- psychological factors affect onset of illness + dealing with news of illness
24
Q
measuring stress
- assessment of daily experiences
A
rated + reported daily experiences at the end of each day.
- more undesirable and fewer desirable = preceded respiratory infections
25
measuring stress
| - daily hassles scale
connection between daily hassles and poor psychological and physiological adjustment
26
measuring stress
| - brief college hassles scale
looks at academic interpersonal and financial hassles
27
what is job stress?
impacted by personality/stressful occupation.
| - linked to depression + absences
28
what is job spillover
typically when job stress bleeds into the home + impacts entire family life
29
what is job burnout?
extreme burnout in occupational setting
| - reduced performance, cognitive impairment, depression, CVD
30
student health - predictors for less positive health status?
poorer child-parent relationship
low interest and achievement in school
lower self-esteem
being female
31
top health problems in students?
```
allergy
back pain
sinus infection
depression
strep throat
```
32
top 5 factors interfering with academic performance
stress, cold/flu/sore throat, sleep difficulties, concern for troubled friend/family member, internet use/computer games
33
Assessing Coping
| - brief COPE questionnaire
Lists several coping strategies, respondents rank how frequently each is used.
- active coping; suppression of competing activities; planning; restraint; social support; positive reframing; religion, acceptance, denial, behavioural disengagement, humour, self-distraction.
34
assessing coping - longitudinal studies
longitudinal, not just associations, are useful to identify which coping strategies precede which outcomes
35
poor coping techniques
- denial + avoidance, short term gain = long term pain
36
rumination as coping technique
lingering on an emotional preoccupation - prolongs the stress response
trait rumination + state rumination
37
trait rumination
general tendency to ruminate - stable personality trait of rumination, consistently have less adaptation
38
state rumination
if currently ruminating.
39
poor coping assoc with what personality?
hostile personality = poorer outcomes
40
stress + coping
| - interaction between?
personality = trait anxiety
| situation + behaviours = state anxiety
41
why are scales helpful?
help understand coping style, how individual deals with stressful situations. if aware of coping strategy can change + improve them
42
moderate stress-illness link?
yes, find goodness of fit.
| social support can be helpful
43
four functions of social support?
structural: network increases mortality
functional: quality - better decreases CVD
emotional
instrumental
44
biological theories of stress-illness link?
somatic-weakness theory
specific-reaction theory
- prolonged exposure to stress hormones
45
what is somatic-weakness theory?
if born with a weak organ/system, stress could tip the balance.
46
what is specific reaction theory?
physio response is idiosyncratic
| - individual body systems that are most responsive are most susceptible to problems
47
prolonged exposure to stress hormones?
glucocorticoids (cortisol)
- short term, adaptive
- body + brain are not designed for long-term continuous exposure
catecholamines (Da,NA,A) prepare body for stress, stimulant/upper effect on body
limbic system: emotional processing part of our brain closely located to hypothalamus
stress activates SNS + HPA
48
cortisol in short term?
- increase blood sugar
| - suppresses inflammation
49
cortisol in long term
decrease immunity
reduces bone formation
damages hippocampus (loss of memory, no longer breaks = increase cortisol further)
50
stress + immunity
exposure to cold virus - infection increases
- intensity of stress relates to severity of infection
- quality + quantity of social relationships affects chances of infection
- positivity and optimism protect against developing a cold
51
cognitive and behavioural factors of stress
- perception of life has effect on chronic stress experience
- perception can stimulate HPA and SNS
- negative emotions can keep body in constant state or arousal/emergency
52
what is CVD?
diseases involving heart + circulatory system
- hypertension; coronary artery disease; stroke
- can be prevented
limited awareness of major causes
53
hypertension - stats/facts
- major risk factor for kidney disease, heart disease + stroke
- leading risk factor in world
- 1/5 receive treatment
54
silent killer?
hypertension
| - most cases without an other biological cause.
55
measurement of bp
systolic/diastolic
120/80
stage 1: 140/90
stage 2: 160/100
56
hypertension risk factors
non-modifiable: family history, age, under 64 yoa males more likely, over 64 F more likely,
modifiable: stress! exercise, diet, alcohol, smoking, sleep apnea
57
what is cardiovascular reactivity
pre-disposing factor
- extent to which your heart rate + bp increase with stress
- highly heritable
58
what are two forms of coronary artery disease?
angina pectoris (chest pain due to ischemia, atherosclerosis)
myocardial infarction (heart attack)
59
triggers of myocardial infarction
acute/chronic stress
| anger, physical exertion, jobs with limited control, highly demanding jobs
60
diathesis-stress model
- interaction of predisposition and stress
| - risk factors historically didn't include stress, left half of instances of CArtery Disease unexplained
61
2 types of psychological diatheses for CAD
Type A personality = more intense, competitive = more susceptible
type D: distressed, worries, increased risk for morbidity +mortality, fewer positive coping behaviours overall
62
biological diathesis for CAD
cardiovascular reactivity
63
treatment for CVD
- lifestyle measures
- medication if severe
- psychotherapeutic approaches to reduce anger, anxiety, depression. (cog-behave for systematic desensitization, exposures, behavioural rehearsals; psychoanalytic for emotional/unconscious releases)
- reduce risk factors
- decrease anxiety, depression, anger
- biofeedback
- cardiac rehabilitation (highly anxious benefit the most)
64
chronic pain - how many ppl effected?
2.4 mill cited chronic pain as factor that limited their activities
65
what is chronic pain?
nerve impulses connoting pain reach the spinal column + spinal column controls the pain sensations sent to the brain, brain sends signals back down
66
chronic pain + suffering
emotional response to pain, varies by individual
| - pain behaviour is observable
67
chronic pain + co-morbidity?
opiate conditions/addictions + chronic pain.
| - tolerance for pain is low, want drastic measures
68
chronic pain - experience vs experience
| -- why?
not 1:1 relationship.
- gate-control theory: brain can facilitate/inhibit experience of pain
- distraction can control both acute + chronic pain
- lowered anxiety, optimism + control reduce sensation of pain
69
medications + chronic pain
dont help much
- opioids have a quick tolerance level = lose effect quickly.
- withdrawal + rebound effect
- cycle of medication
70
"treatment" for chronic pain
- reduce catastrophization
- encourage exercise
- relaxation training
- address beliefs, attitudes, expectations, interpersonal
71
why dont we want a pain-free existence?
pain is adaptive
| - pain keeps you safe.
72
mindfulness + chronic pain
low trait mindfulness with pain catastrophization
73
what is mindfulness?
developed awareness of perceptions in an emotionally non-reactive and non-evaluative way. emotional regulation designed to reduce stress + feeling out of control.
74
CBT-based mindfulness as treatment for chronic pain?
reduces pain intensity, anxiety, depression, catastrophization
75
gender differences in mortality + disease
- women live longer, but less healthy
- W lower rates of obesity + being overweight
- W more disabilities
- HRT protect women from mortality
- critical determinants of health status
-- men: smoking, alcohol
-- women: caring for family, social support + wealth
mortality rate gap is decreasing btw W+M
- more death assoc with lifestyle factors
76
SES + Health
low SES = ^ rates of mortality.
low SES increase risky behaviours = increase risk for disease
- higher mortality with lower SES + greater presentation in ER
- lower SES = health disadvantages
