Social Influences on Health Flashcards
1
Q
Define macro-social influences
A
Large-scale social, economic, political and cultural forces that influence the life course of people simultaneously
2
Q
Give examples of macro-social influences
A
- Actions and policies of governmental organisations
- Cultures
- Historical legacies
- Organised religions
- Multinational corporations and banks
- Unpredictable, large-scale environmental events
3
Q
What are the issues with macro-social influences?
A
- Dominant public health policy assumes individuals are responsible for their own health
- Clarification: Illness due to personal lifestyle is seen as a fault of the individual, not a consequence of macro-social influences
4
Q
How does poverty affect health as a macro-social influence?
A
- Approx. 70% of the world’s population live in low-middle income countries
- Half of the world’s population lacks access to medical care and essential drugs
- Other effects of poverty: Safe water, Sanitation, Adequate diet, Housing, Basic education
5
Q
Explain SES
A
- SES = Socioeconomic status
- Measure of wealth, education and status
- Higher SES = better health and longer life expectancy
6
Q
Explain social capital
A
- Social capital defines elements of social relationships as resources (Community engagement, trust and safety, reciprocity, and diversity)
- Certain communities have greater social capital and often have more positive health outcomes
7
Q
How do gender differences affect lifespan?
A
- Men die earlier than women, but women have poorer health
- In less developed countries, men still live longer
8
Q
How do gender differences affect illness type?
A
- Women suffer more non-fatal illnesses and hospitalised more often
- Women have twice the rate of depression compared to men
- Men have higher rates of injuries, suicides, homicides and heart disease
9
Q
What are the psychosocial and lifestyle differences among women?
A
- Childbirth
- Rape
- Domestic violence
- Sexism
- Work inequalities
- Concern about weight
- Divided attention between roles of parent and worker
10
Q
How do gender stereotypes affect health behaviours?
A
- Social constructs of masculinity and femininity affect it
- Men are more likely to adopt risky behaviours
- Women are more likely to engage in health-protective behaviours
11
Q
What is the biological justification for the social constructs of masculinity and femininity?
A
Neurosexism
- Assumption that differences between males and females from brain development
- Socialisation (culture and environment) not responsible
12
Q
Explain the role of sex hormones in the justification of neurosexism
A
- Sex hormones early in brain development shape a person’s ability
- High levels of fetal testosterone inhibit the physical growth of the left hemisphere, making it smaller than the right hemisphere
- However, meta-analyses do not always support these effects
13
Q
Explain how the corpus callosum is used to justify neurosexism
A
- The corpus callosum has been observed to be larger in females compared to males
- Differences in corpus callosum size may be explained by the total size of the brain, rather than biological sex
- Individuals with smaller-sized brains have larger corpus callosum compared to individuals with larger brains, regardless of sex
14
Q
Define stereotype threat
A
Fear of confirming to negative stereotype about group
15
Q
How does stereotype threat affect health?
A
- Heightened cardiovascular reactivity
- Disengagement and anxiety
16
Q
How is stereotype threat often experienced among women in STEM?
A
- Stereotypes about math ability
- Undermine their academic performance
17
Q
When do we experience stereotype threat?
A
- Highly identify with gender/race
- Situation which highlights stereotypes
18
Q
How do environmental cues affect stereotypes?
A
- Stereotypes may be made salient by the environment
- Hypermasculine environments are non-inviting
- Gendered environments are non-inviting
- Underrepresentation of stigmatised groups in marketing
19
Q
Explain the study done by Spencer et al. (1999) and its findings (Math test and gender differences)
A
- Half said there were gender differences (women do poorly) and half said there were no gender differences
- When told there were no gender diff.s, men and women do basically the same
- Whereas when told there were gender diff.s, women do poorer and men do somewhat better -> Anxiety is increased in women performing the math test which disrupts their psychological thinking as they go into the test. For men, being told that women do worse, they receive somewhat of an ego boost which made them more confident and increased their performance
20
Q
Explain the concept of self-control failure in the context of stereotype threat
A
Stereotype threat requires high self-monitoring and prolonged suppression of emotions and behavior, impacting subsequent control
21
Q
Explain the study done by Inzlicht et al. (2006) and its findings (Math test, gender differences)
A
- Women told to complete math test
- Told math test had gender differences (stereotype threat) vs no gender differences (no stereotype threat
22
Q
Name examples of daily hassles that can be sources of stress
A
- Everyday inconveniences or frustrations
- Experience several of these throughout the day
- Low-levels of stress which are additive
- Accounts for majority of stress we experience
23
Q
Explain burnout in the context of sources of stress
A
- Exhaustion and depletion of emotional and physical resources
- Pessimism, demonstrating negative or overly detached attitudes
24
Q
What are the causes of burnout?
A
- Overwhelming amount of work
- Feeling lack of control
- Large emotional component of job
25
How does stress impact health via influencing behaviour?
- High stress leads to maladaptive health behaviours -> Impaired decision making and impulsivity
- Interpersonal consequences can occur -> Stress influences interactions with others and can damage relationships
26
How does stress lead to self-control failure?
- Stress can (temporarily) deplete resources
- Inability to control or inhibit behaviour
- Poor decision making
- Promotes rewarding behaviour that are actually harmful (ex. overeating, alcohol use, risk-taking)
27
Define self-control
Ability to override thoughts, emotions and behaviours
28
How is brain development affected by social interactions and culture?
- Several sex differences can be eliminated with learning
- Males' spatial skills advantage can be eliminated by training females with tools such as building blocks and video games
- Encouraging boys to create imaginary social situations using action figures or dolls can reduce gender differences in emotionality
29
Explain the importance of early childhood socialisation in the gender differences of skills (e.g. toys)
- Important figures in children's lives enforce gender stereotypes by offering their approval or disapproval of toy preferences
- Many girls choose to play with dolls and toy houses, engaging in stereotypically domestic-related activities -> Emotion expressivity and language development
Boys are encouraged to engage in physical activities such as building blocks, designing racetracks for toy cars, etc. -> Spatial skills
30
What are the common reasons for minority groups to be generally poorer than that of the majority of the population?
- Racism
- Ethnocentrism
- SES
- Genetics
31
How does being a member of minority groups affect health?
- Discrimination in the health care system
- Racism-related stress as a predictor of poor health
32
Explain the two pathways from racism to poor health
1. Stress response
*Direct, short-term consequences
*Chronic, long-term consequences
2. Behavioural adaptation
33
What are the direct, short-term consequences of stress responses from racism?
- Activation of HPA axis
- Heightened blood pressure
- Excess cortisol release
34
What are the chronic, long-term consequences of stress responses from racism?
- Blunted stress response
- Changes in HPA responsiveness
- Chronic inflammation (interleukins)
35
What are the behavioural adaptations from racism?
- Maladaptive coping mechanisms
- Alcohol and substance abuse
*Has received most attention BUT research is mixed
36
What are the forms of acute stress response via discrimination?
- Fight or flight
- Cardiovascular activity (HPA axis)
37
What are the forms of anticipation for future discrimination like?
- Anxiety for future racism/sexism
- Anticipatory stress and rumination
- Dysregulates homeostasis
38
How does stigma devalue social identity?
Unfavourable reactions towards people when they are perceived to possess attributes that are undesirable
39
What can devalued social identity lead to?
- Physical and psychological stress
- Denial of employment opportunities
- Restricted access to services
- Social exclusion
