Symptom perception Flashcards
what is a disease?
a disorder of structure or function in a human, animal or plant, especially one that produces specific symptoms or that affects a specific location
Biological deviance from what we currently consider normal
what is an illness?
subjective experience, with psychological and social meanings attached to a biological deviance or existing in the absence of one.
Can be the thought of as a moral category in a society that emphasises personal responsibility for health
What is illness behaviour?
varying ways individuals respond to bodily indications, how they monitor internal states, define and interpret symptoms, make attributions, take remedial actions and utilise various sources of formal and informal care.
Refers to any behaviour undertaken by an individual who feels ill to relieve that experience or define the meaning of illness experience. May vary greatly according to illness-related, patient-related and doctor-related variables and complex interactions
what are the determinants of illness behaviour?
illness-related variables patient-related variables doctor-related variables use of health care services adherence to medical regimens response to preventative screenings
what affects the way individuals react to an illness?
- frequency of the illness in the population
- familiarity of the symptoms to the average member of the population
- predictability of outcome of illness
- degree of threat or loss the illness poses
what predicts better treatment adherence?
clear explanation of treatment rationale - benefits and potential adverse effects, choice of regimens
empathetic and communicative - doctor-patient relationship
asking patients about their illness and treatment beliefs and address inadequate expectations and convictions
choice of treatment regimens should be…?
least complex as possible
what predicts better post-operative outcomes?
provision of instruction, encouragement and suggestion
patient-related variables
background factors
psychological factors
social factors
determinants of health/ illness behaviour - background patient factors
context in which people live their life age gender ethnicity genes socio-economic status cultural norms chronic health status
determinants of health/ illness behaviour - psychological patient factors
they tend to be stable over time personality cognitive styles emotional disposition generalised expectancies explanatory styles
determinants of health/ illness behaviour - social patient factors
immediate social connections and context family friends colleagues perceived social support social norms
chronic conditions
people with chronic conditions over-report symptoms that related to their condition but under-report symptoms that are believed to be unrelated
What is the Big model of personality?
1 openness 2 conscientiousness 3 extraversion 4 agreeableness 5 neuroticism
Neuroticism
was associated with low adherence to medical treatments
If a disease is considered dependent on factors outside of personal control, it is unlikely preventative behaviours are adopted