Unit 4 AOS 2 Flashcards
Wellbeing
A state in which an individual is mentally, physically and socially healthy and secure
Mental wellbeing
An individual’s psychological state, including their ability to think, process information and regulate emotions
Mental wellbeing continuum
A tool used to track fluctuating mental health that can be used to help decrease stigma
What are the 3 levels of mental wellbeing?
High, moderate and low levels
Give 4 characteristics of high levels of mental wellbeing
- able to function independently in daily life
- able to cope with everyday demands without showing excessive levels of stress and dysfunction
- able to seek solutions to problems rather than avoiding them
- able to regulate express emotions appropriately
Give 4 characteristics of moderate levels of mental wellbeing
- Experiences less severe and more temporary effects than compared to those with low levels of mental wellbeing
- experiences a temporary impact on mental wellbeing
- experiences lack of ability to function at optimal level
- more likely to experience irrational thought patterns
Give 4 characteristics of low levels of mental wellbeing
- high levels of distress
- impacted for an extended period of time
- lack of ability to complete daily tasks independenlty
- may be diagnosed or receiving treatment by mental health professional
List the 2 types of influencing factors on mental wellbeing
Internal & External
Define internal influencing factors and give 2 examples
Factors arising from within an individual
e.g. thought patterns & genetic predisposition
Define external influencing factors and give 2 examples
Factors arising from an individual’s environment
e.g. loss of loved ones & environmental pressure
What are protective factors for mental wellbeing?
Influences that enable an individual to promote and maintain high levels of mental wellbeing
List the 3 types of protective factors for mental wellbeing
Biological, psychological and social
Define biological protective factors for mental wellbeing
Refers to influences that stem from an individual’s brain.body that can maintain or promote mental wellbeing
Define psychological protective factors for mental wellbeing
Refers to influences that relate to mental processes that can maintain and promote mental wellbeing
Define social protective factors for mental wellbeing
Refers to influences that exist in an individual’s social environment that can maintain and promote mental wellbeing
List the 2 types of biological protective factors for mental wellbeing
Adequate nutrition and hydration, & sleep
Define and explain adequate nutrition and hydration as a biological protective factor for mental wellbeing
- refers to when the type and amount of food and drink that an individual consumes meets their physical needs
- research suggests to maintain a Mediterranean style diet high in fresh produce and drink 2-3 litres of water daily depending on differing individual needs in order to prevent the risk of mental health disorders
Define and explain sleep as a biological protective factor for mental wellbeing
- a natural and regularly occurring altered state of consciousness that involves a loss of awareness and disengagement with internal and external stimuli
Explain the bi-directional relationship between adequate nutrition and hydration, and sleep, and mental wellbeing
Both can influence each other, for example good sleep can reduce risk of mental health disorders such as depression, and depression can also impair ability to get good sleep
List the 2 types of psychological protective factors for mental wellbeing
Cognitive behavioural strategies and mindfulness meditation
Explain cognitive behavioural strategies as a psychological protective factor for mental wellbeing
Techniques that utilize traits of cognitive behvioural therapy, particularly recognising and changing dysfunctional thoughts and behaviour patterns to prevent development of mental health disorders
Define mindfulness meditation as a psychological protective factor for mental wellbeing
The practice of meditation in which an individual focuses on their present experience to promote feelings of calm and peace
List 2 benefits of mindfulness meditation
- reduced likelihood of rumination and stress
- improved emotional reactivity and memory
List the 1 type of social protective factors for mental wellbeing
Support
Define support as a social protective factor for mental wellbeing
The genuine and effective assistance provided by family, friends and community
Give 3 examples of support as a social protective factor for mental wellbeing
- providing unconditional love even when mistakes are made
- regular catchups with loved ones to vent and bond
- availability of support services and facilities
List the 3 ways to consideer mental wellbeing
Level of functioning, resilience, social and emotional wellbeing
Explain levels of functioning as a way to consider mental wellbeing
The degree to which an individual can complete daily tasks independently and effectively
List 3 characteristics of high levels of functioning as a way to consider mental wellbeing
- ability to carry out daily tasks independently
- ability to adapt to changes in the environment
- ability to be productive
List 4 characteristics of low levels of functioning as a way to consider mental wellbeing
- inability to carry out basic tasks
- feel lethargic and tired and unproductive
- lack direction and be unable to set goals in life
- be unable to adapt to environmental changes
Explain resilience as a way to consider mental wellbeing
The ability to cope with and manage change and uncertainty, which can be taught and developed over time
List 4 characteristics of high levels of resilience as a way to consider mental wellbeing
- ability to seek solutions to problems
- ability to use appropriate coping strategies
- be optimistic and hopeful
- have high esteem and confidence increasing coping flexibility
List 4 characteristics of low levels of resilience as a way to consider mental wellbeing
- experience enduring feelings of being overwhelmed during problems
- increase of avoidance coping strategies
- be unable to adapt to change
- lack hope and optimism
Explain social and emotional wellbeing as a way to consider mental wellbeing
Social: The ability for an individual to form and maintain meaningful bonds with others and adapt to different social situations
Emotional: The ability of an individual to appropriately control and express their own emotions in an adaptive way as well as understand the emotions of others
List 2 characteristics of low levels of social and emotional wellbeing as a way to consider mental wellbeing
social:
- be isolated and lack support from others
- struggle to communicate effectively with others
Emotional:
- be unable to understand or name personal an other’s emotions
- express emotions inappropriately
List 2 characteristics of high levels of social and emotional wellbeing as a way to consider mental wellbeing
Social:
- have a strong support network
- be able to communicate effectively with others
emotional:
- be aware of personal and other’s current emotional states
- be able to express and regulate emotions appropriately
Define the SEWB framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
A multidimensional and holistic framework that includes all elements of being and therefore wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
List the 7 dimensions of the SEWB framework `
Connection to:
- body
- mind and emotions
- family and kinship
- community
- culture
- Country
- Spirituality and ancestors
Explain the SEWB dimension Connection to body and give an example
Involves connecting to the physical body and health in order to participate fully in all aspects of life
e.g. maintaining a healthy weight
Explain the SEWB dimension Connection to mind and emotions and give an example
Involves the ability to effectively manage thoughts and feelings
e.g. having high levels of self confidence
Explain the SEWB dimension Connection to family and kinship and give an example
Involves connection to wider social systems, providing individual and families the ability to connect with and support each other
e.g. regularly spending time with family groups
Explain the SEWB dimension Connection to community and give an example
Involves a strong sense of identity, values, traditions and connections between the past, present and future that drives behaviours and beliefs
e.g. elders passing down traditions to future generations and speaking local languages
Explain the SEWB dimension Connection to Country and give an example
Involves the traditional lands of a particular language or cultural group, both geographically and the spiritual, emotional and intellectual connections to and within it
e.g. Aboriginal beliefs are firmly rooted to living and protecting their land
Explain the SEWB dimension Connection to Spirituality and Ancestors
Spirituality:
- The concept that connects all things and shapes beliefs values and behaviors, connecting Aboriginals to their ancestors, the past, present and future.
Ancestors:
- The belief that a family and community’s ancestors are interconnected with Creation spirits and Country and guide and protect families and communities in the physical and spiritual world
Explain the importance of the SEWB framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing
Recognises that experience of wellbeing in Aboriginal and Indigenous communities is impacted by wider societal forces, and that their social and emotional wellbeing is impacted by social, historical and political factors.
Define stress
Psychological and physiological experience that occurs when an individual encounters something of significance that demands their attention and efforts to cope
Define anxiety
Psychological and physiological experience that involves feelings of worry and apprehension about a perceived threat
Give 3 differences between stress and anxiety
- Stress is a response to a known cause, while anxiety is typically due to an unknown stimuls, something in the future
- Anxiety is only associated with negative feelings, while stress has positive (eustress) and negative (distress) types
- anxiety is often broader than stress
Give 5 similarities between stress and anxiety
- Both are a normal part of daily life and don’t usually interrupt daily functioning
- both are on the moderate to high level of mental wellbeing (unless the stress & anxiety is prolonged and persisitent)
- both can be adaptive for functioning to a certain extent (e.g. stress before a SAC can encourage an individual to study for it)
Define specific phobia
A type of diagnosable anxiety disorder that is categorised by excessive and disproportionate fear when encountering/anticipating the encounter of a particular stimulus
List the 7 characteristics of specific phobia
- excessive
- irrational
- persistent
- distressing
- response to a known stimulus
- disrupts individual’s daily functioning
Explain what evidence based interventions for specific phobia are
Interventions that have undergone rigid scientific testing and involve the combination of the best scientific evidence with expertise from practicing clinicians to provide the most effective service for individual needs
List the 3 types of evidence based interventions for specific phobia
Biological, psychological and social
Define biological interventions for specific phobia
Address the physiological aspect of phobias
Define social interventions for specific phobia
Address the social and environmental causes of phobias
Define psychological interventions for specific phobia
Address the mental processes which contribute to a specific phobia
List the 2 types of biological interventions for specific phobia
Benzodiazepines and breathing retraining
Define benzodiazepines as a biological intervention for specific phobia
A type of medication that depresses central nervous system activity and is often used as a short-acting anxiety medication.
It is a GABA agonist
Explain how benzodiazepines can prevent the development of specific phobia
Benzodiazepines bind to GABA receptor sites and mimic the effects of GABA to increase the inhibitory response, which reduces the rapid excitatory communication between neurons in the fear response, relieving anxiety it causes and leading to muscle relaxation
Explain what an agonist is
a type of drug that imitates neurotransmitters and works to initiate a neural response (excitatory or inhibitory) when it binds to the receptor sites of a neuron
Explain how breathing retraining can prevent the development of specific phobia
It involves teaching an individual with the help of a professional to control their breathing and work on reducing fast breathing through deep, slow breaths and applying this technique to induce physiological relaxation to reduce phobic anxiety through parasympathetic responses
Define breathing retraining as a biological intervention for specific phobia
A method used to teach breathing control techniques that may reduce physiological arousal
List the 2 types of psychological interventions for specific phobia
Cognitive behavioural therapy and systematic desensitization
Define cognitive behavioural therapy as a psychological intervention for specific phobia
A form of psychotherapy that encourages individuals to substitute dysfunctional cognitive and replaces them with more adaptive and healthier ones
List the 2 components of cognitive behavioural therapy CBT
Cognitive and behavioural
Explain the cognitive component of cognitive behavioural therapy as an intervention for the development of specific phobia & give an example
Involves identifying negative thoughts and feelings and replacing them with mroe positive ones
e.g. addressing memory bias and catastrophic thinking
Explain the behavioural component of cognitive behavioural therapy as an intervention for the development of specific phobia & give an example
Involves identifying negative behaviours and developing and maintaining more positive behaviours relating to the issue
e.g. Addressing avoidance behaviours
Explain how cognitive behavioural therapy can prevent the development of specific phobia
Therapists first work with patients to identify unhealthy cognitions and behaviours that may perpetuate their specific phobia and then work to replace these with healthier, more adaptive ones to reduce the development of specific phobia
Define systematic desensitisation as a psychological intervention for specific phobia
A therapeutic technique used to overcome phobias, involving a patient being incrementally exposed to increasingly anxiety-inducing stimulus, combined with the use of relaxation techniques
Explain how systematic desensitisation can prevent the development of specific phobia
It de-conditions the association between a phobic stimulus and fear by associating the phobic stimulus with relaxation
Explain the 4 steps of systematic desensitisation
- Learning relaxation techniques that can be applied to reduce physiological arousal and anxiety involved in the fear response
- Developing a fear hierarchy, which involves creating a list of anxiety-inducing experiences due to the phobia listed in order of easiest to most difficult to confront
- Gradual step by step exposure, starting with the least to most anxiety inducing stimulus, pairing each with relaxation techniques and only moving onto the next stage when the phobic response is eliminated at each level
- Continuation of this incremental systematic exposure until the most fear-inducing stimulus can be faced without producing the phobic response
Define psychotherapy as a social intervention for specific phobia
Involves teaching families and supporters of individuals with mental health disorders how to better understand, deal with and treat their disorders
Explain the 2 ways how psychotherapy can act as an intervention in preventing specific phobia
- Families and supporters are encouraged to discourage avoidance behaviours in order to prevent perpetuation of specific phobia
- Families and supporters are encouraged to challenge unrealistic or anxious thoughts of individuals, which can help them understand that some cognitive components are potentially irrational, helping them recognise their dysfunctional thoughts.
List the 3 types of contributing factors to specific phobia
Biological, psychological and social
Define biological contributing factors to specific phobia
Internal, genetic and/or physiological based factors that can be innate or developed later on in life
Define psychological contributing factors to specific phobia
Internal factors relating to an indiividual’s mental processes, including their cognition, affect, thoughts, beliefs and attitudes
Define social contributing factors to specific phobia
External factors relating to an individual’s interactions with them and their external environment, including their relationships with and involvement in community
List the 2 types of biological contributing factors for specific phobia
GABA dysfunction and long term potentiation
Define GABA dysfunction as a contributing factor to specific phobia
The insufficient neural transmission/reception of GABA in the body, which is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the nervous system, due to unhealthy and low levels of GABA production
Explain the how GABA dysfunction can act as an contributing factor in developing specific phobia
Unhealthy levels of ABA can cause the stress response in some to be more easily triggered by certain stimuli, and this recurrent stress response to such stimuli can then lead to the development of specific phobia
Define long term potentiation as a contributing factor to specific phobia
The long lasting and experience dependent strengthening of synaptic connections that are regularly co-activated
Explain how long term potentiation can act as an contributing factor in developing specific phobia
Coactivation of the neural signals involved in perceiving a phobic stimulus and activating the stress response strengthens this association in memory and learning, therefore increasing the likelihood of a stress response reoccurring in presence of the phobic stimulus, leading to the development of specific phobia
List the 3 types of psychological contributing factors for specific phobia
Classical conditioning, operant conditioning and cognitive biases
Define classical conditioning as a contributing factor to specific phobia
A learning process consisting of three stages that involves the repeated association a neutral and unconditioned stimulus to produce a naturally occurring response
Explain how classical conditioning can act as an contributing factor in developing specific phobia
NS = phobic stimulus
UCS = stimulus that naturally induces fear
CS = phobic stimulus
CR = phobic response
Classical conditioning precipitates the development of specific phobia.
Repeated association of phobic stimulus with a fear inducing stimulus results in the phobic stimulus producing a phobic response, leading to the development a specific phobia.
Research suggests that one association can result in specific phobia is situation is highly traumatic
Define operant conditioning as a contributing factor to specific phobia
A learning process consisting of three stages where the consequence of a behaviour determines the likelihood of a behaviour reoccurring
Explain how operant conditioning can act as an contributing factor in developing specific phobia
Operant conditioning perpetuates the development of a specific phobia.
Antecedent = phobic stimulus
Behaviour = individual avoiding phobic stimulus
Consequence = negative reinforcement
The avoidance of the phobic stimulus leads to a person not having to deal with their phobic response, increasing the likelihood of this avoidance behaviour reoccurring and strengthening the development of specific phobia
Define cognitive biases as a contributing factor to specific phobia
Predisposition to think about and process information a certain way
List the 2 types of cognitive biases
Memory bias and catastrophic thinking
Define memory bias as a contributing factor to specific phobia
A type of cognitive bias involving inaccurate or exaggerated memory
Define catastrophic thinking as a contributing factor to specific phobia
A type of cognitive bias in which a stimulus or event is predicted to be far worse than it actually is
Explain how memory bias can act as an contributing factor in developing specific phobia
People may inaccurately remember traumatic events leading to the phobia, such as by exaggerating it, which may justify their phobic fear and allow it to persist over time
Explain how catastrophic thinking can act as an contributing factor in developing specific phobia
People may imagine the worst case scenario when imagining interaction with their phobic stimulus, which can justify their phobia to seem worthy of extreme fear and anxiety, allowing their specific phobia to persist over time
List the 2 types of social contributing factors for specific phobia
Specific environmental triggers and stigma around seeking treatment
Define specific environmental triggers as a contributing factor to specific phobia
Refers to stimuli or experiences in a person’s environment that evoke an extreme response, leading to the development of specific phobia
Give 3 examples of specific environmental triggers as a contributing factor to specific phobia
- direct confrontation with phobic stimulus
- observing another person having direct confrontation with phobic stimulus and experiencing phobic response
- learning about potentially dangerous or traumatic stimulus directly
Define stigma around seeking treatment as a contributing factor to specific phobia
The feeling of shame or disgrace experienced by an individual for a characteristic that differentiates them from others
Explain how stigma around seeking treatment can act as an contributing factor in developing specific phobia
Individuals tend to leave their phobias untreated due to embarrassment, worry or fear, which contributes to the development and maintenance of specific phobia as it is never cured or improved.
Define precipitating factors
Factors that increase the susceptibility to and contribute to the occurrence of developing a specific phobia
Define perpetuation factors
Factors that inhibit a person’s ability to recover from a specific phobia
Define the biopsychosocial approach/model
A holistic, interdisciplinary framework to understanding the influence of biological, psychological and social factors on mental wellbeing
Define phobic anxiety
Involves fast paced and often shallow breathing, sometimes causing hyperventilation and activation of other sympathetic nervous system responses in response to a phobic stimulus
Define determinants of wellbeing
Factors that influence wellbeing on individual and community levels
Define culture
A strong sense of identity, values, traditions and connections between the past, present and future that drives behaviours and beliefs
List the 2 types of cultural determinants of wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Cultural continuity and self determination
Define cultural continuity as a cultural determinant of wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
The passing down and active practice of cultural knowledge, traditions and values from generation to generation
Explain how cultural continuity helps promote wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
It enables communities to heal and form strong identities
Define self determination as a cultural determinant of wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
The rights of all peoples to freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development without outside interference
Explain how self determination helps promote wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
It requires Aboriginal and Torres Strait people to be involved in every layer of decision making that can impact their communities, states and the whole country `
Give 3 examples of self determination
- Aboriginal community controlled organizations
- established partnerships between communities, governments and NGOs
- constitutional recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, allowing them to have equal opportunities
