W7: Social, personality and cultural impacts on health Flashcards
Lecture
Macro-social influences are - (2)
Large-scale social, economic, political, and cultural forces that influence the life course of people simultaneously
(influences that are out of our control)
Examples of macro-social influences are (6)
- Actions and policies of governmental organizations
- Cultures
- Historical legacies
- Organized religions
- Multinational corporations and banks
- Unpredictable, large-scale environmental events (e.g Covid-19)
Dominant public health policy assumes individuals are responsible for their own health
Illness is due to …
Illness due to personal lifestyle is seen as fault of the individual, not a consequence of macro-social influences
Epidemiology is the
Study of disease, death, determinants, and consequences
Two types of diseased epidemiologists that are concerned with (2)
- Communicable diseases
- Non-communicable diseases
Epidemiology - communicable disease (2)
Communicable diseases spread from one person to another
e.g., influenza, HIV, polio, COVID
Epidemiology - non- communicable (chronic) disease (3)
Non-communicable (chronic) diseases have long duration and slow progression
e.g., cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes
Leading cause of death in the world (63% according to WHO)
Cultural differences - As a country’s economy becomes larger (2) (e.g USA/UK)
Communicable diseases decrease
Non-communicable (chronic) diseases increase - Associated with access to alcohol, tobacco, and processed foods
Cultural differences
Low and middle-income countries go through the transition between the prevalence of these diseases
Often face a double burden with high prevalence of both (communicable vs non-communicable)
Socioeconomic status (SES) is… (2)
- Measure of wealth, education, and status
- Higher SES = better health and longer life expectancy
Social capital is
How many resources you have based on number of social relationships
Social capital is measured by (4)
- Community engagement
- Trust and safety in the community
- Reciprocity in community
- Diversity in community
Social capital mindmap
Certain communities have greater social capital and often have more
positive health outcomes
Gender differences - Lifespan (2)
Men die earlier than women, but women have poorer health
In less developed countries, men still live longer than women
Gender differences - Illness type (3)
Women suffer more non-fatal illnesses (e.g cold) and are hospitalized more often
Women have twice the rate of depression compared to men
Men have higher rates of injuries, suicides, homicides, and heart disease
Gender Differences - Psychosocial and lifestyle differences among women (7)
- Childbirth
- Rape
- Domestic violence
- Sexism
- Work inequalities
- Concern about weight
- Divided attention between roles of parent and worker
Gender stereotypes (3)
- Social constructs of masculinity and femininity affect health behaviors
- Men are more likely than women to adopt risky behaviours - sterotypically
- Women are more likely to engage in health-protective behaviours - sterotypically
Biological justifications for these social constructs in gender stereotypes?
Neurosexism - does not exist since men more likely to engage than women in risky behaviours is just society driven than biological
The health of minority groups is generally poorer than that of the majority of the population
due to… - (4)
- Racism
- Ethnocentrism
- SES
- Genetics
What is ethnocentrism?
one’s own culture is superior to all others and is the standard by which all other cultures should be ..
Racism is when
Minority racial and ethnic groups are the subject of discrimination at a number of different levels
Racism and health (2)
Discrimination in the health care system reduces access to the system and poorer levels of communication
Racism-related stress a predictor of poor health
Racism is know to be a longest contributor to
health disparities in most countries
Two pathways from racism to poor health - Stress response
Stress response
- Direct, short-term consequences
- Chronic, long-term consequences
Racism and stress
Direct-short-term stress consequences of experiencing racism (3)
- Activation of HPA axis
- Heightened blood pressure
- Excess cortisol release
Racism and stress
Chronic, long-term consequence/stress response of prolonged racist experiences (3)
Blunted stress response
Changes in HPA responsiveness - only respond to extreme stresses and not minor stresses
Chronic inflammation (interleukins)
Racism and stress - behavioural adaptations (2)
Those who faced discrimination constantly lead to maladaptive coping mechanisms
such as alcohol and substance abuse (most attention)
Long-term impacts of racism
Gibbons et al. (2004;2014) - (3)
- Experiences of Black Americans longitudinally measured
- Racism assessed at age 10/11
- This predicted mental health and substance use 5 years later
Experience discrimination, sexism, racism (any type)
Acuet stress response (2)
- Fight or flight
- HPA activity
Experience discrimination, sexism, racism (any type)
Anticipation for future discrimination (3) - that’s why health consequences happens
- Anxiety for future racism/sexism
Anticipatory stress and rumination
Dysregulates homeostasis
Anticipation of future discrimination research
Gender stigma consciousness
Seeing higher frequency/quantity of alcohol use in women with those with higher stigma consciousness than those with low stigma consciousness
Stigma leads to
the unfavourable reaction towards people when they are perceived to possess attributes that are undesirable
Stigma underlies discrimination in which stigma means
there is devalued social identitiy
Stigma leads to the source of: (4)
Physical and psychological stress
Denial of employment opportunities
Restricted access to sevices
Social exclusion
Stigma affects health
For example stereotype threat
ST is the idea of conforming to negative stereotypes about a group
Stigma affects health
ST can lead to… (3)
Heightened cardiovascular activity
Poorer academic performance
Disengagement and axiety
Cost of stereotype threat
Self-control failure (2)
When stereotypes are made aware to someone who is a minority, they have to suppress their emotions or behaviours (e.,g feeling sad) to maintain an outward appearence
After prolonged suppression of emotions or behaviour, subsequent behaviors are impacted
Stereotype Threat - stigma affect health
Vick et al 2008 research
Cross-cultural psychology (2)
Culture as fixed system of beliefs, meanings, and symbols that belong to a group of people who speak a common language
Examine cultural differences in approaches to health
What things influence health other than the dominant health policy (individuals are responsible for their health) -(7)
- Social capital
- Macro-social influences
- Cultural differences - countries income - communicable vs non-communicable
- SES on health
- Social capital
- Gender Differences
- Racism-related stress
Alternative medicines (6) - Homeopathy
Use of substances to trigger the body’s natural healing system
A substance that can cause symptoms when taken in large
doses can be used to treat the same symptoms when taken in
smaller doses
- Nightshade
- Poison ivy
- Stinging nettle
- Apricot seeds (cyanide)
Alternative medicines (4) - Herbal medicine
Use of plants to treat illnesses or promote well-being
In the UK, about 1 in 3 adults take herbal medicine
- ~20% in the US
Inconclusive evidence for most popular herbal remedies
