Warm Ups

Question 1

Four main functions of health psychologists as discussed in class (Week 2).

Answer 1

1: health promotion and maintenance

2: prevention and treatment of illness.

3: etiology (origins and causes of illness) and correlates of health, illness, and dysfunction.

4: improve healthcare systems and the formulation of health policy.

Question 2

Describe several key differences between the Biomedical Model and the Biopsychosocial Model (Week 2).

Answer 2

Biomedical Model believes that all illness can be explained by abreant somatic bodily processes, such as biochemical imbalances or neurophysiological abnormalities.

Biopsycholococial model’s underlying assumption is that health and illness result from the interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors.

Question 3

What are some of the benefits of Integrated Care in modern health settings (Week 2).

Answer 3

• improves patient outcomes by providing a comprehensive, coordinated treatment across multiple health disciplines.
• better communication among healthcare providers, resulting
  in more efficient and effective care.
• reduces costs while increasing
  patient satisfaction by providing personalized and comprehensive care services.

Question 4

Compare and contrast behavioral medicine and health psychology (Week 2) .

Answer 4

Behavioral medicine is an interdisciplinary field that combines behavioral and biomedical sciences to better understand and treat physical health, with an emphasis on diagnosis and rehabilitation.

Health psychology, a subfield of psychology, studies how psychological factors affect physical health and promotes healthier lifestyles.

While both fields address health and behavior, behavioral medicine encompasses a broader medical scope, whereas health psychology focuses on psychological aspects.

Behavioral medicine: broader, biomedical science
Health psychology: focuses on psychological aspects.

Question 5

Briefly explain the concept of “health” as discussed in class (Week 2).

Answer 5

• Health incorporates all forms of health including physical and mental health, the whole breadth of the field.
• not merely an absence of illness

Question 6

The ____________ model is a holistic approach considering biological,
psychological, and social factors in health (Week 2).

Answer 6

BioPsychoSocial

Question 7

_________ biological, psychological, and social factors in health (Week 2) .

Answer 7

Spiritual

Question 8

What three recent shifts have increased the need for health psychologists (Week 2)?

Answer 8

• changing patterns of illness
• the expansion of health care services
• increased medical acceptance
• rise of integrated Care.

Question 9

Which PWC (Profession Wide Competency) was mentioned last class and is an important part of integrated care (Week 2) ?

Answer 9

Consultation and Interprofessional/interdisciplinary interaction.

Question 10

What can we do as clinicians to create a more inclusive and affirmative environment with gender and sexual minority patients? (Week 3)

Answer 10

• respect their diverse identities, using their preferred pronouns and names.
• open and non-judgmental communication is crucial to allow them to express concerns freely.
• staying updated on LGBTQ+ health issues is key, as is providing care that’s centered on their unique experiences and needs.
• addressing mental health, challenging our own biases, ensuring confidentiality
• engaging with the LGBTQ+ community are essential steps to better understand and meet our clients’ needs.

ROSA-E

Question 11

Describe the concept of ‘acculturative stress’ and its impact on health. (Week 3)

Answer 11

• mental and physical health challenges faced when adapting to a new culture, is worsened for non-English speakers due to increased healthcare errors.
• This emphasizes the need for interpreter services and enhanced health literacy.
• stigma and discrimination intensify this stress, leading to adverse health effects from societal labeling, stereotyping, and discrimination during acculturation.

Question 12

Briefly list and describe the five overlapping components of stigma (as covered in class). (Week 3)
L-L-S-S-S

Answer 12

1: Labeling
2: Loss of Power
3: Stereotyping
4: Status loss and discrimination
5: Separating

Question 13

What are some major ethical considerations when working with pediatric and geriatric populations? (Week 3)

Answer 13

• ensuring equitable access to services, addressing age-related biases, adopting a holistic approach to care, and fostering collaboration among healthcare professionals.
• assent and consent.
• respecting their age.
• respecting their freedom/autonomy.

Question 14

What is a gender inequity related to women’s health (Week 3)?

Answer 14

: mainly comes from not including women in past research, which has led to less knowledge and poorer care in important areas like heart and mental health.

: Sadly, the problem still exists today, even with new medical progress, and affects women, especially those from less privileged groups.

: 1993: was when laws started requiring women to be part of health studies.

Question 15

How might cultural and societal attitudes towards sexuality and disability or sexuality and geriatric populations impact patient care? Discuss the role of a health psychologist in addressing and challenging these societal norms (Week 3).

Answer 15

Health psychologists have a big role in this. They can make communication better between patients, their partners, and doctors. This helps clear up misunderstandings that come from how society thinks about sexuality in these groups.

They also challenge these social views by teaching everyone that sexual health is important for disabled and older individuals. Health psychologists also work on overcoming any communication barriers, like their own biases. Plus, they involve client’s partners in treatment, which helps in giving complete and supportive care.

Question 16

What are some of the effects of stigma (as covered in class)? (Week 3)

Answer 16

• Reduced life opportunities (e.g., housing, jobs, access to healthcare)
• Lower quality social relationships
• Increased efforts to conceal stigmatized status
• Chronic stressor
• Depleted self-control
• Maladaptive emotional regulation strategies
• Increased drug and alcohol use

Question 17

Essay Question: Discuss the importance of health behavior change and our role as psychologists. Why is it important to consider psychological, socio-cultural, and other factors when recommending healthy habits? Incorporate your knowledge of a health theory from the McGraw Hill Chapter 3 reading. (Week 4 Warm up)

Answer 17

Bullet Point version:

The science of motivation suggests that people often need a gentle push in the right direction.

This can be achieved through:
Appropriate psychoeducation to help clients understand the positive outcomes of lifestyle changes.

Motivational interviewing to provide an emotional impetus and offer hope by highlighting potential benefits.

Sociocultural factors play a crucial role in some aspects of change.
For example, a video by a Latinx nurse who is diabetic showed how diabetes is perceived as a death sentence in some Hispanic communities due to limited access to care or lack of education about life-prolonging measures.

Some individuals are influenced by a family culture of unhealthy habits, such as consuming unhealthy foods as part of their traditions.

McGraw and Hill suggest using interventions that foster motivation and incorporate principles of self-control to aid in exercising, as these are highly effective.

Implementation intentions and reminders via email or text message can also be beneficial.

Many of these strategies are useful in treating eating disorders.
Self-Determination Theory (SDT)
CAR
Competence
Autonomy
Relatedness

Question 18

Compare and contrast behavioral medicine with health psychology. (Week 5 Warm up: Review of Week 1)

Answer 18

Psychology and medicine are combined in behavioral medicine. It uses biological and behavioral methods to study and treat sickness.

Health psychology studies how psychological, behavioral, and cultural factors affect physical health and illness.

Psychological prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of medical disorders are its main goals.

Question 19

What are some specific skills psychologists or other mental health providers working in an integrated health care setting might need? (Week 5 Warm up: Review of Week 1)

Answer 19

• communicate well
• understand medical conditions
• collaborate with medical professionals
• provide psychological assessments and interventions in a medical setting.

C-C-U-P

Question 20

Discuss the importance of health literacy in the context of national origin and language. (Week 5 Warm up: Review of Week 2)

Answer 20

Health literacy is important for understanding health information and making informed decisions.

Given cultural and linguistic diversity, health information must be accessible and understood to people of different nationalities and languages.

Question 21

What is a potential difference in focus when working with someone with an acquired disability versus a developmental disability? (Week 5 Warm up: Review of Week 2)

Answer 21

The focus when working with someone with an acquired disability often involves adjustment to a new disability, coping strategies, and rehabilitation.

Working with someone with a developmental impairment may emphasize long-term management, independence assistance, and early treatment of co-occurring problems.

Question 22

What are the four elements of the “Spirit of MI”? Describe each element. (Week 5 Warm up: Review of Week 3)
P-A-C-E

Answer 22

1: Partnership: The practitioner and client work together. MI encourages change teaming by valuing client experiences and opinions.

2: Acceptance: respects the client’s autonomy and self-worth. This includes understanding the client’s perspective, recognizing their feelings and experiences, and respecting their life choices.

3: Compassion: prioritizing the client’s well-being and demonstrating real concern. Practitioners strive hard for clients’ interests because of this.

4: Evocation: brings out the client’s change reasons. Practitioners help clients identify their beliefs and aspirations to inspire change rather than arguments.

Question 23

What is the difference between change talk and sustain talk? (Week 5 Warm up: Review of Week 3)

Answer 23

• Change talk: refers to the client’s own arguments for change, indicating a desire, ability, reasons, or need for change.
• Sustain talk: represents the client’s arguments for not changing and maintaining the status quo.

Question 24

Describe each of the four processes of MI (Engaging, Focusing, Evoking, Planning).

(Week 5 Warm up: Review of Week 3)
F-E-E-P

Answer 24

1: Focusing: the conversation is directed towards specific goals for change, helping the client to identify and prioritize their objectives.

2. Engaging: involves building a foundation of trust and understanding with the client, establishing a safe and supportive relationship.

3: Evoking: centers on eliciting the client’s own reasons and motivations for change, encouraging them to articulate and explore their desires for making a change.

4: Planning: involves collaboratively developing a concrete and actionable plan for change, setting clear steps and strategies to achieve the identified goals.

Question 25

What are some of the negative impacts of food deserts? (Week 5 Warm up: Review of Week 4)

Answer 25

• can be a contributing factor in the development of health issues such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases since there are not enough options for healthy food.

Question 26

What are some benefits of therapeutic physical activity prescription? (Week 5 Warm up: Review of Week 4)

Answer 26

• improve one’s physical health
• assist in the treatment of chronic illnesses
• improve one’s mental health
• contribute to one’s general well-being.

Question 27

What are some of the harmful impacts of weight stigma? (Week 5 Warm up : Review of Week 4)

Answer 27

There is a correlation between the stigma associated with weight and psychological discomfort, poor eating practices, avoidance of medical care, and the worsening of obesity and the health problems that are associated with it.

Question 28

Define insomnia and distinguish it from short-term sleep disturbances. Include in your answer the criteria used for clinical diagnosis. (Week 6)

Answer 28

Insomnia: a common sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting restorative sleep, leading to daytime issues or distress.

Duration and influence on daily life distinguish it from short-term sleep disorders. Acute sleep disruptions are generally caused by specific stresses or events and resolve when the stressor is removed or reduced.

However, insomnia is recognized when symptoms occur three times a week for three months. Clinical diagnosis considers how insomnia affects daily life, not simply sleep.

Question 29

Explain the two-process model of sleep regulation and its relevance to understanding insomnia. (Week 6)

Answer 29

This model explains sleep regulation through two key processes: Process S and C

Process S: (sleep-wake homeostasis) Process C: (circadian rhythm)

• Process S is the build-up of sleep pressure or sleepiness that increases the longer one is awake and decreases during sleep.
• Process C involves the internal body clock that regulates the timing of sleepiness and wakefulness across the 24-hour day.

Understanding these processes is important for understanding insomnia because disruptions in either can contribute to sleep difficulties.

Question 30

What is the first line treatment recommendation for insomnia? How is this treatment potentially superior to pharmacological interventions? (Week 6)

Answer 30

CBT-I is the first-line insomnia treatment. It addresses poor sleep patterns, sleep myths, and sleep-inhibiting activities.

CBT-I may be better than pharmacological therapies because it targets insomnia’s fundamental causes without adverse effects and has longer-lasting results.

Question 31

Explain how sleep restriction therapy works and why it is an effective component of CBT-I. Include potential challenges patients might face and how to address them. (Week 6)

Answer 31

CBT-I sleep restriction treatment only lets you sleep at night. Getting more sleep and increasing your sleep drive can help you sleep better.

Patients may feel tired and irritable during the day. These problems can be solved by gradually changing sleep windows based on how well they work and helping people who are temporarily uncomfortable.

Question 32

Evaluate the importance of sleep hygiene in the treatment of insomnia and its relation to other components of CBT-I.

Why is it often considered a foundational but not standalone treatment? (Week 6)

Answer 32

Due to complicated interplay between ideas, behaviors, and emotions, sleep hygiene alone cannot treat insomnia.

Together with other CBT-I components, sleep hygiene improves treatment efficacy.

Question 33

Describe the course of insomnia/3 “P” Model, and explain the difference between the 3 types of factors. (Week 6)

Answer 33

The 3 “P” Model of insomnia involves predisposing, precipitating, and perpetuating factors.

Predisposing factors are underlying vulnerabilities that make a person more susceptible to insomnia like genetic factors.

Precipitating factors are events or situations that initially begin the onset of sleep problems such as stress or illness.

Perpetuating factors are behaviors or thoughts that continue to maintain insomnia over time, such as excessive time in bed or worrying about sleep.

Understanding the difference between these factors is crucial for effectively addressing and treating insomnia.

Question 34

Describe the concept of stimulus control , and explain how you would provide rationale for this treatment to a patient. (Week 6)

Answer 34

According to stimulus control therapy, the bed becomes connected with wakefulness rather than sleep, perpetuating insomnia.

Patients should use their bed exclusively for sleep and sex, go to bed only when sleepy, leave the bed if they can’t sleep for more than 20 minutes, and keep a consistent wake time regardless of sleep duration.

This reconnects the bed with sleep and establishes a sleep-wake rhythm.

Explaining stimuli control to patients involves how it can interrupt the insomnia cycle by promoting healthy sleep.

Question 35

Give 5 Sleep Hygiene guidelines.
R-E-C-S-S

Answer 35

· Engage in relaxing activities before bed, such as reading or taking a bath.

· Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol close to bedtime (or other stimulants).

· Maintain a regular sleep schedule, going to bed and waking up at the same times every day.

· Create a sleep-conducive environment: cool, quiet, and comfortable etc.

· Limit exposure to screens before bedtime.

Relaxing, cigarettes, schedules, environments, screen

Question 36

Match the following definitions with the associated theory: (Week 6)

a. Theory of Planned Behavior
b. Health Belief Model
c. Self Determination Theory

(A,B, or C) Derived from the theory of reasoned action, a theoretical viewpoint maintaining that a person’s behavioral intentions and behaviors can be understood by knowing the person’s attitudes toward the behavior, subjective norms regarding the behavior, and perceived behavioral control over that action.

Answer 36

A

Question 37

Match the following definitions with the associated theory: (Week 6)

a. Theory of Planned Behavior
b. Health Belief Model
c. Self Determination Theory

(A,B, or C)? The theory that autonomous motivation and perceived competence are fundamental to behavior change.

Answer 37

C

Question 38

Match the following definitions with the associated theory: (Week 6)

a. Theory of Planned Behavior
b. Health Belief Model
c. Self Determination Theory

(A,B, or C)?A theory of health behaviors that predicts that whether a person practices a particular health habit can be understood by knowing the degree to which the person perceives a personal health threat and the perception that a particular health practice will be effective in reducing that threat.

Answer 38

B

Question 39

What are the targeted outcomes of brain gut behavior therapy? (Week 7)

Answer 39

The goals of brain-gut behavior therapy are to alleviate gastrointestinal symptoms, improve mental well-being, and establish a healthier mind-digestive system connection, focusing on the bidirectional brain-gut communication.

• alleviate gastrointestinal symptoms, improve mental well-being, establish a healthier mind-digestive brain-gut communication.

Question 40

What is visceral hypersensitivity? (Week 7)

Answer 40

Visceral hypersensitivity is an increased sensitivity to internal organ sensations, particularly in the gastrointestinal tract, leading to pain or discomfort from normally non-painful stimuli.

Question 41

What factor often exacerbates visceral hypersensitivity? Discuss how EALs contribute.

Answer 41

Stress, especially from early adverse life events (EALs), exacerbates visceral hypersensitivity by affecting the brain-gut axis, leading to enhanced pain perception and altered gastrointestinal function.

Question 42

The _______________ is a complex, bidirectional communication network involving components of the ___________________ and the enteric nervous system within the gut. (Week 7)

Answer 42

brain-gut axis

central nervous system

Question 43

Work over the last decade has revealed the gut microbiota to be critical modulator of the brain gut axis function, leading to the concept of a brain-gut-_______________-axis (BGMA). The BGMA serves as a framework for the physiology understanding of central influences on bowel function, and accounts for the frequent association between ______________ and GI symptoms. (Week 7)

Answer 43

microbiota

psychological stress