Week 18 Readings Flashcards
Do trigger warnings reduce distress? What are the potential downsides of trigger warnings?
No, studies show they do not lessen emotional reactions or intrusive thoughts (Bridgland et al., 2019; Bellet et al., 2018).
They can increase anxiety, encourage avoidance, and reinforce feelings of emotional vulnerability.
Why are chronic diseases more common today?
Longer lifespans and unhealthy behaviors contribute to the rise in chronic illnesses like coronary heart disease (CHD), cancer, and diabetes.
How do psychological factors affect chronic diseases?
They influence disease development, progression, treatment adherence, and mental health, impacting overall prognosis.
How do psychological and social factors influence health?
Many illnesses, like CHD, are linked to stress, smoking, diet, and personality traits.
Health psychologists help improve behaviors, teach stress management, and treat psychological disorders to promote better health.
What is the Biopsychosocial Model of Health?
An approach to studying health and human function that posits the importance of biological, psychological, and social (or environmental) processes.
What is the definition of health as per the WHO?
According to the World Health Organization, it is a complete state of physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
What is the Biomedical Model of Health?
A reductionist model (older) that posits that ill health is a result of a deviation from normal function, which is explained by the presence of pathogens, injury, or genetic abnormality.
What is psychosomatic medicine?
An interdisciplinary field of study that focuses on how biological, psychological, and social processes contribute to physiological changes in the body and health over time.
What is psychoneuroimmunology?
A field of study examining the relationship among psychology, brain function, and immune function.
How does the Biopsychosocial Model differ from the Biomedical Model?
The Biopsychosocial Model includes psychological and social influences, while the Biomedical Model focuses only on physical causes like germs and pathogens.
How do stressors affect health?
Both major life events (e.g., family death) and daily hassles (e.g., traffic, arguments) can raise blood pressure, alter stress hormones, and suppress immune function.
What is stress?
A pattern of physical and psychological responses in an organism after it perceives a threatening event that disturbs its homeostasis and taxes its abilities to cope with the event.
What is the General Adaptation Syndrome?
A three-phase model of stress, which includes a mobilization of physiological resources phase, a coping phase, and an exhaustion phase (i.e., when an organism fails to cope with the stress adequately and depletes its resources).
What factors contribute to resilience and health protection?
Five key factors studied in health psychology are:
- Coping
- Control and Self-Efficacy
- Social Relationships
- Dispositions and Emotions
- Stress Management
What are the two types of coping, and how do they affect health?
Problem-focused coping actively addresses the stressor (e.g., studying for an exam) and is generally better for long-term mental wellness.
Emotion-focused coping manages emotions related to stress (e.g., watching a movie to reduce anxiety), which can help in the short term, especially for uncontrollable events (e.g., the death of a loved one).
Why is it important to match coping strategies to stressors?
The effectiveness of a coping strategy depends on the nature of the stressor; problem-focused coping works best for controllable stressors, while emotion-focused coping is better for uncontrollable ones.
How does the belief in control influence health and stress?
Believing you have control, even if it’s just perceived, can improve performance, reduce stress, and boost immune function. Studies show that people who feel in control of situations, like choosing activities or tasks, experience better health outcomes.
What is self-efficacy, and how does it affect health?
Self-efficacy is the belief in one’s ability to complete tasks and achieve goals. High self-efficacy is linked to reduced stress, better health behaviors (e.g., smoking cessation), and improved health outcomes.
How does social isolation affect health?
Social isolation increases the risk of disease and death, similar to the risks of smoking. Healthy social relationships are crucial for overall well-being.
What is social integration, and how does it impact health?
Social integration refers to the number of social roles a person has (e.g., family member, coworker, volunteer). Having diverse social roles improves health by promoting healthy behaviors and providing social support during stress.
How do negative personality traits affect health?
Negative traits like hostility, competitiveness, and impatience (Type A Behavior) are linked to higher risks of heart disease. Hostility, in particular, increases anger and stress, which can damage heart arteries and reduce social support, further harming health.
Type A behavior is characterized by…
Type B behavior reflects the absence of Type A characteristics and is represented by…
Type A behavior is characterized by impatience, competitiveness, neuroticism, hostility, and anger.
Type B behavior reflects the absence of Type A characteristics and is represented by less competitive, aggressive, and hostile behavior patterns.
What is biofeedback?
The process by which physiological signals, not normally available to human perception, are transformed into easy-to-understand graphs or numbers.
Individuals can then use this information to try to change bodily functioning (e.g., lower blood pressure, reduce muscle tension).
What is the difference between health behaviors and health habits?
Health behaviors are actions that can either improve or harm health (e.g., exercise, smoking). Health habits are behaviors that become automatic over time (e.g., wearing a seatbelt) and are often developed early through parental influence or peer groups.
What psychological factors influence medical treatment outcomes?
Factors like age, gender, and socioeconomic status impact healthcare seeking behaviors, while financial obstacles and preconceived notions can prevent treatment.
The rise of online health information has made it easier for people to seek care, but many struggle to assess its credibility.
Poor communication with healthcare providers, failure to adhere to medical advice, and issues like medication misuse can also affect treatment outcomes.
- However, mobile technology, including pill-monitoring devices and text message reminders, can help improve adherence and health outcomes.
What is behavioural medicine?
A field similar to health psychology that integrates psychological factors (e.g., emotion, behavior, cognition, and social factors) in the treatment of disease. This applied field includes clinical areas of study, such as occupational therapy, hypnosis, rehabilitation or medicine, and preventative medicine.
How is health psychology contributing to addressing current health epidemics and improving overall health?
Health psychology focuses on prevention and resilience, not just illness care. Researchers are shifting from studying risk factors in isolation to understanding positive health factors that promote longevity, like optimism and positivity.
With advances in technology, mobile health (m-health) applications, and real-time physiological monitoring, health psychologists are developing interventions to support medication adherence, health awareness, and better understanding of stress responses.
These innovations, along with advances in neuroscience and genetics, are shaping a new era of personalized, effective health strategies.
Health psychologists generally define health according to the ______model, an integrative orientation that views one’s overall health as a very complex recipe with many different ingredients.
biopsychosocial
Evelyn wants to study how academic stress compromises the body’s ability to fight viruses in students. To which field is Evelyn’s research contributing?
- psychosomatic medicine
- primary and tertiary prevention
- neurology
- psychoneuroimmunology
- personality psychology
- psychosomatic medicine
- psychoneuroimmunology
Corine’s team is at risk of missing the deadline on a major advertising account, so she sends them all an email asking them to come to work on Saturday. All but one person is able to come in and they finish the job. This is an example of ______coping.
problem-focused
What is one way that you can enhance the quality of life of older adults who reside in an assisted living facility?
a) Restrict television-watching hours to encourage more exercise and physical activity.
b) Offer psychotherapy in their own room instead of in a treatment area.
c) Mandate that they participate in at least one outdoor activity each day.
d) Reduce the amount of medication that they are given on a daily basis.
e) Give them control over as many decisions that impact them as possible.
e)
Mahesh is a supervisor, father, husband, brother, best friend, and president of his local community watch group. He would be rated as rather high in ______.
social integration
What is subjective well-being (SWB) and what factors influence it?
Subjective well-being (SWB) refers to happiness and life satisfaction, or feeling that life is going well.
It is influenced by both internal factors (like personality and outlook) and external factors (such as society and social relationships).
Major determinants include inborn temperament, the quality of social relationships, societal conditions, and the ability to meet basic needs.
People tend to adapt to their circumstances over time. Higher SWB is associated with better health, longer life, stronger social relationships, and greater productivity.
What is subjective well-being (SWB) dependent on, and why is it considered important?
Subjective well-being (SWB), or happiness, is viewed as a process that results from both internal and external causes and influences behaviors and physiological states.
It is a key goal for many people, often considered more important than wealth or success.
High SWB is not only a pleasant outcome but also plays a significant role in future success. Scientists have developed valid measures of SWB and have studied its causes and consequences extensively.
Why is there no single cure-all for happiness, and what does it mean to achieve subjective well-being (SWB)?
There is no single cure-all for happiness because subjective well-being (SWB) includes multiple components: life satisfaction, enjoyment of life, and the absence of unpleasant emotions.
Each component has different causes. For example, some may be satisfied with their life but not enjoy it due to age, while others may enjoy life but experience stress. To be truly happy, individuals must acquire each of these different elements that contribute to SWB.
How do aspirations, social comparisons, and adaptation influence happiness?
Aspirations, social comparisons, and adaptation are key psychological factors that influence happiness.
People with high aspirations tend to work harder, but if they fall short, they may feel dissatisfied. The key to happiness is to have challenging aspirations while also adapting to the reality of what happens in life. Social comparisons, where people measure their achievements against others, can also impact their sense of happiness and satisfaction.
Is it necessary to be constantly euphoric to be successful and happy?
No, it’s not necessary to be constantly euphoric. A mix of positive feelings and occasional negative emotions, like worry, can actually be beneficial, especially for creativity and success. Most successful people are positive but sometimes experience negative emotions. What matters is whether individuals are satisfied with their level of happiness. Chronic unhappiness, however, may require changes or professional intervention.
How do researchers typically assess Subjective Well-Being (SWB)?
Researchers primarily use self-report scales, where individuals rate their own happiness levels. These scales assess satisfaction, positive feelings, and lack of negative feelings.
What are some methods used to assess Subjective Well-Being (SWB) besides self-report scales?
esides self-report scales, scientists use biological measures (e.g., immune system strength, brain activity related to happiness), reports from family, coworkers, and friends, and other measures like life satisfaction scales, positive and negative feelings scales, and assessments of psychological flourishing. Flourishing refers to feelings of meaning, close relationships, and mastery over life activities.
Why do psychologists sometimes avoid using the term “happiness”?
a) Because the term “joy” has replaced it for the last 2 or 3 decades.
b) There is no real evidence that the emotion of happiness is qualitatively different from any other emotion.
c) Because it refers to different things to different people.
d) Because it is impossible to assess quantitatively.
e) Because it is an abstract concept that does not really exist.
c)
Sufficient material and social resources, as well as living in a desirable society, are three external (or ______) influences of subjective well-being.
bottom-up
Which is the most accurate statement regarding the relationship between having money and experiencing happiness?
a) Only those who are very poor or very wealthy experience changes in happiness as a function of financial position. Middle-income people seem immune to this effect..
b) The relationship between money and happiness is linear. The more money you have, the happier you will be..
c) The relationship between money and happiness is linear. The more money you have the less happy you will be..
d) Despite common beliefs, researchers find that having money is almost entirely unrelated to one’s level of happiness..
e) Money is an important determinant of happiness, but the more you have, the less difference it makes..
e)
