Week 2: Close Relationships & Social Support Flashcards
What are the 4 kinds of social support?
A: Physical, financial, intellectual, and spiritual
B: Tangible, psychological, situational, and relational
C: Informational, instrumental, emotional, appraisal
C: Informational, instrumental, emotional, appraisal
- Informational – advice, suggestions
- Instrumental – money, time, concrete help
(ride to hospital) - Emotional – empathy, concern, caring, love,
trust - Appraisal – feedback, affirmation, social
comparison, opinions, evaluation. When you go to someone and seek advice and they help guide you through the situation.
How does social support impact our physical and emotional health, disease progression, and mortality?
A: Social support has no impact on physical or emotional health, disease progression, or mortality. It is an inconsequential factor in overall well-being, and individuals with low social support have the same health outcomes as those with strong social networks.
B: Studies have shown that social support is related to faster recovery from illness or depression. One study found that emotional support was related to less progression of coronary artery disease over two years. Higher social support has also been shown to correlate with lower disease progression in people with HIV. The professor said that some estimates suggest having low social support can increase the risk of mortality by 2-3 times at any given time. The effect of social support on health is actually stronger than the effect of smoking based on data.
C: Social support is detrimental to health and increases the risk of disease progression and mortality. Studies have shown that individuals with high social support experience worse health outcomes and are more prone to illness and premature death.
B: Studies have shown that social support is related to faster recovery from illness or depression. One study found that emotional support was related to less progression of coronary artery disease over two years. Higher social support has also been shown to correlate with lower disease progression in people with HIV. The professor said that some estimates suggest having low social support can increase the risk of mortality by 2-3 times at any given time. The effect of social support on health is actually stronger than the effect of smoking based on data.
What is the buffering model?
A: The buffering model proposes that social support exacerbates the negative effects of stress rather than reducing them. It suggests that individuals with high levels of social support experience heightened stress responses and increased health impacts.
B: The buffering model suggests that social support has no impact on stress or health outcomes. It contends that individuals with both high and low levels of stress have similar health outcomes, irrespective of the presence or absence of social support.
C: This is a theory of social support. Social support works to buffer or reduce the negative effects of stress. According to this model, social support received is only helpful in reducing health impacts for people who have high levels of stress. The model suggests social support is only beneficial because it takes away stress.
C: This is a theory of social support. Social support works to buffer or reduce the negative effects of stress. According to this model, social support received is only helpful in reducing health impacts for people who have high levels of stress. The model suggests social support is only beneficial because it takes away stress.
Stress → Social Support Buffer → Health
What is the direct effects model?
A: This is a theory of social support. Social support is good for your health whether you are stressed or not stressed. According to this model, social support has benefits for health regardless of stress levels. The model proposes that social support has direct positive effects on health, not just because it reduces stress.
B: The direct effects model argues that social support is harmful to health, irrespective of stress levels. It suggests that individuals with high social support experience negative health outcomes, and the positive effects attributed to social support are non-existent.
C: The direct effects model proposes that social support is only beneficial for health when individuals are under high levels of stress. It contends that social support has no inherent positive effects on health in the absence of stressors.
A: This is a theory of social support. Social support is good for your health whether you are stressed or not stressed. According to this model, social support has benefits for health regardless of stress levels. The model proposes that social support has direct positive effects on health, not just because it reduces stress.
Social Support → Health
How does social support work? (Behavior pathways):
A: It promotes healthy behaviors through social encouragement, modeling, and peer influence.
B: Social support hinders healthy behaviors by discouraging individuals from adopting positive habits. Peer influence and modeling within social networks contribute to the adoption of unhealthy behaviors.
C: Social support has no impact on behavior pathways and does not influence individuals’ adoption of healthy or unhealthy behaviors. Peer influence and modeling within social networks are irrelevant factors in shaping behavior.
A: It promotes healthy behaviors through social encouragement, modeling, and peer influence.
Social encouragement:
Someone encouraging you to go to the gym together - so social support in the form of encouragement and accountability from others to engage in healthy behaviors.
Modeling:
Involves seeing someone who is healthy modeling those behaviors, such as seeing someone who goes to the gym regularly and is in good shape, which could motivate someone to also want to engage in those healthy behaviors through observing the modeling.
Peer influence:
Involves social support influencing someone to avoid risky health behaviors by seeing the negative impacts it has had on peers or social groups they are a part of.
How does marriage impact health?
A: Marriage has no impact on health outcomes, and individuals who are unmarried experience the same level of health as married individuals. There is no correlation between marital status and health.
B: Married people generally have better health outcomes than unmarried people. Studies have consistently shown that married people get fewer diseases, live longer, have fewer illnesses, get fewer infectious diseases, and even have lower rates of violent deaths or accidents. Married people also respond better to stressors and have lower levels of inflammatory markers.
C: Marriage is detrimental to health, and studies have consistently shown that unmarried individuals have better health outcomes. Unmarried people experience fewer diseases, live longer, and have lower rates of illnesses and accidents compared to married individuals.
B: Married people generally have better health outcomes than unmarried people. Studies have consistently shown that married people get fewer diseases, live longer, have fewer illnesses, get fewer infectious diseases, and even have lower rates of violent deaths or accidents. Married people also respond better to stressors and have lower levels of inflammatory markers.
WHY?
> Having a higher quality and more consistent source of social support from a spouse
> Partners influencing each other positively by encouraging healthy behaviors like exercise, diet, doctor visits
> Partners providing care for each other when sick and ensuring medical needs are met
> Marriage reducing loneliness, which studies have linked to lower stress and mortality risk
Does marriage boost men’s and women’s health equally?
A: Yes
B: No
B: No
Marriage seems to boost men’s health more than women’s health based on the data. The social integration and mortality risk effect is stronger for men than for women (less benefit for women than for men).
Why would marriage be less healthy for you if you are a woman?
A: Marriage is equally healthy for men and women, and there are no gender differences in health outcomes within marital relationships. Traditional gender roles and expectations have no impact on women’s health.
B: Marriage is more beneficial for women’s health, and they experience fewer health risks compared to unmarried women. Traditional gender roles and expectations contribute positively to women’s well-being within marital relationships.
C: Traditional gender roles placing more responsibilities and stress on women for things like childcare, housework and caretaking; pregnancy and childbirth posing health risks; and women facing more scrutiny and stress from in-laws or family members.
C: Traditional gender roles placing more responsibilities and stress on women for things like childcare, housework and caretaking; pregnancy and childbirth posing health risks; and women facing more scrutiny and stress from in-laws or family members.
What would be a biopsychosocial explanation for why marriage is less healthy for you if you are a woman?
A: Women seem to be more affected by conflict in their marriages. There have been studies where researchers brought married couples into a lab and measured women’s blood pressure, cortisol, and other stress responses after discussing previous marital conflicts or fights. The professor noted this effect was seen for women but not consistently across genders for other types of stressors.
B: Gender has no impact on the health outcomes of marriage, and men and women experience similar effects of conflict within marital relationships. Studies measuring stress responses show consistent patterns across genders, with no significant differences.
C: Marriage is more detrimental to men’s health than women’s, and men are more affected by conflict in their marriages. Research studies consistently show that men exhibit higher stress responses, blood pressure, and cortisol levels after discussing marital conflicts compared to women.
A: Women seem to be more affected by conflict in their marriages. There have been studies where researchers brought married couples into a lab and measured women’s blood pressure, cortisol, and other stress responses after discussing previous marital conflicts or fights. The professor noted this effect was seen for women but not consistently across genders for other types of stressors.
What impact do infant-maternal relationships have?
A: Infant-maternal relationships have no impact on long-term stress responses and anxiety levels in individuals. Dr. Neil Bowlby’s studies on rats are irrelevant to human experiences, and there is no correlation between the quality of care from mothers and adult stress or anxiety.
B: The impact of infant-maternal relationships is solely determined by genetic factors, and the quality of maternal care has no influence on long-term stress responses or anxiety levels. Dr. Neil Bowlby’s studies on rats do not provide relevant insights into human development.
C: There have been research studies on infant-maternal relationships and attachment styles. For instance, Dr. Neil Bowlby did studies on how the quality of care from mothers can influence stress responses and anxiety levels in rats throughout their lifetime. Rats who received good maternal care were less anxious and stressed as adults compared to those with poor maternal care. This showed the long-term impacts of early life relationships.
C: There have been research studies on infant-maternal relationships and attachment styles. For instance, Dr. Neil Bowlby did studies on how the quality of care from mothers can influence stress responses and anxiety levels in rats throughout their lifetime. Rats who received good maternal care were less anxious and stressed as adults compared to those with poor maternal care. This showed the long-term impacts of early life relationships.
The rat study:
> The study used genetically anxious rats bred to be highly stress-sensitive.
> The baby rats were cross-fostered, meaning raised by mothers other than their biological mothers.
> Rats raised by “good” mothers who exhibited nurturing behaviors like licking and arching their backs ended up less anxious as adults compared to peers, based on stress hormone levels.
> The effects lasted their whole lives, showing the lifelong impact of early maternal care.
> The professor explained this may be due to DNA methylation changes caused by the maternal behaviors influencing how genes related to stress and anxiety get expressed.
> Good moms do a lot of licking and grooming as well as a lot of arched-back nursing
> A pup that is raised by an anxious, low-nurturing mother becomes an anxious adult
> A pup that is raised by a relaxed, high-nurturing mother becomes a relaxed adult
What is DNA Methylation?
A: A process where methyl groups attach to strands of DNA. This has the effect of “silencing” that strand of DNA. In the rat study, the maternal behaviors likely influenced DNA methylation patterns in the offspring, leading to methyl groups attaching to parts of the DNA that code for anxiety and stress responses, thereby reducing the expression of those traits. DNA methylation was presented as one mechanism through which early life experiences can get embedded into our biology and influence our stress responses long-term.
B: DNA Methylation is a process where methyl groups attach to strands of DNA, but it has no impact on gene expression or “silencing.” This biological process is irrelevant to the regulation of genetic traits, and there is no connection between DNA methylation and the expression of anxiety or stress responses.
C: DNA Methylation is a reversible process that enhances gene expression rather than “silencing” DNA. Methyl groups attach to DNA to promote the expression of traits related to anxiety and stress responses. The rat study’s findings on DNA methylation are inaccurately represented, and it has no role in embedding early life experiences into our biology.
A: A process where methyl groups attach to strands of DNA. This has the effect of “silencing” that strand of DNA. In the rat study, the maternal behaviors likely influenced DNA methylation patterns in the offspring, leading to methyl groups attaching to parts of the DNA that code for anxiety and stress responses, thereby reducing the expression of those traits. DNA methylation was presented as one mechanism through which early life experiences can get embedded into our biology and influence our stress responses long-term.
How is DNA Methylation related to Epigenetics?
A: DNA Methylation is a random process that is not influenced by external experiences or behaviors. It has no connection to epigenetics, and external factors do not impact gene expression through DNA methylation. The idea that nurturing maternal behaviors can be transferred across generations through DNA methylation is unfounded.
B: External experiences and behaviors from the mother rat could influence DNA methylation patterns and gene expression in the offspring without changing the underlying DNA sequence implying an epigenetic mechanism. This showed how nurturing maternal behaviors get transferred across generations in a way that is not strictly genetic.
C: Epigenetics is solely determined by genetic factors and has no association with DNA methylation. External experiences and behaviors, such as those of the mother rat, have no impact on DNA methylation patterns or gene expression in offspring. The concept of nurturing maternal behaviors being transmitted across generations through epigenetic mechanisms is unsupported.
B: External experiences and behaviors from the mother rat could influence DNA methylation patterns and gene expression in the offspring without changing the underlying DNA sequence implying an epigenetic mechanism. This showed how nurturing maternal behaviors get transferred across generations in a way that is not strictly genetic.
Define attachment style:
A: Attachment style refers to temporary patterns of interaction between infants and their caregivers, mainly the mother, which change as the child grows older. These patterns have no lasting impact on relationships in adulthood, and attachment styles do not remain stable throughout life.
B: Patterns of attachment that develop between infants and their caregivers, usually the mother, around one year of age. Attachment styles tend to remain stable throughout life and also influence relationships in adulthood. She mentioned the main styles are secure attachment and insecure attachment (which includes avoidant and anxious styles).
C: Attachment style is exclusively determined by genetic factors and has no connection to interactions between infants and caregivers. The concept of secure and insecure attachment styles is a simplification and does not accurately reflect the complex nature of early relationship dynamics.
B: Patterns of attachment that develop between infants and their caregivers, usually the mother, around one year of age. Attachment styles tend to remain stable throughout life and also influence relationships in adulthood. She mentioned the main styles are secure attachment and insecure attachment (which includes avoidant and anxious styles).
Describe the “Secure” attachment style:
A: “Secure” attachment style is characterized by a fear of getting close to others and discomfort depending on them. Individuals with this attachment style constantly worry about being abandoned and fear someone getting too close to them.
B: “Secure” attachment style involves avoiding close relationships with others and feeling uncomfortable when depending on them or having them depend on you. Individuals with this attachment style are always concerned about being abandoned and resist getting too close to others.
C: “I find it relatively easy to get close to others and am comfortable depending on them and having them depend on me. I don’t worry about being abandoned or about someone getting too close to me.”
C: “I find it relatively easy to get close to others and am comfortable depending on them and having them depend on me. I don’t worry about being abandoned or about someone getting too close to me.”
- You can change your attachment styles throughout your life
Describe the “Insecure/Avoidant” attachment style:
A: “I am somewhat uncomfortable being close to others; I find it difficult to trust them completely, difficult to allow myself to depend on them. I am nervous when anyone gets too close, and often, others want me to be more intimate than I feel comfortable being.”
B: “Insecure/Avoidant” attachment style is characterized by feeling completely comfortable being close to others, trusting them fully, and having no difficulty depending on them. Individuals with this attachment style welcome intimacy and often wish others would be more intimate than they currently are.
C: “Insecure/Avoidant” attachment style involves being extremely comfortable being close to others, trusting them completely, and having no issues depending on them. Individuals with this attachment style never feel nervous when others get too close and actively seek more intimacy in their relationships.
A: “I am somewhat uncomfortable being close to others; I find it difficult to trust them completely, difficult to allow myself to depend on them. I am nervous when anyone gets too close, and often, others want me to be more intimate than I feel comfortable being.”
- You can change your attachment styles throughout your life
