Week 9 - Social Cure

Question 1

What negative health outcomes are reduced by community integration? (x6)

Answer 1

Colds
Heart attacks
Strokes
Cancer
Depression
Premature death of all sorts

Question 2

What evidence supports the large effect size of joining groups? (x2)

Answer 2

Belong to no groups, but join one, cut risk of dying in next year in half
Toss up statistically whether to quit smoking or start joining

Question 3

What are five factors of the Social Cure?

Answer 3

Social determinants of health and well-being
Self-categorisation and health
Connectedness, social identification and health
Multiple group memberships and health
Socia cure interventions - fostering group life and health

Question 4

What is the epidemiology of the mental health burden in Australian society? (x6)

Answer 4

20% of Australians in any 12 month period
Leading cause of disability
Most common are: 
Posttraumatic stress disorder 6.4%
Major depressive disorder 6.2%
Substance abuse 5.1%

Question 5

Give three examples of biological factors in the biopsychological model of health and functioning

Answer 5

Family history
Genetic mutations
Brain chemistry - neurotransmitters

Question 6

Give three examples of individual difference factors in the biopsychological model of health and functioning

Answer 6

Cognitive style
Personality
Life stressors

Question 7

Give three examples of sociocultural factors in the biopsychological model of health and functioning

Answer 7

Nationality
Age group
Profession

Question 8

What is missing from the biopsychological model of health and malfunctioning? (x1)
At what level of analysis? (x2)

Answer 8

Group processes
After sociocultural factors
Preceding individual differences

Question 9

How are social identities unique among levels of the biopsychological model of health and malfunctioning? (x2)

Answer 9

They sit at the interplay of macro- and micro-level factors

ie, can explain both

Question 10

What advantages does a social/group identity approach offer over biomedical approaches to health? (x5)

Answer 10

Can provide solutions that:
are more cost-effective
are less stigmatizing
allow for better access to treatment
enhance compliance (while reducing relapse)
are based on increasing body of evidence

Question 11

What is the outcome of living, and evolving to function, in social groups? (x2)

Answer 11

Substantial part of our self/identity (who we think we are) derives from those group memberships — our sense of social identity
ie points of similarity and difference with others help define ourselves

Question 12

Incorporating principles from social identity theory and self-categorisation theory, the social identity approach holds the self to be… (x2)

Answer 12

A context-dependent category

That can be defined at different levels of abstraction

Question 13

Describe the main premises of the social identity approach (x7)

Answer 13

To extent that self is defined by group membership, behaviour is shaped by perspective/interests of that ingroup
Qualitative difference between behaviour that is based on personal and social identity
To extent that social identity is salient, perceptions align with ingroup,
And reciprocal influences present.
Accentuation and assimilation =
Us/them dynamics
Social identities have intra- and intergroup elements

Question 14

What five conclusions (outlined in the Social Cure) support the key role of social identity in health and well-being?

Answer 14

Is a determinant of symptom appraisals and responses 
Health-related norms and behaviour,
And clinical outcomes 
Is a basis for social support 
And coping resource

Question 15

What three questions are addressed by self-categorisation theory?

Answer 15

When do we define ourselves as group members rather than as individuals?
What determines which group memberships define our sense of self in any given context?
What are the consequences of self-definition in group-based terms?

Question 16

What two findings of Levine and Reicher (1996) suggest that the social identity that defines my sense of self determines what a given symptom means and what I do about it?

Answer 16

Female PE students perceive facial scar to be more serious than knee injury (and are more likely to seek medical advice) if define themselves as women vs sports people
But see knee injury as more serious if define themselves as sports people vs women

Question 17

Describe the Transactional Model of Stress (Lazarus and Folkman 1984) (x4)

Answer 17

Points to importance of perceptions and interpretation
Suggests stress depends on appraisal of stressors
Primary appraisal: Is this stressful? Depends on construal
Secondary appraisal: Can I cope? Depends on resources (e.g., support)

Question 18

Despite being influential, what is missing from transactional approaches to stress? (x3)
Indicating that there is a need for… (x1)

Answer 18

Social dimensions, ie
Primary appraisal not just dependant on info (sometimes info has ‘boomerang’ effects — e.g., ‘don’t panic!’)
Secondary appraisal not just dependant on support (sometimes support has no/negative impact)
A more social psychological theory

Question 19

What hypotheses regarding stress appraisal arise from the social identity approach? (x5 points, x3 hypotheses)

Answer 19

When shared social identity is salient, should impact on primary and secondary appraisal

Primary: Is this stressful?
To extent that social identity is salient, appraisal determined by implications for group rather than self

Secondary appraisal: Is it possible to cope?
To extent that social identity is salient, appraisal determined by resources and condition of the group (and its capacity to provide support) rather than self

Question 20

What was involved in Haslam, Jetten, O’Brien, & Jacobs (2004) experiment into whether self-categorisation affected stress appraisals? (x4)
Finding? (x2)

Answer 20

Modification of classic transactional study
Students told that maths task is challenging or stressful
By person described as ingroup (fellow student), or outgroup member (stress sufferer)
Measured self-reported stress during task
Similar levels when told by outgroup member
But higher for stressful message by ingroup
and lower for challenging.

Question 21

What was measured in Haslam, O’Brien, Jetten, Vormedal, & Penna (2005) quasi-experimental study into whether self-categorisation affect stress appraisals? (x1)
Finding? (x2)

Answer 21

Perceived stressfulness of work of bar staff and bomb disposal officers, by those groups
Bar staff thought bar work pretty stressful, but bomb work twice so
Bomb workers saw bar work as roughly same stress, but bomb work half so

Question 22

What evidence suggests that social group membership as an ‘oldie’ can have negative effects? (x3)

Answer 22

When one’s old age, or memory component of task is salient, memory performance declines
Effects of underperformance linger long after people have left a negatively stereotyped environment
Underperformance can lead to misdiagnosis with significant negative consequences

Question 23

What was involved in Haslam, Morton, & Haslam, Varnes (2012) study of age-related self-categorisation (x5)

Answer 23

Adults 60-70 yo
No significant trauma, illness, mood disturbance, or progressive condition
Baseline Test of Cognitive performance - similar in all conditions
2 x 2: Self-Categorisation - younger vs. older person, and beliefs about cognitive effects of ageing - general abilities vs. specific (memory)
Measured WMS-III Memory for stories, and ACE-R dementia screener

Question 24

What were the findings in Haslam, Morton, Haslam, Varnes (2012) study of age-related self-categorisation (x6)

Answer 24

Self-categorisation and the identity content both matter
Memory similar in younger conditions,
But reduced in older, and by half again for specific memory condition
General ability the same in younger conditions (none meet dementia criteria),
But reduced in olders (14% meet criteria),
And by half again in general condition (72% meet criteria)

Question 25

What were the conclusions in Haslam, Morton, Haslam, Varnes (2012) study of age-related self-categorisation (x2)
With the implications being that… (x4)

Answer 25

Cognitive performance is not fixed but highly variable
Cognitive performance is contingent on group-related beliefs and expectations

Significant practical implications (e.g., concerning the evaluation of performance such as in the case of diagnosis of dementia)
Cognitive health is determined by:
Self-categorization (e.g. as older vs. younger person),
Associated expectations about social identity content (i.e., what is means to be one of ‘us’)

Question 26

What are three potential pitfalls of group membership?

Answer 26

When social identity is salient, individuals’ desire to contribute, and live up to/enforce group norms, may = jeopardised personal well-being (e.g., leading to exhaustion)
And that of others who don’t embody group norms (e.g., bullying of outgroup)
Strong identifiers may find failure to achieve group-defining goals particularly stressful

Question 27

What were the key findings of Ertel, Glaymour, Berman (2008) study of social integration and cognitive health? (x3)

Answer 27

16,000 older community residents followed for 6 years - memory decline halved among those with highest social integration
Effects stronger in disadvantaged populations (i.e., 12 or less years education with other risk-factors for memory related disease)
But limited insight into ways of operationalizing social integration

Question 28

What was involved in Wegge, van Dick, Fisher (2006) study of call centre workers social identification and health? (x4)
Finding? (x2)

Answer 28

Self-report of:
Identification with the organization
Motivation potential of work (MPS): autonomy and variety in work
Work motivation
Health - physical complaints, emotional exhaustion
Health complaints and exhaustion only reduced among high MPS,
When they were high identifiers

Question 29

What was involved in studies of Ps and members of an army unit, comparing social contact and social identification? (x5)
Finding? (x1)
With what implications? (x2)

Answer 29

Ps indicated:
Social identification with family/army
Social contact with family/army members,
Level of depression, 
Satisfaction with life, and 
Stress or job satisfaction

Social identification related to health outcomes, but contact wasn’t

Contact with others in absence of identification is not predictive of health
Health determined not merely by the extent to which people interact, but extent to which they identify with social group

Question 30

What percentage of European workers suffer poor mental health?
Across what dimensions is this harmful? (x3)

Answer 30

20%
Individuals (suffering and costs for treatment)
Organizations (sick benefits, turnover, and reduced performance)
Society (health expenditures)

Question 31

What are the positive and negative health impacts of social identification in organisations? (x3 and x3)

Answer 31

Provides people with sense of belonging meaning/purpose
Is basis for social support
Enhances collective self-efficacy

Leads to excessive involvement
Generates excessive demands/pressure to perform
Promotes working long hours

Question 32

What are the general findings of Steffens, Haslam, Schuh, Jetten, van Dick meta-analysis of extent to which social identification at work lead to exhaustion or invigoration? (x3)
Concluding… (x1)

Answer 32

Identification with groups at work has significant invigorating (rather than exhausting) impact on health in the workplace
Shown by both correlational and experimental / longitudinal studies - directionality
And in measures of both psychological and physical health - biological/medical consequences

Fostering rather than undermining group life at work is likely to promote well-being in the workplace

Question 33

What was involved in Cruwys, Dingle, Haslam, Hallam (2013) study of whether it’s possible to predict depression from number of groups? (x3)
Finding? (x2)
Concluding? (x1)

Answer 33

English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA)
N=4087, aged 50+ years (339 depressed)
Depressive symptoms at T3 reduced among those depressed at T1,
In line with number of groups at T2
Beyond standard socio-demographic variables, having multiple (rather than few) group memberships is a significant protective factor of people’s (mental) health