HE ED 321 Flashcards
(130 cards)
What sort of health problems are related to behaviour?
- Illness and chronic conditions
- Mental health issues
- addictions
- social and interpersonal problems
- financial issues
- environmental
Why don’t people just change their behaviours?
- stress makes it hard to think
- our emotions drive a lot of our behaviour
- we might lack knowledge or information
- we might not have the skills
- we might be motivated by other things
- we might not believe in the positive health behaviour
What are the key steps to behaviour change
- identify the problem
- identify the behaviour that needs to change
- Identify the theory based constructs on how a particular behaviour change technique might work in changing behaviour
- create an intervention to use that technique with a specific target population or individual
- evaluate the efficacy or effectiveness of the intervention
What is efficacy?
Does an intervention work in ideal circumstances ?
- sometimes pilot studies, lab-based, internally valid
What is effectiveness?
does an intervention work in the real world?
- more interested in this throughout the course
- often tested after efficacy has been established
List key health behaviours
- not smoking
- physical activity
- moderate (or no) alcohol consumption
- eating well
- sleep
What are the goals of health psychology?
To promote health and prevent illness
Study psychological aspects of prevention and treatment of illness
- what can we do to prevent illness
What is the focus of health psychology?
To understand etiological and diagnostic correlates of health, illness, and dysfunction
- what is causing them to participate in the behaviour that they participate in?
What is the priorities of health psychology?
Improve health by focusing on delivery systems and policy
- how are we delivering health information
What are individual processes?
perceptions, beliefs and behaviours that influence
- Biological processed, which influence health outcomes
This is a direct effect
- Health behaviours, which influence health outcomes
This is an indirect effect
What do social processes influence
Perceptions, beliefs and behaviours
- that influence health outcomes; indirect effect
Health care delivery
- that influences health outcomes; both direct and indirect
- policies can have an indirect effect on our health
What is epidemiology?
Is the study of the frequency, distribution, and causes of diseases in a population
- this includes both the physical and social environment
How is health psychology different from clinical psychology?
- clinical psychology is concerned with mental health (generally) and requires very specific training, certifications and licenses
- we are restricted to “most of the people most of the time”
- we do not attempt to deal with psychopathology
What are the foundations of health psychology?
- models of physiological function and adaptation clearly show that psychological and social factors influence physiological processes
e.g. stress induction, observations of pathology associated with different social strata - Clear evidence that behavioural factors are also associated with physiological processes
e.g. adherence to medications, lifestyle and health outcomes
What is behavioural psychology?
- That we can change the ‘conditions’ surrounding the performance of a behaviour and the behaviour will change
classical behaviourism: reward/punishment
What is cognitive psychology?
That what we believe (to be ‘true’) influences both our behavioural and our health - representations of ‘reality’ influence our behaviours
What is social psychology?
That how we interact with other influences our physiological processes, our behaviours and our health
What is the combination of behavioural, cognitive, social and health psychology?
The biopsychosocial model
What systems are activated when a stressor presents itself?
- Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA)
- Sympathetic Autonomic Nervous system (Sympathetic adrenal medullary system; SAM)
What stress response does SAM have on the body?
- increased CV response
- Increased respiration
- Increased perspiration
- Increased blood flow to muscles
- increased muscle strength
- increased mental activity
What stress response does HPA have on the body?
- stimulated hormone production
- slower response that results in cortisol secretion
- suppressed immune system and increases BP
- provides a steady source of fuel to deal with stressful situations
What is acute stress?
something that is of short duration
- e.g. Car accident, being late, exam
daily hassled
it should not be ignored even if it may pertain to something small
What is chronic stress?
Things that are of long, and probably uncertain duration
- Relationship problems
- work demands
- financial stress
can make you sick
more likely to have other health issues
What is psychoneuroimmunology?
The association between psychological factors and susceptibility to infections
- how we handle our own stress has profound influences on your health