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Psych 10 > Module 38-9 Health Psychology > Flashcards

Module 38-9 Health Psychology Flashcards

(51 cards)

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1
Q

health psychology

A

the aggregate of the specific educational, scientific, and profession contribution of the discipline of psychology to the promotion and maintenance of health, the promotion and treatment of illness and related dysfunction

includes effects of emotions, personality, attitudes, behaviors, responses to stress

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2
Q

topics of study in health psychology (behavioral medicine)

A
  • phases of stress response and adaptation
  • how stress and health are affected by:
    appraisal of stressors
    severity of stressors
    personality types
    perceived control
    emotion or problem focus
    optimism
    social support
    exercise
    relaxation
    religious faith and participation
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3
Q

biomedical vs biopsychosocial model

A

biomedical – what biologically caused the illness

biopsychosocial – how did other environmental factors cause this illness

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4
Q

biomedical model

A

reductionist: explains illness by simplest possible process (e.g. disordered cell growth in tumors)

single-factor causes: looks for one cause instead of many causes

focuses on illness (not health)

people are not responsible for illness

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5
Q

biopsychosocial model

A

holistic: looks at all levels of explanation from micro-level (e.g. biochemical changes in the body) to macro-level (the culture or environment you live in)

focuses on multi-factorial model: assumes that health and illness have many causes and is very complex

does not focus exclusively on illness but instead emphasizes health as on a continuum

people’s behavior and lifestyle shape their health, not solely predetermined and that instead you can change your behavior

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6
Q

why zebras don’t get ulcers (fight or flight)

A

like in the animal kingdom, humans have the same cortisol effect but in response to non-life-threatening stress

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7
Q

stress

A

refers to the process of appraising and responding to events which we considering threatening or challenging

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8
Q

stressor

A

event or condition which we view as threatening, challenging, or overwhelming

ex: poverty, explosion, psychology test, cold, being in a plane, loud noises

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9
Q

appraisal

A

refers to deciding whether to view something as a stressor

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10
Q

stress reaction

A

refers to any emotional and physical responses to the stressor such as rapid heartbeat, elevated cortisol levels, and crying

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11
Q

components of stress

A
  • process in which you participate
  • includes stressor, cognitive appraisal, body response, and coping strategies
  • advantages to breaking “stress” into these components is that we can see options for altering each of these different factors
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12
Q

stress in america study (APA)

A
    • all generations (ages) are experiencing similar levels of stress
    • differences in managing stress between generations
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13
Q

inherently and universally stressful conditions

A

extreme, chronic physical threats or challenges (such as noise or starvation)

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14
Q

benefits of BRIEF stress experiences

A
  • improves immune system response
  • motivates action
  • focuses priorities
  • feelings of engagement, energized, satisfied
  • provides challenges that encourages growth, knowledge, and self-esteem
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15
Q

harmful effects of extreme or prolonged stress

A
  • mental and physical coping systems become overwhelmed and defeated rather than strengthened
  • immune functioning and other health factors decline because of damage
  • key factor is whether there is a chance for recovery and healing
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16
Q

stressors

A

the events and conditions that trigger our stress response, because theya re perceived/apraised as overwhelmingly challenging, threatening, and/or harmful

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17
Q

spectrum of levels of intensity and persistence of stressors (or 4 categories)

A
  • catastrophes
  • significant life changes
  • chronic daily hassles
  • low social status/power
  • text focuses on the first three
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18
Q

stressor: catastrophic events/conditions

A
    • appraisal is not essential in a catastrophic event: most people agee that the event is harmful and overwhelming
  • ex: hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, war/combat, wildfires
  • can be one single event or chronic harmful conditions
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19
Q

effects of catastrophic events/conditions

A

short term: increased heart attacks on the day of the event

long term: depression, nightmares, anxiety, flashbacks

bonding: both the trauma and the recovery are with others

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20
Q

effects of what are considered “happy” life changes: marriage, starting college/job, birth/adoption

A
  • change is challenging

- new roles, priorities, tasks, can put strain on coping resources

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21
Q

life change negative impact on health

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A
  • increases when
    a) changes are painful, such as death in family, loss of job, heart attack
    b) changes are in a cluster, and there are too many at once
22
Q

causes of chronic daily difficulty

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A
  • too many tasks, too little time, too little control

- lack of social power and freedom (bullying, poverty, oppressive political conditions)

23
Q

body’s stress response system: phase 1

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A

“fight or flight”

  • sympathetic nervous system responds, reducing pain and increasing heart rate
  • core of adrenal glands produces norepinephrine and epinephrine (adrenaline)
24
Q

body’s stress response system: phase 2

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A

“resistance”

brain sends signals to outer part of the adrenal glands to produce cortisol and other stress hormones, which focus on planning adaptive coping strategies and resisting defeat by the stressor

25
body's stress response system: phase 3
exhaustion
26
General Adaptation Syndrome [GAS]
- defense, then fatigue of stress response system over time - phase 1: mobilization of resources, alarm reaction - phase 2: resistance (coping with stressor) - phase 3: exhaustion (reserves depleted)
27
effects of prolonged stress on brain cells
- production of new neurons declines - neural circuits int eh brain break down - DNA telomeres shorten, cells lose ability to divide, cells die, tissue stops regenerating, early aging and death
28
female stress response
- "tend and befriend" : nurture themeselves and others, and bond together - bonding hormone oxytocin (love hormone) - bheaviorla and neurological signs of becoming more empathetic uner stress
29
male stress response
- social withdrawal, numbing with alcohol - more likely to become aggressive under stress - less empathy and less tuning in to others under stress
30
stress and couple coregulation
- couples may regulate each other's stress hormone levels | - hormone syncing during pregnancy (cortisol levels) and from spending lots of time together with someone
31
psychoneuroimmunology
the study of how interacting psychological, neural, and endocrine processes affect health
32
psychophysiological illness
previously known as psychosomatic | - a real illness caused in part by psychological factors such as the experience of stress
33
immune response (w/o stress)
- B lymphocytes for bacteria - T lymphocytes for virus, cancer, other foreign substances - macrophages for harmful intruders/worn-out cell - natural killer (NK) cells for diseased/infected cells that need to be cleared out
34
psychoneuroimmunology (how each part functions)
psychological factors: appraisal, thoughts, and feelings neurological factors: brain signals engaging the stress response system immunology: stress hormone exposure which suppresses the immune system
35
stress --> illness pathway
``` stressors appraisal thoughts feelings brain signals hormonal action immune suppression risk of illness ```
36
impact of stress on catching a cold
- those experiencing stress more likely to catch a cold | - tradeoff between stress response and immune response may help our bodies focus energy on managing stress
37
stress vs AIDS and Cancer
- exposure to stress worsens the development of AIDS in those exposed to HIV due to suppressed immune response - reducing stress slows progression of AIDS - stress may weaken the body's defenses against the replication and spread of malignant cells
38
coronary heart/artery disease
the blood vessels that provide oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle itself become clogged, narrowed and closed
39
factors leading to heart disease
biological: genetic disposition to high blood pressure and high cholesterol behavioral: smoking, inactivity, high-fat diet psychological: chronic stress, and personality styes that worsen the experience of stress
40
type A personality & stress vs heart disease
in one study, heart attacks only struck people with Type A traits
41
type A personality
impatient, verbally aggressive, always pushing themselves and others to achieve
42
type B personality
more relaxed and go with the flow
43
pessimism
refers to assumption that negative outcomes will happen, and often facing them by complaining and/or giving up
44
pessimism and heart disease
- men who are generally pessimistic are more likely to develop heart disease within ten years than optimists - benefits are anticipation and planning to prevent or cope with negative events
45
depression vs heart disease
both are caused by excessive inflammation due to chronic stress
46
effects of chronic stress and high cortisol
- headaches, high blood pressure, inflammation - immune suppression - heart disease - bad fat
47
methods to reduce stress and improve health
- address stressors - soothe emotions - increase one's sense of control over stressors - exchange pessimism for optimism - get social support - aerobic exercise - relaxation and meditation - participation in communities of faith - alternative medicine
48
problem-focused coping
reducing the stressors, such as by working out a conflict, or tackling a difficult project risk: magnifying emotional distress, especially if trying to change something that's difficult to change (ie another person's traits)
49
cortisol
steroid hormone released in response to stress
50
religion and stress
indirect through positive social interaction and support -- optimism and having faith
51
stress coping (emotion focused)
address your emotion might make you feel better but you're not addressing the actual problem

Psych 10 (9 decks)

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