Using Health Services

Question 1

What factors influence our recognition of symptoms

Answer 1

Hypochondriasis and Neuroticism, attentional differences, situational factors, stress levels

Question 2

Hypochondriasis and prevalence in general population

Answer 2

Mental disorder involving preoccupation with/anxiety over illness or disease. 1-5% of general population

Question 3

Neuroticism

Answer 3

Personality trait characterized by negative emotions/anxiety

Question 4

Attentional differenences and symptom recognition

Answer 4

Higher internal focus = higher likelihood of recognizing symptoms. Higher external focus = lower likelihood

Question 5

Factors that increase external focus

Answer 5

Career engagement, lively social life, having a family

Question 6

Situational factors and recognizing symptoms

Answer 6

More likely to recognize symptoms in low-arousal situations becuase one is not “caught up in the moment”

Question 7

Salience of medical content/engagement

Answer 7

Increases one’s likelihood of recognizing symptoms - e.g. “Medical Student’s Disease”

Question 8

Stress and recognizing symptoms

Answer 8

Cyclic. More stress = more likely to recognize symptoms, which will likely cause more stress

Question 9

What 3 factors influence one’s interpretation of symptoms?

Answer 9

Prior experience, expectations, and seriousness of symtoms

Question 10

*Common Sense Model of Illness

Answer 10

Illness representations occupy one’s mind based on their experiences, socialization, and media. Representations may be accurate or inaccurate and even contradictory

Question 11

Common modesl of illness

Answer 11

Acute, chronic, cyclic

Question 12

*Lay Referral Network

Answer 12

Social network of individuals we seek guidance from after noticing symptoms. Often includes significant others, parents, friends, etc

Question 13

Age of most health service usage

Answer 13

Children and elderly

Question 14

Why does use of health services drop off in adolescense and young adulthood?

Answer 14

High engagement with life activities (school, work, family), most robust in immunity in these stages of life, often no full-time caregiver to persuade one to use healthcare

Question 15

Which gender is more likely to use health services? Why (4 reasons)?

Answer 15

Women - increased use is due to: pregnancy and childbirth, higher sensitivity to bodily disruptions, men are more “macho,” women require more specialized visits

Question 16

Link between SES and Use of Health Services

Answer 16

Low SES = less likely to use health services due to lack of access and high cost

Question 17

Per capita spending on health services in the US compared to other countries

Answer 17

WAY higher in the US compared to any other country. US: $11.9k; Switzerland (second highest): $7.1k

Question 18

Life expectancy in the US compared to other OECD countries

Answer 18

79 years; US is 26th out of 35 of the OECD countries (bad!!)

OECD = Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development

Question 19

Cultural Factors (5) and Use of Health Services

Answer 19

1. Culture of honor ideology (neg impact)
2. Strict gender roles (neg impact)
3. Language barriers (neg impact)
4. Relgious practices (varies, so pos OR neg impact)
5. Trust in healthcare professionals (varies, so pos OR neg impact)

Question 20

Trust in physicians and hospitals - differences between white and black people

Answer 20

Physicians: white - 80% trust, black - 43% trust

Hospitals: white = 74% trust, black - 61% trust

Question 21

Tuskegee Syphilis Study

Answer 21

70-year study on black population in Tuskegee, AL concerning untreated syphilis. Involved deception of subjects and witholding treatment for no legitimate justification

Question 22

Social factors and use of health services (list 5)

Answer 22

Socialization, perceptions of threat, perceived barriers, perceived benefits, peer support

Question 23

Rate of seeking physicians’ services when the issues are primarily psychological. What two disorders are the main culprits?

Answer 23

Up to 2 in 3. Main culprits: anxiety and depression

Question 24

List three reasons for seeking out health services for non-physical reasons

Answer 24

Prospect of rest or time off. Possible care and attention from others. Shleter (in the event of homelessness or domestic violence).