Health Psych Textbook Final

Psychoneuroimmunology, Eating Behaviors, Disordered Eating, Changing Health Behaviors, Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer, and SES/Health Disparities.

acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)

Progressive impairment of the immune system by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); a diagnosis of AIDS is made on the basis of the presence of one or more specific opportunistic infections or a very low CD4 cell count.

human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

The virus that is implicated in the development of AIDS.

psychoneuroimmunology

Study of the interactions among behavioral, neuroendocrine, and immunological processes of adaptation.

type 1 diabetes

An autoimmune disorder characterized by lack of insulin production by the beta cells of the pancreas

addiction

The state of physical or psychological dependence on a substance that develops when that substance is used over a period of time.

alcoholism

The state of physical addiction to alcohol that manifests through such symptoms as stereotyped drinking, drinking to maintain blood alcohol at a particular level, increasing frequency and severity of withdrawal, drinking early in the day and in the middle of the night, a sense of loss of control over drinking, and a subjective craving for alcohol.

anorexia nervosa

A condition produced by excessive dieting and exercise that yields body weight grossly below optimal level, most common among adolescent girls.

bulimia

An eating syndrome characterized by alternating cycles of binge eating and purging through such techniques as vomiting and extreme dieting.

binge eating disorder

A serious eating disorder involving frequently consuming large amounts of food and feeling unable to stop eating.

bingeing

A pattern of disordered eating that consists of episodes of uncontrollable eating. During such binges, a person rapidly consumes an excessive amount of food.

controlled drinking

Training in discriminating blood alcohol level so as to control the extent of drinking; may also include coping skills for dealing with situations that are high risk for high alcohol consumption; see also placebo drinking.

craving

A strong desire to engage in a behavior or consume a substance, such as alcohol or tobacco, which appears, in part, to occur through the conditioning of physical dependence on environmental cues associated with the behavior.

detoxification

The process of withdrawing from alcohol, usually conducted in a supervised, medically monitored setting.

obesity

An excessive accumulation of body fat, believed to contribute to a variety of health disorders, including cardiovascular disease.

secondhand smoke (or passive smoking)

Smoke that is unintentionally inhaled by nonsmokers as a result of exposure to smokers; believed to cause health problems such as bronchitis, emphysema, and lung cancer.

physical dependence

A state in which the body has adjusted to the use of a substance, incorporating it into the body’s normal functioning.

placebo drinking

The consumption of nonalcoholic beverages in social situations in which others are drinking alcohol.

problem drinking

Uncontrolled drinking that leads to social, psychological, and biomedical problems resulting from alcohol; the problem drinker may show some signs associated with alcoholism, but typically, problem drinking is considered to be a prealcoholic or a lesser alcoholic syndrome.

set point theory of weight

The concept that each individual has an ideal biological weight that cannot be greatly modified.

smoking prevention programs

Programs designed to keep people from beginning to smoke, as opposed to programs that attempt to induce people to stop once they have already become smokers.

stress eating

Eating in response to stress; approximately half the population increases eating in response to stress.

tolerance

The process by which the body increasingly adapts to a substance, requiring larger and larger doses of it to obtain the same effects; a frequent characteristic of substance abuse, including alcohol and drug abuse.

withdrawal

Unpleasant physical and psychological symptoms that people experience when they stop using a substance on which they have become physically dependent; symptoms include anxiety, craving, hallucinations, nausea, headaches, and shaking.

yo-yo dieting

The process of chronically alternating between dieting and regular eating, leading to successive weight gains and losses; over time, yo-yo dieters increase their chances of becoming obese by altering their underlying metabolism.

abstinence violation effect

A feeling of loss of control that results when one has violated self-imposed rules, such as not to smoke or drink.

assertiveness training

Techniques that train people how to be appropriately assertive in social situations; often included as part of health behavior modification programs, on the assumption that some poor health habits, such as excessive alcohol consumption or smoking, develop in part to control difficulties in being appropriately assertive.

at risk

A state of vulnerability to a particular health problem by virtue of heredity, health practices, or family environment.

behavioral assignments

Home practice activities that clients perform on their own as part of an integrated therapeutic intervention for behavior modification.

classical conditioning

The pairing of a stimulus with an unconditioned reflex, such that over time the new stimulus acquires a conditioned response, evoking the same behavior; the process by which an automatic response is conditioned to a new stimulus.

cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)

The use of principles from learning theory to modify the cognitions and behaviors associated with a behavior to be modified; cognitive–behavioral approaches are used to modify poor health habits, such as smoking, poor diet, and alcoholism.

cognitive restructuring

A method of modifying internal monologues in stress-producing situations; clients are trained to monitor what they say to themselves in stress-provoking situations and then to modify their cognitions in adaptive ways.

contingency contracting

A procedure in which an individual forms a contract with another person, such as a therapist, detailing what rewards or punishments are contingent on the performance or nonperformance of a target behavior.

discriminative stimulus

An environmental stimulus that is capable of eliciting a particular behavior; for example, the sight of food may act as a discriminative stimulus for eating.

fear appeals

Efforts to change attitudes by arousing fear to induce the motivation to change behavior; fear appeals are used to try to get people to change poor health habits.

health behaviors

Behaviors undertaken by people to enhance or maintain their health, such as exercise or the consumption of a healthy diet.

health belief model

A theory of health behaviors; the model predicts that whether a person practices a particular health habit can be understood by knowing the degree to which the person perceives a personal health threat and the perception that a particular health practice will be effective in reducing that threat.

health habit

A health-related behavior that is firmly established and often performed automatically, such as buckling a seat belt or brushing one’s teeth.

health locus of control

The perception that one’s health is under personal control; is controlled by powerful others, such as physicians; or is determined by external factors, including chance.

health promotion

A general philosophy maintaining that health is a personal and collective achievement; the process of enabling people to increase control over and improve their health. Health promotion may occur through individual efforts, through interaction with the medical system, and through a concerted health policy effort.

lifestyle rebalancing

Concerted lifestyle change in a healthy direction, usually including exercise, stress management, and a healthy diet; believed to contribute to relapse prevention after successful modification of a poor health habit, such as smoking or alcohol consumption.

modeling

Learning gained from observing another person performing a target behavior.

operant conditioning

The pairing of a voluntary, nonautomatic behavior with a new stimulus through reinforcement or punishment.

primary prevention

Measures designed to combat risk factors for illness before an illness has a chance to develop.

relapse prevention

A set of techniques designed to keep people from relapsing to prior poor health habits after initial successful behavior modification; includes training in coping skills for high-risk-for-relapse situations and lifestyle rebalancing.

relaxation training

Procedures that help people relax; include progressive muscle relaxation and deep breathing; may also include guided imagery and forms of meditation or hypnosis.

self-control

A state in which an individual desiring to change behavior learns how to modify the antecedents and the consequences of that target behavior.

self-determination theory (SDT)

The theory that autonomous motivation and perceived competence are fundamental to behavior change.

self-efficacy

The perception that one is able to perform a particular action.

self-monitoring

Assessing the frequency, antecedents, and consequences of a target behavior to be modified; also known as self-observation.

self-regulation

The conscious and unconscious ways in which people control their own actions, emotions, and thoughts.

self-reinforcement

Systematically rewarding oneself to increase or strengthen a target behavior.

self-talk

Internal monologues; people tell themselves things that may undermine or help them implement appropriate health habits, such as “I can stop smoking” (positive self-talk) or “I’ll never be able to do this” (negative self-talk).

social engineering

Social or lifestyle change through legislation; for example, water purification is done through social engineering rather than by individual efforts.

social skills training

Techniques that teach people how to relax and interact comfortably in social situations; often a part of health behavior modification programs, on the assumption that maladaptive health behaviors, such as alcohol consumption or smoking, may develop in part to control social anxiety.

socialization

The process by which people learn the norms, rules, and beliefs associated with their family and society; parents and social institutions are usually the major agents of socialization.

stimulus-control interventions

Interventions designed to modify behavior that involve the removal of discriminative stimuli that evoke a behavior targeted for change and the substitution of new discriminative stimuli that will evoke a desired behavior.

teachable moment

The idea that certain times are more effective for teaching particular health practices than others; pregnancy constitutes a teachable moment for getting women to stop smoking.

theory of planned behavior

Derived from the theory of reasoned action, a theoretical viewpoint maintaining that a person’s behavioral intentions and behaviors can be understood by knowing the person’s attitudes toward the behavior, subjective norms regarding the behavior, and perceived behavioral control over that action.

transtheoretical model of behavior change

An analysis of the health behavior change process that draws on the stages and processes people go through in order to bring about successful long-term behavior change. The stages include precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. Successful attitude or behavior change at each stage depends on the appropriateness of the intervention. For example, attitude-change materials help move people from precontemplation to contemplation, whereas relapse prevention techniques help move people from action to maintenance.

window of vulnerability

The fact that, at certain times, people are more vulnerable to particular health problems. For example, early adolescence constitutes a window of vulnerability for beginning smoking, drug use, and alcohol abuse.

cardiac invalidism

A psychological state that can result after a myocardial infarction or diagnosis of coronary heart disease, consisting of the perception that a patient’s abilities and capacities are lower than they actually are; both patients and their spouses are vulnerable to these misperceptions.

cardiac rehabilitation

An intervention program designed to help heart patients achieve their optimal physical, medical, psychological, social, emotional, vocational, and economic status after the diagnosis of heart disease or a heart attack.

cardiovascular disease (CVD)

Chronically high blood pressure resulting from too much blood passing through too narrow vessels.

coronary heart disease (CHD)

A general term referring to illnesses caused by atherosclerosis, which is the narrowing of the coronary arteries, the vessels that supply the heart with blood.

hypertension

Excessively high blood pressure that occurs when the supply of blood through the blood vessels is excessive, putting pressure on the vessel walls; a risk factor for a variety of medical problems, including coronary heart disease.

metabolic syndrome

A pattern of risk factors for the chronic health problems of diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension, characterized by obesity, a high waist-to-hip ratio, and insulin resistance. Metabolic syndrome is exacerbated by inactivity, overeating, age, and hostility.

stroke

A condition that results from a disturbance in blood flow to the brain, often marked by resulting physical or cognitive impairments and, in the extreme, death.

Type 2 diabetes

A metabolic disorder characterized by high blood glucose in the context of insulin resistance; often co-occurs with risk for heart disease.