Psych 3121, Week 5: Health-Compromising Behaviours 2026

Health-compromising behaviours?

behaviours that undermine or harm our current or future health

Characteristics of health-compromising behaviours?

1. A window of vulnerability in adolescence; 2. Tied to peer culture and self-presentation; 3. Tend to be pleasurable (but also dangerous); 4. Development occurs gradually; 5. Predicted by similar factors; 6. Related to the larger social structures in which they occur

Substance use disorder?

happens when a person uses a substance repeatedly, which then causes that person to experience functional or clinical impairment

Risky use?

using a substance despite knowledge that it has health risks

Impaired control?

consuming a substance more often and in larger quantities than intended

Craving?

Strong desire to engage in a behaviour or consume a substance; results from physical dependence and a conditioning process (i.e., teaching the body to expect a reward)

Social impairment?

substance use interferes with social relationships

Tolerance?

The body increasingly adapts to the use of a substance, requiring larger and larger doses to obtain the same effects

Withdrawal?

unpleasant symptoms experienced when one stops using a substance on which they become dependent

Addiction?

Physically or psychologically dependent on a substance following use over a period of time

Harm reduction?

comes from a public health perspective, and supports focusing on the risks and consequences of substance use, rather than the use itself

Psychoactive substances?

drugs that impact cognitive and affective processes and can alter the way we behave when ingested

Alcohol use disorder?

occurs when problem drinking becomes severe

General alcohol use guidelines?

Women: 10 drinks/week (no more than 2/day). Men: 15 drinks/week (no more than 3/day)

Maturing out?

essentially, they just grow out of their problematic drinking behaviour and stop drinking on their own

Detoxification?

the process of withdrawing from alcohol

Broad-spectrum CBT (for alcohol use disorder)?

form of therapy that works to decrease the reinforcing properties of alcohol, teach new behaviours, modify the environment, and instill coping techniques to deal with stress/relapse

Contingency contracting?

agreeing to a costly outcome in the event of failure to abstain from alcohol

Placebo drinking?

consuming nonalcoholic beverages while others are drinking or alternating an alcoholic with a nonalcoholic beverage

Moderation Management?

a program based on the principles of goal-setting, self-monitoring, and self-control, and serves to help individuals decide if moderate drinking is a realistic and helpful option for them

Synergistic?

enhances the impact of other risk factors in compromising health

Puffers?

people who have tried a few puffs of a cigarette, but never finished a full one

Experimental users?

those who smoke five or fewer cigarettes per day

Social Influence Intervention?

intervention that draws on social learning principles of modeling and behavioural inoculation. It features older peer models who deliver anti-smoking messages after exposure to simulated peer pressure to smoke

Behavioural inoculation?

exposure to mild versions of persuasive pro-smoking communications lead to development of effective responses

Life-Skills Training Approach?

intervention that involves training in self-esteem and coping skills to increase self-image

Difference between eating disorder and disordered eating?

an eating disorder is a clinically diagnosed illness, while disordered eating involves patterns of eating that may be problematic and like those seen with eating disorders, but that have just not reached that clinical level

Anorexia nervosa (AN)?

an obsessive disorder that is characterized by excessive dieting and exercise

Bulimia?

an eating disorder characterized by alternative cycles of binge eating and then purging (either through vomiting, using laxatives, using certain drugs or alcohol, or dieting)

Negative urgency?

tendency to be impulsive in response to a bad mood

Predictors of anorexia nervosa?

Genetics regulating serotonin and dopamine, an overactive HPA axis, body image distortion, and family dynamics such as a competitive environment

First stage of anorexia treatment?

Getting the patient's weight back to a normal level, which is necessary to improve cognitive functioning before behavioral therapy can begin

Challenge to treating bulimia?

Many who suffer do not seek treatment because they do not view their behavior as a problem or don't believe treatment will help

Synergistic effects of smoking and stress?

Produces an increase in heart rate reactivity for men, and an increase in blood pressure for women

Social contagion process in smoking?

The phenomenon where nonsmokers have contact with regular smokers or "tryers," leading them to also try smoking

Causes of smoking relapse?

Being young, highly dependent on nicotine, having low self-efficacy, concerns about weight gain, and having more previous quit attempts

Windows of vulnerability for AUD?

Adolescence, when brains are more susceptible to alcohol, and middle age, when people turn to drinking to cope with stress

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) philosophy?

Maintains that alcohol use disorder is a disease that can never be cured, requiring a policy of 100% abstinence

University student AUD interventions?

Typical interventions are often ineffective because students do not see the behavior as a problem, so successful approaches focus instead on self-control and imposing limits

Examples of harm reduction?

Methadone maintenance for opioid addiction and needle exchange programs for intravenous drug users