ch 11: vocab terms

health psychology

integrates research on health/psychology, importance of lifestyle factors to physical health, promote health/well-being, health = absence of disease

well-being

positive state in which we feel our best, optimal health/life satisfaction, actively participate in health-enhancing behaviors

biopsychosocial model

health/illness = product of biological characteristics/behavioral factors/social conditions, thoughts/actions affect environments we choose to interact with--> affect biological underpinning of thoughts/actions

behavior contributes to leading causes of death

most likely die from causes that stem from behaviors which can we can learn to modify, lifestyle behaviors beginning childhood/teen years may decrease health/-->death

most common cause of death in US = heart disease (causes: obesity, smoking)

accidents, homicides = 2nd leading cause of death, suicide = 3rd

placebo effect

improvement in health attributed to inert drug/bogus treatment, validity is complicated (usually most illnesses improve even without treatment), must believe placebo will improve health for it to work, can't know it's a placebo, decreased anxiety, perception of sensory experiences (i.e. pain depends on context/expectations/thoughts about pain)

stress

pattern of behavioral/psychological/physiological responses to events that match/exceed an organism's ability to respond in a healthy way

positive/negative life changes are stressful (more changes = more stress), when we experience discrepancy between demands of situation/resources of our systems

stressor

environmental event/stimulus that threatens an organism

coping response

elicited by stressor, response made to avoid/escape from/minimize an aversive stimulus

eustress

stress of positive events

distress/duress

stress of negative events

major life stressors

changes/disruptions that strain central areas of people's lives, i.e. choices made by individuals not just things that happen to them

daily hassles

small, day-to-day irritations/annoyances, category of stressors, combined effects of daily hassles --> = major life stressors

hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis

complex chain of events activated by a stressor, hypothalamus = chemical message-->pituitary gland=ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone)-->bloodstream-->adrenal glands=cortisol (-->increases glucose in bloodstream) and epinephrine/norepinephrine (activate sympathetic nervous system) --- stress affects organs after stressor is removed (hormones = long-lasting effects) i.e. excessive stress affects working memory, chronic stress affects long term memory

fight-or-flight response

physiological preparations to deal with an attack, direct all energy dealing with threat at hand, HPA axis = efficient system because -->increased energy, increased HR, redistribution of blood supply from skin/viscera-->muscles/brain, deepened respiration, pupils dilate, inhibit gastric secretions, increase glucose released from liver

tend-and-befriend response

females respond to stress by protecting/caring for offspring and by forming alliances with social groups to reduce risks to individuals, evolutionary significance (protection, hiding more effective than fleeing), oxytocin

oxytocin

hormone important for mothers in bonding to newborns, produced in hypothalamus, released by pituitary gland, high in socially distressed women, biological basis for tend-and-befriend response?

immune system

mechanism for dealing/destroying with invading microorganisms, lymphatic structures, boosted by short term stress, weakened by chronic stress (underlying response activated too often/intensely-->impaired function, decreased lymphocyte production, greatest impact on immune system)

general adaptation syndrome

general pattern of nonspecific stress response

stages: alarm (emergency reaction, prepares body to flight/flee, physiological responses aimed at boosting physical abilities while reducing activities that make organism vulnerable to infection after injury, most likely exposed to disease/infection-->immune system kicks in)

resistance (defenses prepare for longer, sustained attack against stressor, immunity to infection/disease increases, maximize defenses)

exhaustion (variety of physiological/immune systems fail, already weak organs from before stress = 1st to fail)

nonspecific stress response

enlarged adrenal glands, damage to immune system, stomach ulcers --- reduce potential ability to resist additional stressors

psychoneuroimmunology

response of body's immune system to psychological variables

heart disease

leading cause of death for adults in industrialized world, lower rate in women than men but #1 killer of women

arteries narrow due to buildup of fatty deposits (plaque) as we age, pieces of plaque break off-->clots-->(block heart) heart attack or (block brain) stroke

determined by genetics, health behaviors (lack of exercise/obesity/smoking), personality traits related to dealing with stress (cope with bad behaviors, stress wears/tears heart-->more likely to fail --- chronic stress=overstimulation of sympathetic nervous system), optimistic people = less at risk

type A behavior pattern

strong predictor of heart disease, competitive, achievement oriented, aggressive, hostile (most toxic factor, chronic hostility -->chronic stress, also related to chronic pulmonary disease = air flow to lungs progressively reduced), impatient, time-pressed

type B behavior pattern

noncompetitive, relaxed, easygoing, accommodating people

primary appraisals

decide whether stimuli are stressful, benign, irrelevant

secondary appraisals

after stimuli determined as stressful, evaluate response options, choose coping behaviors

anticipatory coping

occurs before onset of future stressor

emotion-focused coping

tries to prevent emotional response to stressor - become passive/numb to pain -- avoidance, minimize problem, distance from outcomes of problems, eat/drink, don't solve/prevent problem from recurring, enable people to continue functioning in face of uncontrollable stressors/high levels of stress, effective short-term

problem-focused coping

take direct steps to solve problem, generate alternative solutions, weigh costs/benefits and choose between them, used when stressors perceived as controllable/when experience only moderate levels of stress, only work if person with problem can do something about it

positive reappraisal

focus on possible good things in current situation

downward comparisons

compare oneself to those who are worse off

creation of positive events

give positive meaning to ordinary events

stress resistant/hardiness

very capable of adapting to life changes by viewing events constructively

3 components: commitment (to daily activities), challenge (= opportunities for growth), control (see themselves as in control of their lives)

reduces stress, promotes well-being

resilience

better able to cope in face of adversity, bend without breaking, bounce back quickly after bad things happen

family-focused interventions

usually not effective, makes patient feel that family controls their life rather than providing help

pros: motivate patient to make health/life choices and carry out everyday activities, model healthy behaviors, provide rewards, point out positive consequences of caring for illnesses (motivation, encouragement, emotional support)

change in leading causes of mortality

before = infection/diseases

now = heart disease, cancer, strokes, lung disease, accidents

obesity/body weight

20% over ideal body weight, BMI>30, increased dramatically in US, higher for racial/ethnic minorities, extreme obesity in 1/20 Americans, doubled worldwide

contributing factors: overeating (more likely when stressed), availability of food (maintain steady weight when eat one type of food in huge amounts, obese when presented with variety of high-calorie foods, eat more when portions are larger), more activity in reward regions of brain when looking at good-tasting foods

dieting = ineffective means of permanent weight loss, body's natural defense against weight loss (slows metabolism to use less energy, each time placed on caloric deprivation metabolism becomes slower than previous time), weight regulated around set point determined by genetics

genetic influence: half variability in body weight = result of genetics, more effect than environment on body weight, genetics determines if can become obese, environment determines if will become obese, eating disorders = partly due to genetics

stigma: viewed as less attractive/socially adept/intelligent/productive/low socioeconomic status, linked to depression/anxiety/low self-esteem

close friends of same sex = similar in body weight -->implicit agreement on what weight is acceptable/normal

in some cultures obesity = upper class

body mass index (BMI)

ratio of body weight to height

restrained eaters

chronic dieters, prone to excessive eating in certain situations; restrain-->lose control, increased reward activity in brain when viewing appetizing food, break diets when under stress, binge eating depends on perceptions of whether they've broken their diets = become disinhibited (lose inhibition of eating), eat according to rules not hunger/satiety

anorexia nervosa

excessive fear of becoming fat, refuse to eat, usually begins in early adolescence, not affected by race/class, view themselves as fat despite being 15-25% underweight, medical attention needed to prevent death from starvation, hard to treat, maintain belief of not being as thin as would like to be, severely emaciated, loss of bone density, starve themselves to death

bulimia nervosa

alternate between dieting/binge eating, usu. develops during late adolescence, of average weight/slightly overweight, binge -->feel eating is out of control-->worry about body weight-->compensatory behavior (vomit, laxatives, excessive exercise), occurs secretly, dental/cardiac disorders, seldom fatal, more culture bound

binge-eating disorder

binge eat at least twice weekly, do not purge, obese, more common among males/ethnic minorities, start at later ages

smoking

leading cause of death, most begin in childhood/early adolescence, recently =dramatic reduction in adolescent smoking

causes heart disease, respiratory ailments, cancers, health problems for nonsmoking bystanders

starting smoking

first attempts= coughing, watering eyes, terrible tastes, nausea

persists because of powerful social influences - more likely to smoke if peers/parents smoke, false consensus effect (think it's common, do it to fit in), positive meaning of being a smoker (sociable, tough, attractive, glamorized smoking in media)

nicotine - primary cause of motivating/maintaining smoking behavior, increases dopamine neuron activation (rewarding effect) can undergo withdrawal

exercise

control appetite/metabolism, burns calories, essential for weight control, improves physical/mental health, cope with stress, increase self-confidence, affects neurotransmitters involved in reward/motivation/emotion, enhances neurogenesis (growth of new neurons/connections) and synaptogenesis (production of synaptic connections)

aerobic exercise

temporarily increases breathing/heart rate, promotes neurogenesis-->larger brain esp in hippocampus (memory/cognition), helps cardiovascular health (strengthen heart/lungs, lower BP), treat depression

acculturation

extent to which individuals assimilate customs/values/beliefs/behaviors of mainstream culture, helps explain why different groups have different health behaviors/outcomes

positive psychology

emphasizes well-being, SEligman, study of faith/values/creativity/courage/hope, happiness as operationalized (positive emotion/pleasure, engagement in life, meaningful life), good relationships, history of achievement

broaden-and-build theory

positive emotions prompt people to consider novel solutions to problems, resilient people draw on positive emotions in dealing with setbacks/negative experiences

health benefits of being positive

reduced risk of hypertension/diabetes/respiratory tract infections, high levels of curiosity/hope, better health!, enhanced immune system functioning, greater longevity

health benefits of social support

larger social networks -->less likely to catch colds, live longer, ill people who are well connected to others die later than socially isolated ill people, social support helps cope/maintain good health (less overall stress)

buffering hypothesis

when others provide emotional support (caring, willingness to listen to others' problems), recipient is better able to cope with stressful events

health benefits of marriage

most intimate/long-lasting relationship, partners support each other/help deal with stress/meet demands, encourage healthy habits, cross cultural benefits of marriage

only applies if marriage is good/happy

health benefits of trusting others

healthy relationships, better health/longer life

oxytocin increases trust - increases social bonds?

spirituality and well-being

better at coping with crises, religious beliefs buffer against hard knocks, help achieve/maintain well-being - social/physical support, eating restriction on less healthful foods, derive meaning/purpose on lives, effects same across religions

action plan for health/well being

eat natural foods, portion size, drink alcohol in moderation if at all, keep active, don't smoke, safe sex, learn to relax/cope, build strong support network, spiritual life, happiness exercises