Clinical Psychology - Stress & Illness

What are the 3 main areas of health psychology?

• development of diseases = health psychologists investigate whether certain psychological characteristics are associated with developing physical illnesses.

• (un)healthy behaviors=This area examines how people's everyday behaviours affect their physical health and risk of illness.

• psychological adjustment=how people emotionally and psychologically adapt to having an illness or recovering from it.

what are some challenges of illnesses?

• uncertainty: people try to understand the meaning and severity of the first symptoms

• disruption: when it occurs to people that they have a significant illness, they experience a crisis

• striving for recovery: the individual try to gain control over their illnesses by means of active coping

• restoration of well-being:the individual achieves a new emotional equilibrium based on an acceptance of the illness and its consequences.

Crisis of illness is a procedure where the individual have to go through 3 different aspcet…

• cognitive appraisals=understanding the situation.

• Adaptive tasks = adjusting to the demands of illness.

• Coping skills = managing the stress and difficulties.

Lazarus and folkman : stress coping model…?

1. Primary appraisal — evaluating the situation

The person considers what is at stake.

• Harm/loss: Something bad has already happened.

• Threat: Something bad might happen in the future.

• Challenge: The situation is difficult but may offer opportunities for growth or achievement.

2. Secondary appraisal — evaluating available resources

The person considers what they can do and whether they have the resources to cope.

After an illness, person may develop five positive change in their lifee perspective…

• enhanced personal relationships

• greater appreciation for life

• a sense of increased personal strength

• greater spirituality

• a value change in life priorities and goals

what are the main 6 categories that will help to comment about person’s quality of life?

• physical health

• psychological

• level of independence

• socail relationships

• relation to environmetn

• spirituality beliefs

ıllness can largely affect…

self-concept and self-esteem

response shift…

a change in the way a person evaluates their quality of life, not necessarily a change in their actual health.

affiliation means…

wanting to be around other people rather than being alone.

what are intrinsic and extrinsic motivations in willingness to care…

• intrinsic = principle, caring nature

• extrinsic= out of guilt or expectations

what are the stages of patient adjustment to illness?

• stage of resistance = family members try to deny or avoid the reailty of what happened

• stage of restructuring = family members begin to acknowledge reailty and start recognize their lives

• stage of consolidation = newly adopted roles could be permanent if recovery is not forthcoming

buffer hypothesis…

social support protects people against the negative effects of stress.