health, stress, & coping

week 10

health psychology

is devoted to understanding psychological influences on how people stay healthy, why they become ill and how they respond when they do get ill

• looked at from the biopsychosocial model

wellbeing

defined as the state of being comfortable, healthy or happy

perceived susceptibility

a person’s perception that they are likely to contract a particular illness

optimistic bias

unrealistic optimism

perceived seriousness (severity)

refers to an individual’s perception of the impact a particular illness would have on her life

e.g. the more pain associated w/ a health threat, the more threat it is perceived to be

benefits

beneficial consequences associated w/ terminating a negative health behaviour

barriers

costs of terminating a health behaviour

cues to action

refer to ancillary factors that influence whether or not a person is willing to begin a healthy behaviour or terminate an unhealthy one

self-efficacy

a person’s conviction that they can perform the actions necessary to produce an intended behaviour

theory of reasoned actions

the theory that behaviours stem from behavioural intentions, which are a function of a person’s attitude towards the behaviour

theory of planned behaviour

the theory of reasoned actions + self-efficacy

transtheoretical model

a model of behaviour change that outlines that ppl’s readiness to change cycles through 5 stages.

1. precontemplation - ppl. in this stage not even considering changing their behaviourr in the near future

2. contemplation - ppl. are aware that a problem exists and are ocnsidered taking action soon

3. preparation - ppl. are preparing to make behavioural change in the next small and are making small changes that will help them achieve their goal

4. action - lasts approx. 6 months and are actively working on behavioural change

5. maintenance - ppl have achieved their desired behaviour change and are working to maintain

barriers to health promotion

• individual barriers

• family barriers

• health system barriers

• community and cultural barriers

stress

refers to a challenge to a person’s capacity to adapt to inner and outer demands

general adaption syndrome

selye’s model of stress that includes the 3 stages of alarm, resistance and exhaustion

1. alarm - release of adrenalin and other hormones such as cortisol

2. resistance - parasympathetic NS returns to normal

3. exhaustion - physiological defense breaks down

primary appraisal

the 1st stage in the process of stress & coping

• person decides whether the situation is

  • benign

  • stress

  • irrelevvant

secondary appraisal

the 2nd stage in the process of stress & coping

• person evaluates the options and decides how to respond

acculturative stress

refers to the stress people experience in trying to adapt to a new culture

psychoneuroimmunology

examines the influence of psychosocial factors on the functioning of the immune system

type A behaviour pattern

a pattern of behaviour and emotions that includes ambition, competitiveness, impatience and hostility

coping

the ways ppl deal w/ stressful situations

problem-focused coping

efforts to change the situation producing the stress

emotion-focused coping

efforts to regulate the emotions generated by a stressful experience

social support

relationships w/ others that provide resources for coping w/ stress

buffering hypothesis

proposes that social support is a buffer or protective factor against the harmful effects of stress during high-stress periods