Health Psychology Vocab

Biopsychosocial Model (of health)

A model that integrates biological, psychological, and social factors in understanding health and illness.

Determinants of Health

Factors that influence an individual's health status, including genetics, behavior, environment, and healthcare access.

Medical Model of Health

A model that sees health as the absence of illness and focuses on treating

Absolute Risk

probability of developing a health problem over a specified period.

Relative Risk

comparing the chance of an event happening in one group with the chance of it happening in another group.

Self-Efficacy

belief that you have control over your behavior and you can change it if you want to

Type A Personality

A personality type characterized by competitiveness, perfectionism, and goal-driven.

Type B Personality

A personality type characterized by a more relaxed, less competitive, and less aggressive approach.

Dispositional Factors

internal personal traits or characteristics that influence how someone behaves.

Risk Factors

increase likelyhood of negative outcome

Protective Factors

increase likelyhood of positive outcome

Risk Perception

An individual's assessment of the likelihood of experiencing a health risk.

Behavioral Risk Factors

Behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing a disease or health condition

Cognitive Risk Factors

Mental processes that can influence health behaviors and perceptions of risk.

Physiological Risk Factors

Biological traits that increase the likelihood of developing a disease.

Demographic Risk Factors

Characteristics such as age, gender, and ethnicity that can influence health outcomes.

Environmental Risk Factors

External conditions or influences that can affect health, such as pollution or living conditions.

Genetic Risk Factors

Inherited characteristics that increase the likelihood of developing a disease.

Addiction

compulsive use despise harmful consequence

Nucleus Accumbens

A brain region involved in the reward circuitry and associated with addiction.

DRD2-A1 Variant (Allele)

A specific genetic variant associated with an increased risk of addiction.

Tolerance

A condition in which an individual requires increasing amounts of a substance to achieve the same effect.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)

Traumatic events occurring before the age of 18 that can have lasting effects on health and behavior.

The biomedical model of health

A model that focuses on biological factors and excludes psychological, environmental, and social influences.

Optimism bias

belief that bad things are less likely to happen to you than to other people.

Situational factors

External circumstances that can influence behavior and health outcomes.

Vulnerability Models

Theories that explain how certain individuals or groups are more susceptible to health risks.

perceived susceptibility (vulnerability)

how much a person believes they are at risk of getting a disease or experiencing a negative health outcome.

perceived severity (seriousness)

how serious a person thinks the consequences of a disease or problem would be.

perceived benefits

how much a person believes that taking a certain action will reduce their risk or improve their situation.

perceived barriers

the things a person thinks might stop them from taking a certain action

cue to action

trigger that makes a person take action to change their behavior.

The health belief model

A psychological model that explains and predicts health behaviors by focusing on people’s beliefs.

social cognition theory (social learning)

the idea that people learn by observing others, imitating behaviors, and seeing the outcomes of those behaviors.