1. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Psychology in Action, Fifth Edition by Karen Huffman, Mark Vernoy, and Judith Vernoy PowerPoint  Lecture Notes Presentation Chapter 12: Health Psychology Paul J. Wellman Texas A&M University

2. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Lecture Overview Overview of Health Psychology Stress and Health Stress and Serious Illness Coping with Stress

3. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Health Psychology Health psychology examines the relationship between psychological behavior and physical health/illness Focus of health psychology is on –Wellness –Prevention of illness Major causes of death are not infectious but are related to behavior and lifestyle

4. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Chronic Pain Pain is the most common symptom reported in visits to physicians Chronic pain produces irritation, depression, anxiety, and dependence on others Treatment of chronic pain can involve –Diet and exercise programs –Operant conditioning techniques –Biofeedback (electromyograph) –Relaxation training

5. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Smoking Cigarette smoking is the single most preventable cause of death and disease in the US –Coronary heart disease –Cancer –Low birth weight, prenatal death –Fire deaths Secondhand smoke is a significant health risk

6. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Smoking Prevention Different factors may initiate and maintain smoking –Start smoking as a means of rebellion or because of peer pressure –Keep smoking because nicotine is addictive Nicotine releases transmitters and relieves withdrawal symptoms Most smoking prevention programs focus on psychosocial factors –Minimize peer pressure to smoke

7. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Binge Drinking Binge drinking refers to the consumption of some number of alcoholic drinks in a single session –Male: 5 or more drinks –Female: 4 or more drinks Binge drinking is a major problem on college campuses –43% of college students are binge drinkers –20% of college student binge frequently

8. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Issues of Binge Drinking  Binge drinkers think their drinking levels are normal  Many students believe binge drinking is harmless  Some students infer binge drinking is ok because the college does not tell them otherwise  Binge drinking is a key aspect of Greek life

9. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Stress Stress is a nonspecific response of the body to any demand made on it –Eustress: pleasant, desirable stress as in the stress associated with exercise –Distress: is unpleasant stress as in illness Stressors are stimuli that cause stress –Stressors can be major (loss of a parent) or can be very minor (as in the daily hassle of parking on campus)

10. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Life Changes as Stressors Life events function as stressors When many life events occur in a short period of time, enough stress can be induced to alter health Holmes and Rahe developed the Social Readjustment Rating scale –Assesses the number of life changes in a period of time and predicts the likelihood of developing illness

11. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Daily Stress Some stressors are chronic: –Job-related (shift work, co-workers) –Environmental stressors (aircraft noise) Hassles are small problems that accumulate to induce major stress Frustration is a negative emotional state associated with a blocked goal Conflicts arise over choosing between 2 incompatible alternatives

12. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Effects of Stress The sympathetic portion of the autonomic nervous system is activated during stress –Increased heart rate and blood pressure –Release of adrenaline and cortisol –These physiological changes use up energy and can be sustained for only a period of time –Prolonged stressor exposure leads to exhaustion and death

13. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Stress and the Immune System Immune system functioning is reduced by exposure to stress –This leaves a person susceptible to disease Psychological events such as caring for a loved one who has Alzheimer’s disease activates the sympathetic system –Hormone release during stress suppresses the immune system and this increases the likelihood of becoming ill

14. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Stress and Serious Illness Cancer is affected by psychological factors –Exposure to chemicals that cause cancer can be modified by behavior –Sleep deprivation can reduce immune function –Personality traits can alter stress response Heart disease is associated with buildup of fats in blood vessels, stress increases this effect –Type A personalities (ambitious, time urgent) are more likely to suffer heart disease

15. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Coping with Stress Stressors are pervasive in our lives Reducing stress can be accomplished by either avoiding stressors or by reducing our response to stressors Coping: managing stress in some effective way –Emotion-focused forms of coping change how we view a situation (our reaction) –Problem-focused forms of coping deal directly with the stressor to eliminate it

16. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Resources to Manage Stress Health and energy Positive beliefs Internal locus of control Social skills Social support (network of friends, family) Material resources

17. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Specific Coping Strategies Relaxation Exercise Self-care

18. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Copyright Copyright 2000 by John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY. All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by this copyright may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the copyright owner.