PSYC 2301-D: Introduction to Health Psychology

TEST 2 Defining social support. Occupational health and safety –Challenges from an organizational perspective –Issues for young people Pain –Context –Psychological component –Cultural component –Gender difference –Chronic vs. acute, why distinction is important –How to manage chronic pain: pharmacological, surgical, sensory, mindfulness, exercise

Final 50 MC, 50 marks –Similar to tests –Focus on what was discussed in class –Entire course is covered –Emphasis on last 3 chapters—sort of 2 long answer, 20 marks each –Similar to tests, integrate more across the course –Focus on areas discussed in class –Integrate topics

Long Answer Questions: Example John is in his early 20s, and recently diagnosed with diabetes. He’s experiencing symptoms but not following recommended treatment.

Chapter 1 What is Health Psychology –Why is it important? –How have changes to ‘health’ influenced the practice of health psychology? Determinants of Health

Chapter 1 How has our view and understanding of the mind-body relationship influenced our understanding of health psychology? –What is current accepted view? Compare and contrast the biomedical model to the biopsychosocial model of health –What is different about the biopsychosocial model? How does it contribute to our understanding of health?

Chapter 2 Systems of the body work independently and in conjunction with one another –Function of nervous system –Importance of genetics –Function of immune system From a healthy psychology perspective, how do we better understand these systems? What are some of the social issues related to systems of the body?

Chapter 3 Health Behaviours –What is health promotion and why is it important? –What are health habits? –What factors are related to health behaviours? –Is it possible to modify health behaviours? What types of interventions are there? Are they group specific? Ethical concerns?

Chapter 3 Theories and Models used for understanding health behaviour change –Attitudinal Approaches to Health Behaviour Change Educational and fear appeals, framing –Social Cognition Models Expectancy Value Theory; Health Belief Model, Theory of Planned Behaviour –Stage-Based Theories and Models

Chapter 3 Theories and Models used for understanding health behaviour change –What approach is best from a health behaviours perspective? How are cognitive behavioural approaches used to change health behaviours? Relapse –Why is understanding relapse important? Is it possible to prevent relapse?

Chapter 4 Preventative and Health-Promoting Behaviours –How do we apply what we know about health behaviours in ways that ultimate encourage preventative and health-promotive behaviours? What works? What doesn’t work? Why? –Preventable injuries –Cancer –Exercise –Diet –Sleep

Chapter 5 Health-Compromising Behaviours –What are the characteristics of health- compromising behaviours? What is substance dependence and some of its characteristics? How do specific health behaviours (e.g., alcoholism and problem drinking, smoking) compromise health? Are certain cohorts of the population at risk? What are the current issues? Are there things we can do to mitigate these behaviours?

Chapters 6 & 7 What is stress? –Stressor-stress-strain –What models & theories have been used to study stress? Fight-or-flight GAS Tend-and-befriend –How has stress been studied? Social Readjustment Rating Scale –Why is psychological appraisal important?

Chapters 6 & 7 What does coping mean when it comes to stress? What moderates (mitigates or exacerbates) the effects of stress? Does it vary across people?

Review for Test #2 Covers: –Chapters 6-7 from the perspective of how it relates to relationships & health, workplace mistreatment & health, and workplace safety & injuries –Chapters 8, 9 and 10 –Classes from Thursday Feb 6 to today Consists of: 20 Multiple Choice, and 2/3 short answers Worth: 25% of your final grade

Chapters 6 & 7 What is stress? –Stressor-stress-strain What moderates (mitigates or exacerbates) the effects of stress?

Chapters 6 & 7 Workplace Mistreatment & Health –Workplace Incivility What is workplace incivility? Is it different from other forms of mistreatment at work? How does incivility act as a workplace stressor, and how does it fit into the stress process? What are some of the causes and outcomes of incivility at work? What moderators are relevant?

STRESSOR Workplace Incivility STRESS Fear, Anxiety, Anger STRAIN Individual health and well-being Attitudes and Behaviours MODERATORS Support, Policies Self-efficacy, Training

Chapters 6 & 7 Why are workplace safety and injuries important? –How do they act as stressors? –What are some of the causes of workplace injuries? –What moderates the relationship between various workplace conditions and injuries? –Why are societal expectations around safety at work important? –What are some of the challenges associated with safety at work? –Unique issues with regards to young workers

Chapters 6 & 7 Relationships and Health What roles do our social relationships serve in our well-being? How are these manifested? What are some benefits to our social relationships? What are some drawbacks? What are different types of social relationships that can contribute to our well-being? How do they contribute? Forms of social support

Chapter 8 Health Services and Mental Health How do we recognize and interpret symptoms? Individual differences and psychosocial influences What predicts the use of health services? How are health services misused? How does hospitalization affect patients? Psychological symptoms Infections…. How can control in hospital settings be increased? What is illness? Subjective health? What role does the internet play?

Chapter 9 Patient Provider Relations –Why are they important? What role does communication play? Consequences of poor communication? –Why is adherence an important issue and how is it related to patient provider relations/communication? –How can they be improved? From perspective of provider and patient Placebo Effect –What is it? Why is it important to health psychology?

Chapter 10 Pain –What is the significance of pain? To healthcare providers? To individuals? To society? –Why is pain difficult to study? How do we measure it? What factors affect how it is interpreted? –What is the gate-control theory of pain? –What is chronic pain? What is acute pain? –What are the techniques to control pain?

Chapter 11 Why is quality of life important? –Why and how is it relevant to chronic illness? –Implications for health psychology What are the possible emotional responses to chronic illness? Do people change when they have a chronic illness? –How does it affect their relationships? Focused on How do people cope with and manage chronic illness?

Chapter 12 How does death differ across the lifespan? –Infants vs young children vs young adulthood vs middle age vs older age What are some of the psychological issues associated with advancing illness? –What concerns are related to the management of the terminally ill? Stages of adjustment to dying (might go through, tends to be a model that is used a lot…though not a lot of research to support) Importance of death education

Chapter 13 Coronary heart disease –What is it? Risk factors? –Why is it important to understand CHD among women? Bringing up issues related to gender and health. Some health issues are very well understood in a certain gender, not so much in opposite sex. Diabetes –What is it, and why is it important to study it? –Why is increasing?

Chapter 14 What is psychoneuroimmunology? What does the immune system do? –What is the relationship between stress and the immune system/functioning? What are some chronic illnesses that reflect changes in immune functioning? –What are some of the social and psychological implications of such illnesses? HIV discussed briefly

Positive Psychology and Optimism How does positive psychology and optimism contribute to health psychology? –What have some of the studies shown is this area? –What are some examples of interventions from this perspective?

Chapter 15 What are some of the health psychology priorities, trends, and challenges for the future? –How and why have these changed from the past? –Why are particular priorities, trends or challenges (e.g., health promotion, prevention, elderly, pain management, SES, gender and health, stress….) important and/or relevant?

Final Exam Friday April 11, pm Alumni Hall