Chapter 14 –Health Psychology

A. Introduction to Health Psychology

1. How physical health is affected by attitudes and behaviors

2. Type of physical problems: Psychophysiological disorders

a. objective organic damage, caused/worsened by psychological factors

b. are NOT somatoform d/o (physical responses w/ no objective damage)

c. coded as “psychological factors affecting medical condition” on axis 1

i. medical condition itself coded on axis 3

B. The role of stress

1. What is a stressor?

a. daily hassles vs major life events

b. positive AND negative

2. How does stress lead to health problems?

a. direct vs. indirect effects

b. physiological factors

i. impact of stress hormones

ii. General Adaptation Syndrome (Selye)

Alarm Reaction à Resistance à Exhaustion

iii. role of immune system

c. psychological factors

i. controllability/predictability

d. role of gender, SES, ethnicity, etc

i. e.g., “tend and befriend” vs “fight or flight”?

3. How do we COPE with stress?

a. problem-focused vs. emotion-focused coping (vs avoidance coping)

b. social support

i. perceived vs. enacted

ii. emotional vs. tangible vs. practical, etc.

c. dealing with information (monitor vs. blunter)

C. Interventions and other applications of health psychology

1. Promoting individual healthy behaviors

e.g., stimulus control, contingency contracting

2. Stress-reduction methods

e.g. biofeedback, relaxation training, meditation, stress management, cognitive therapy

3. Coping with medical problems

e.g. support grps, psychoed, CBT methods to address side effects and psychological responses

4. Consultation-liaison psychiatry/psychology

5. Increasing medical compliance

6. Public health campaigns

a. promoting healthy behavior (diet, exercise, seatbelts, “back to sleep,” etc)

b. prevention of disease transmission and injuries

c. prevention of medical panic