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Health Psychology Core Concepts
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1
Question
What is health psychology?
Page 1
Answer
The study of psychological and behavioral processes in health, illness, and healthcare.
2
Question
What is the biopsychosocial model?
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Answer
An integrated model that considers biological, psychological, and social factors in health.
3
Question
What is the biomedical model?
Page 1
Answer
A model focusing on purely biological causes and treatments of disease.
4
Question
Define morbidity vs mortality.
Page 1
Answer
Morbidity = illness/disease prevalence; Mortality = death rate.
5
Question
What is the difference between acute and chronic conditions?
Page 1
Answer
Acute = short-term onset; Chronic = long-lasting or recurring.
6
Question
What is etiology?
Page 1
Answer
The study of causes/origins of disease.
7
Question
What is multifinality?
Page 1
Answer
Similar beginnings can lead to different outcomes.
8
Question
What is equifinality?
Page 1
Answer
Different causes can lead to the same outcome.
9
Question
Define stressor.
Page 1
Answer
Any event or condition that threatens homeostasis or wellbeing.
10
Question
What is stress (psychological definition)?
Page 1
Answer
The process of perceiving and responding to threats or demands.
11
Question
What is appraisal?
Page 1
Answer
Evaluation of a stressor’s significance (primary) and coping resources (secondary).
12
Question
What are the components of the fight-or-flight response?
Page 1
Answer
Sympathetic activation, adrenaline/norepinephrine release, increased heart rate and arousal.
13
Question
What is the HPA axis?
Page 1
Answer
Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal system releasing cortisol during stress.
14
Question
What is the SAM system?
Page 1
Answer
Sympatho-adreno-medullary system releasing adrenaline/noradrenaline in acute stress.
15
Question
Define allostatic load.
Page 1
Answer
Cumulative physiological wear-and-tear from chronic stress.
16
Question
What is psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)?
Answer
Study of interactions among behavior, nervous system, and immune function.
17
Question
How can stress affect immune function?
Answer
Chronic stress can suppress immunity, alter cytokines, and increase inflammation.
18
Question
What is a cytokine?
Answer
Signaling proteins that regulate immune responses and inflammation.
19
Question
What is inflammation’s role in health?
Answer
Chronic inflammation contributes to disease (e.g., CVD, diabetes, depression).
20
Question
What is coping?
Page 1
Answer
Cognitive and behavioral efforts to manage stressors and emotions.
21
Question
What is the difference between problem-focused and emotion-focused coping?
Page 1
Answer
Problem-focused addresses the stressor; emotion-focused manages emotional response.
22
Question
What is avoidant coping?
Page 1
Answer
Strategies that ignore or deny the stressor; often maladaptive long-term.
23
Question
Define resilience.
Page 1
Answer
Ability to adapt and recover from stress or adversity.
24
Question
What is social support?
Page 1
Answer
Emotional, informational, or instrumental help from others that buffers stress.
25
Question
What are the types of social support?
Page 1
Answer
Emotional (empathy), informational (advice), instrumental (tangible help).
26
Question
What is self-efficacy?
Page 1
Answer
Belief in one’s ability to perform actions to achieve goals (Bandura).
27
Question
How does self-efficacy affect health behavior?
Page 1
Answer
Higher self-efficacy predicts better behavior change and adherence.
28
Question
Define locus of control.
Answer
Degree to which people believe outcomes are controlled by internal vs external forces.
29
Question
What is learned helplessness?
Answer
Passive behavior after uncontrollable adverse events, linked to depression.
30
Question
What is the Health Belief Model (HBM)?
Page 1
Answer
Behavior predicted by perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers, cues, self-efficacy.