Health Psych Study Guide Breakdown PDF

Introduction: What is Health Psychology? Health psychology is the study of how psychological factors (like thoughts, feelings, and behaviors) affect physical health.Focuses on understanding how people manage their health, cope with illness, and how things like stress and lifestyle choices impact o...

Introduction: What is Health Psychology? Health psychology is the study of how psychological factors (like thoughts, feelings, and behaviors) affect physical health.Focuses on understanding how people manage their health, cope with illness, and how things like stress and lifestyle choices impact overall well-being. For example, a health psychologist might study how stress affects heart disease or how positive thinking helps recovery from surgery. What Did the Study About Beliefs About Aging and Health Find? This study found that people who have positive beliefs about aging tend to live longer and stay healthier. If someone believes that aging is a time of growth and wisdom, they are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors, stay active, and have better mental health. On the other hand, negative beliefs about aging, like thinking it's all about decline, can lead to worse health outcomes. Explanation: People with positive beliefs are more motivated to take care of their health, leading to better outcomes. In contrast, negative beliefs can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, where people don’t take care of themselves because they expect to decline. Example: Someone who views aging as a chance to stay active might continue exercising, while someone who sees it as inevitable weakness might stop caring for their health. What Did the Study About Achievement and Health Find? This study discovered that people who strive for high achievements (like in careers or academics) may face more stress, which can harm their health over time. The pressure to succeed, especially if it involves long hours or neglecting self-care, can increase the risk of health problems, like heart disease or burnout. Explanation: High achievers often face stress and might neglect important aspects of health (e.g., sleep, exercise, eating well), leading to negative health effects. Example: Someone who works long hours to achieve a promotion may sacrifice sleep and eat poorly, leading to health problems like high blood pressure. What Does the Correlation Fallacy Mean? The correlation fallacy refers to the mistake of thinking that just because two things happen together (correlation), one causes the other. Correlation shows that two things are related, but it doesn’t prove that one caused the other. Example: Ice cream sales and drowning incidents are correlated in the summer, but eating ice cream doesn’t cause drownings. The real cause is that more people are swimming in summer. What Kind of Study Design Do We Need to Show Causality? To show that one variable causes changes in another (causality), we need to use experimental design. This type of study involves manipulating one variable (like giving people a treatment) and observing if it causes changes in another variable (like improvements in health), while controlling for other factors. Example: If researchers want to prove that exercise causes weight loss, they would need to set up an experiment where one group exercises and another doesn’t, while keeping other factors (like diet) the same. Biopsychosocial Model Beliefs About the Cause of Illness in Different Time Periods In each historical era, people's understanding of illness shaped their treatments. Here’s a summary of beliefs about illness over time: Stone Age: People believed illness was caused by evil spirits. They performed trephination (drilling holes in the skull) to release those spirits. Middle Ages: Illness was seen as a punishment from God. Treatments often involved prayer, fasting, or religious rituals. Renaissance: With a growing interest in science, people began to think of illness in terms of the body's systems (e.g., imbalances of fluids). Anatomical studies started, and treatments aimed to restore balance. 19th Century: With advances in germ theory, doctors believed bacteria and viruses caused illness. This led to the development of vaccines and antibiotics. Why Did Doctors Switch to Non-Invasive Therapies in the 1800s? In the 1800s, doctors switched to non-invasive therapies because invasive procedures like bloodletting and surgeries often did more harm than good. As medical science advanced, doctors realized that more gentle treatments (like hygiene, proper diet, and rest) were often more effective and less risky than older, aggressive treatments. What Are the Major Components of the Biomedical Model? The biomedical model focuses on physical or biological causes of illness, such as bacteria, viruses, or genetic problems. The main components include: Pathogens (germs) as the cause of disease Diagnosis based on physical symptoms Treatment through medical interventions like drugs or surgery How Is the Biomedical Model Helpful/Successful? It has led to major medical advancements, such as vaccines, antibiotics, and surgical techniques that save lives. It works well for treating acute illnesses (like infections or broken bones) by focusing on the physical cause of disease. How Is the Biomedical Model Limited? It doesn’t take into account psychological or social factors that can impact health, like stress, behavior, or lifestyle. It’s less effective for treating chronic illnesses (e.g., heart disease or diabetes) that are often influenced by multiple factors, including mental health and social environment. Why Do Some People Believe That Vaccines Cause Autism? Some people believe vaccines cause autism because of developmental timing and the correlation fallacy. Autism symptoms usually appear around the same age that children receive vaccines (like the MMR vaccine). This leads people to mistakenly think the vaccine causes autism because the two events happen around the same time (correlation), but studies show there’s no causal link. What Are the Major Components of the Biopsychosocial Model? The biopsychosocial model considers three main components in understanding health:  1. Biological factors: Genetics, viruses, bacteria, physical health. 2. Psychological factors: Emotions, thoughts, stress, coping mechanisms. 3. Social factors: Relationships, cultural influences, economic conditions, and community support. Why Do We Need the Biopsychosocial Model? We need the biopsychosocial model because it provides a more holistic view of health. Unlike the biomedical model, it considers not only physical factors but also psychological and social influences, which are crucial for understanding chronic illnesses and mental health conditions. This model helps to design better treatments by addressing the whole person, not just the disease. Example: Managing heart disease isn’t just about taking medication; it’s also about reducing stress (psychological) and improving diet and support systems (social).