Gender & Personality
Explain 1 way males are healthier than females when it comes to morbidity.
Fewer hospital usage, physician visits, restricted activity days, bed disability, work loss days, deaths from strokes/pneumonia/diabetes
Although self-monitoring can lead to behavior change, what is 1 downside of it?
It can be only short-term
The Health Belief Model is made up of what 2 factors?
Health threat belief
Belief that behavior can reduce threat
Why do providers tend to withhold information from patients?
Fear of negative emotional reactions - want to avoid fear, anxiety, sadness
Neuroticism, the tendency to worry excessively, is correlated with higher rates of what?
Mortality
What personality trait is the single best predictor of longevity?
Conscientiousness due to tendency to avoid risky health behaviors
Based on the milkshake study, the eating of non-dieters is primarily influenced by…
Hunger (rather than cognitive, emotional, social factors)
Describe a real life example of the Theory of Planned Behavior.
Quitting smoking:
Attitude: “Smoking is unhealthy and can cause lung cancer”
Norm: friends don’t like smoking, culture looks down on smoking, as a parent you feel a social obligation to be there for your children
Control: I can quit
Attitude + Norm + Control = Intention to quit
Behavior = quitting smoking
In a study, doctors told cancer patients their prognosis. How did the doctor’s estimates of survival differ from what they communicated?
Estimated - 75 days
Communicated - 90 days
Doctors tend to be more optimistic in their communicated prognosis
Describe the maintenance stage of the Transtheoretical Model (Stages of Change).
New health behavior replaces old over a period of time
Why are people with a Type A personality susceptible to coronary heart disease?
Higher physiological response to stress due to aggression, competitiveness, urgency, and ambitiousness
What does it mean to be on a variable reinforcement schedule?
Reinforcement is provided variably rather than every time the goal behavior is completed
Ex. Watching Netflix every 1-3 times you go to the gym
Stephanie wants to eat healthier, so instead of attending her office’s monthly pizza party, she starts going to a pilates class with her friend at the same time to avoid smelling the pizza. What cognitive-behavioral therapy approach is Stephanie utilizing?
Stimulus control (i.e. avoiding discriminative stimuli)
Use examples to explain the difference between instrumental behavior and affective behavior among healthcare providers?
Instrumental - task-oriented
Ex. Medicine instructions
Affective - emotional
Ex. Giving reassurance and warmth
What are 5 psychological effects of hunger?
Weakness
Irritability
Tired
No self control
Anxiety
Eating rituals
Obsession w/ food
Nervous
Self-centered
Clinical depression
Describe an example of someone acting in an approach-oriented way.
Seeking out positive/good things when it comes to health
Ex. Attending a dental check up
Ex. Receiving a mammogram
Some people may argue obesity causes bad health. What is 1 confound in this argument?
Sedentary lifestyle
Poverty/SES
Avoiding the doctor
Why is the Transtheoretical Model (Stages of Change) more "realistic" than other models?
Acknowledges that people can be at many different stages in their process of changing a behavior that may not be linear
How might confusion arise between patient and doctor when it comes to the language used in doctor’s appointments?
Medical language vs. everyday language
Ex. referring to incorrect anatomy
Ex. “I’m depressed”
Gender has impacted the research conducted on disease and illness. What are two examples / pieces of evidence to support this statement?
White cisgender heterosexual male is standard (participant) in research
Pictures in medical texts predominantly male
Women with heart disease are treated differently than men w/ same symptoms (less referrals to surgery)
Sigmoidoscopy - misses precancerous growths in ⅔ of women
Explain 2 ways why males tend to be more biologically predisposed to negative health outcomes compared to females.
Higher chance to die in utero
Hormonal differences
Susceptibility to recessive diseases (carried on X chromosomes)
Describe an example of a contingency contract.
Create contract w/ someone who then administers punishment/reward
Ex. Reduce potato chips eaten -> can only get key from roommate who will give you access to chip cabinet once a week
Describe the 3 strengths of the Theory of Planned Behavior.
Considers social norms
Doesn’t assume people want to be healthy (in attitudes)
Includes person’s beliefs about their ability to change (in control)
What is known as “medicine’s dirty little secret”?
Patient adherence to treatment plan
Ex. Leading cause of recurrent heart attacks is failure to take medication
What does it mean to say that obesity is the "speedometer" rather than the "engine"?
Obesity may be an indication/symptom of a poor health outcome rather than the cause itself