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Flashcards in Health Beliefs Deck (42)
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1
Q

What are lay health beliefs/knowledge?

A

Perspectives, beliefs and assumptions of ordinary people (i.e. non-professional) about their health but this does not mean they are not informed by knowledge - often complex + sophisticated and can be sensible or irrational

2
Q

What are beliefs?

A

Things we believe to be true

3
Q

What is a common example of a lay health belief?

A

You’ll catch a cold if you go outside with wet hair (research has proven this is not true)

4
Q

What is a common example of a lay health belief from patients?

A

I am not at risk of heart disease because I am thin

5
Q

Where do health beliefs come from?

A

Rooted in socio-cultural contexts in which we live and can be informed by medical and health knowledge

6
Q

What factors shape peoples health beliefs?

A

Place in society

Culture (not just religion + ethnicity)

Personal biography (experience)

Social identity e.g. gender, sexuality, ethnicity + occupation

7
Q

What is culture?

A

Values, norms and traditions that affect how individuals of a particular group perceive, think, interact, behave and make judgements about their world - shapes the way we think, feel and experience our lives

8
Q

We all have ___ cultures.

A

Multiple

9
Q

What is the biggest misconception regarding culture?

A

It is something that other people have, when everybody has a culture

10
Q

Why are lay health beliefs important to doctors?

A
  1. Insights into needs of patients: info and support
  2. Influence health seeking behaviour:
    - How people respond to symptoms
    - Decisions about consulting
    - Expectations about treatment
    - Concordance with treatment plans
11
Q

What do people do when they experience symptoms?

A
  1. See GP (or other healthcare professional)
  2. Do nothing
  3. Self-medicate
  4. Consult someone else
12
Q

What influences a patients decision to consult a professional regarding symptoms?

A
  1. Perception of symptoms: frequency, familiarity, duration etc.
  2. Explanation of symptoms: can they explain their symptoms or not? E.G. headache due to hangover in contrast to no reason
  3. Evaluation of symptoms: costs + benefits
13
Q

What social triggers exist to encourage a patient to seek medical help?

A

Interference with social/personal relationships

Interference with vocational/physical activity

‘Sanctioning’ by others - influence of lay referral system

A temporalizing of symptomology

Interpersonal crisis

14
Q

Why might a patient delay seeking professional help with symptoms?

A
  1. Perception of symptom: infrequent, short duration etc.
  2. Explanation of symptom: makes sense of symptom by finding alternative explanations
  3. Evaluation of symptom: not perceived as series as short-lived, will seek help if happens again, may discuss with family/friend (lay/referral system) + recovery so not much doctor can do
15
Q

What is a common disorder that patient’s do not seek help for? Why?

A

Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) as they are brief episodes of decreased brain blood supply - symptoms are not as severe as stroke and resolve within 24 hours

16
Q

What is a health behaviour?

A

Behaviours related to the health status of the individual

17
Q

What are good health behaviours? Give some examples.

A

Behaviours that promote good physical health and wellbeing e.g. sleeping for 7-8 hours per night, regular exercise, healthy eating, eating breakfast every morning etc.

18
Q

What are health protective behaviours? Give some examples.

A

Behaviours that aim to prevent health problems e.g. wearing a seatbelt, attending regular check-ups, health screening etc.

19
Q

What are health impairing habits? Give some examples.

A

Behaviours that promote bad physical health and wellbeing e.g. smoking, high fat diet, alcohol abuse etc.

20
Q

What is the dual pathway model?

A

Psychological processes such as stressors can influence your physical health in 2 ways:

  1. DIRECTLY via stress/anxiety
  2. INDIRECTLY through unhealthy coping behaviours e.g. smoking + drinking
21
Q

What factors are included in the biopsychosocial model?

A

Bio: viruses, bacteria + genetics

Psycho: behaviour, emotions, beliefs, coping + stress

Social: class, employment + ethnicity

22
Q

What are determinants of health behaviour?

A

Background factors
Stable factors
Social factors
Situational factors

23
Q

What are background factors?

A

Characteristics that define the context in which people live their lives

24
Q

What are stable factors?

A

Individual differences (personality) in psychological activity that vary between people but are stable over time and context within people

25
Q

What are social factors?

A

Social connections in the immediate environment

26
Q

What are situational factors?

A

Appraisal of personal relevance that shape responses in a specific situation

27
Q

What 3 ways can stable factors influence appraisal?

A
  1. They determine if, and to what extent, an event is salient i.e. sensitivity towards particular types of event
  2. They provide a generalised framework for understand and evaluating the event e.g. as threat or challenge
  3. They make available or suggest potential responses i.e. initial response options
28
Q

What are the 3 broad types of individual differences?

A
  1. Emotional dispositions: psychological processes involved in experience + expression (present)
  2. Generalised expectancies (locus of control + self-efficacy): psychological processes involved in formulating expectations in relation to future outcomes (future)
  3. Explanatory styles (optimism/pessimism + attributional style): psychological processes involved in explaining causes of negative events (past)
29
Q

What are the 5 types of emotional dispositions (personality traits)?

A

O: openness to new experiences (intellect, interest in culture, artistic, curious, imaginative, wide range of interests)

C: conscientiousness (will to achieve, self-disciplined, efficient, organised, reliable, thorough)

E: extroversion (outgoing, talkative, enthusiastic, seeking excitement, assertive, active)

A: agreeableness (loving, friendly, compliant, sympathetic, appreciative, trusting, kind, forgiving, generous)

N: neuroticism (more -ve emotions, anxious, tense, worried, hostile, self-pitying, vulnerable)

30
Q

What is the locus of control?

A

Expectations that future outcomes will be determined by factors that are either internal (self) or external (powerful others, and chance)

31
Q

What is the outcome of internal and external locus of control?

A

Internal locus of control is generally associated with more favourable outcomes and performance of health behaviours than external, but is dependent on situational factors

32
Q

What do people with an internal locus of control tend to believe?

A

They are responsible for their own health

Illness can be avoided by taking care of themselves

Ill health results in part from not eating correctly or not getting enough exercise

33
Q

What is self-efficacy?

A

Belief in one’s own ability to organise and execute a course of action, and the expectation that the action will result in, or lead to, a desired outcome - a trait psychologists try to get people to achieve a higher level of

34
Q

What is optimism?

A

Expectation of positive future outcome (however achieved) despite current negative event - low levels of physiological reactivity in mild + moderate levels of stress and promotes active coping responses

35
Q

What are the outcomes of optimism versus pessimism?

A

Optimism is associated with better physical health, illness recovery and health behaviour performance

36
Q

What is pessimism?

A

Expectation of negative future outcome

37
Q

What is attributional style?

A

Causal explanations of negative events as internal (self), permanent (time) and global (situation)

38
Q

What are social cognition theories?

A

Attempt to explain relationship between social cognitions (e.g. beliefs, attitudes, goals etc.) and behaviour

39
Q

What are 3 examples of social cognition theories?

A
  1. HBM
  2. TPB
  3. Transtheoretical model AKA stages of change
40
Q

What is the health-belief model (HBM)?

A

Perceived susceptibility + perceived severity = perceived threat

Perceived benefits + perceived barriers = perceived efficacy

Perceived threat + perceived efficacy = health behaviour

41
Q

What is the theory of planned behaviour (TPB)?

A

Behavioural beliefs + outcome evaluation = behavioural attitude

Normative beliefs + motivation to comply = subjective norm

Control beliefs + self-efficacy = perceived behavioural control

Behavioural attitude + subjective norm + perceived behavioural control = behavioural intention = behaviour

42
Q

What is the transtheoretical model?

A

Stages of change:

  1. Precontemplation (experiential)
  2. Contemplation, preparation + action (processes of change)
  3. Maintenance (behavioural)

Self efficacy and pros allows you to move forward whilst temptations and cons move you backwards (relapse can occur at any stage)