1. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 1 Chapter 14 Health Psychology

2. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 2 Chapter Preview Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine Making Positive Life Changes Resources for Effective Life Change Toward a Healthier Mind (and Body): Controlling Stress Toward a Healthier Body (and Mind): Behaving as If Your Life Depends upon It Psychology and Your Good Life

3. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 3 Health Psychology & Behavioral Medicine Health Psychology Emphasizes psychology’s role in... Establishing and maintaining health Preventing and treating illness Focus on behavioral and cognitive factors Behavioral Medicine Interdisciplinary field to... Promote health Reduce illness Focus on behavioral and biomedical knowledge

4. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 4 Health Psychology & Behavioral Medicine Biopsychosocial model Integration of biological, psychological, and social factors in health Relationship between mind and body Strongly intertwined, and deeply connected Psychological Processes  Health & Disease Health & Illness  Psychological Experience

5. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 5 Theoretical Models of Change Health Behaviors Practices that have an impact on physical well-being Theory of Reasoned Action Effective change requires individuals to have specific intentions and positive attitudes about their behaviors. Theory of Planned Behavior Includes theory of reasoned action Adds person’s perceptions of control over outcome

6. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 6 Stages of Change Model Describes process by which individuals give up bad habits and adopt healthier lifestyles Precontemplation Not yet genuinely thinking about changing Contemplation Acknowledge problem but not ready to commit to change Preparation/Determination Getting ready to take action Action/Willpower Commit to making real change, and enact plan Maintenance Avoid temptation, and pursue healthy behaviors

7. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 7 Stages of Change Model Relapse Challenge during maintenance stage Return to former unhealthy patterns Common aspect of change Evaluation of Stages of Change Model Has been applied successfully to broad range of behaviors But remains controversial

8. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 8 Resources for Effective Life Change Motivation Social Relationships Religious Faith Personality Characteristics

9. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 9 Motivation ‘Why’ of behavior Intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation Control, autonomy, and competence associated with enhanced outcomes for health behaviors Implementation Intentions Specific strategies for dealing with challenges of making life changes

10. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 10 Social Relationships Social ties important in predicting health Social Support Information and feedback from others indicating... Love and care Esteem and value Inclusion in network of communication and mutual obligation Benefits include.. Tangible assistance Information Emotional support Social Sharing Turning to others for sounding board or willing ear

11. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 11 Religious Faith Strongly related to... Maintaining healthy lifestyle Good health Related to social support Sense of life meaning Buffer against effects of stressful life events

12. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 12 Personality Characteristics Conscientiousness Tendency to do things that are good for health Personal Control Can reduce stress and lead to problem solving Self-Efficacy Influences development of healthy habits, persistence in face of obstacles, and experience of stress Optimism Bad events as external, unstable, and specific

13. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 13 Stress and Its Stages Stress Response of individuals to stressors, circumstances and events that threaten them and tax their coping General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) Common effects on body when demands placed on it Alarm Resistance Exhaustion

14. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 14 General Adaptation Syndrome

15. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 15 Stress and the Immune System Serious implications of chronic (vs. acute) stress Psychoneurimmunology Explores connections among brain and immune system Stress... Lowers efficiency of immune system Directly promotes disease-producing processes May activate dormant viruses

16. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 16 Stress and the Risk of a Cold

17. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 17 Stress and Cardiovascular Disease Chronic emotional stress associated with... High blood pressure Heart disease Early death Stress-related behaviors also risky Personality characteristics Impatient, quick to anger Type A behavior pattern & hostility

18. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 18 Stress and Cancer Association of stress with poor health behaviors Physiological effects of stress inhibit cellular immune responses Diminished natural killer (NK) cell activity in cancer patients

19. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 19 Cognitive Appraisal Perception of events in determining stress Interpretation of events and determination of resources to cope effectively Coping as a form of problem solving Primary Appraisal Interpret event as harm, threat, or challenge Secondary Appraisal Evaluate resources and their effectiveness

20. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 20 Coping with Stress Problem-Focused Coping Cognitive strategy of squarely facing troubles and trying to solve them Works best over long term Emotion-Focused Coping Responding to stress by trying to manage emotional reaction, rather than confronting problem Denial as main protective psychological mechanism for navigating overwhelming feelings

21. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 21 Successful Coping Sense of personal control Healthy immune system Personal resources Positive emotions Optimism Hardiness Sense of commitment and of control Perception of problems as challenges

22. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 22 Stress Management Programs Teach individuals how to... Appraise stressful events Develop coping skills Put skills into use May... Be broad in scope Teach specific technique Often taught through workshops

23. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 23 Toward a Healthier Body Becoming physically active Exercise Aerobic exercise Eating right Quitting smoking Practicing safe sex Preventing unwanted pregnancy Protecting against sexually transmitted infections

24. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 24 Physical Fitness & Mortality

25. Copyright McGraw-Hill, Inc. 2010 25 Lung Cancer Risk in Former Smokers