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HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY - Coggle Diagram
HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
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Stress and Well-Being
Various theorists view stress as a stimulus; as a response having cognitive, physiological and behavioural components; or as an interaction (i.e. transacion) betwene the person and the environment. The latter view incorporates the stimulus and response conceptions into a more dynamic model
Stressors are events that place physical or psychological demands on organisms. Teh stressfulness of a situation is defined by the balance between demands and resources. Life events vary in terms of how positive or negative they are and how intense they are. Other dimensions that affect their impact include duration, predictability, controllability and chronicity
Cognitive appraisal processes play an esential role in people´s resåonses to stressors. People appraise the nature of the demands, the resources available to deal with them, the possible consequences of the situation and the personal meaning of these consequences. Distortions at any level can result in inappropriate stress responses
The physiological response to stressors is mediated by teh autonomic and endocrine systems and involves a pattern of arousal that mobilizes the body to deal with the stressor. Selye described a general adaptation syndrome 8GAS), which involves the stages of alarm, resistance and exhaustion.
Measures of both negative life events and microstressors are associated with negative psychologicla outcomes, such as anxiety and depression. Stress is also related to several negative health changes. Prolonged exposure to stressors on the job can result in job burnout, which is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Life stress can slo worsen pre-existing medical conditions, and increase the risk of illness and death
The immune system respons to foreign substances in the body by making antibodies in order to destroy any bacteria or cells that have antigenic properties. Whereas acute stress enhances immune system functioning, chronic stress suppresses it. Reduced immune system funcitoning may underlie negative health effects caused by stress
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Coping with stress
Three major ways of coping with stressors are problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping and seekign social support. problem-focused and seeking social support generally relate better adjustment than emotion-focused coping. However, in situations involving low personal control, emotion-focused coping may be the most appropriate and effective stratgey
Trauma disclosure has shown positive effects on physical and psychological well-being. Severe emotional constraint may be a risk factor fo rcancer and perhaps other disorders. Flexibnility in emotional expression and suppression seems desirable.
Stress-management training teaches people adaptive coping skills for handling stressful situations. Cognitive resructuring and self-instructional training can be used to develop adapative cognitive coping responses; somatic, relaxation training can be used to develkop greater control of physiological arousal; mindfulness-based stress-reduction programmes aim to develop a non-judgmental present-moment awareness to help regulate negative thoughts of emotions, resulting in positive psychological outcomes
Pain and pain management
Pain is a complex perception influenced by biological, psychological and sociocultural factors. At the biological level, the major pain receptors (nociceptors) appear to be free nerve endings. Gate control theory attributes pain to the opening and closing of gates in the spinal cord and to influences from the brain. Glial cells and cytokines are also involved in pain. The nervous system contains endorphins, which play a major role in pain reduction
Expectations of relief produced by placebos can markedly reduce medical symtom sand pain. Cultural factors also influence the appraisal and response to painful stimuli, as do control beliefs. Negative emotional states increase suffering and decrease pain tolerance
Psychologicla techniques for pain control include: (1) cognitive strategies, such as dissociative and associative techniques; (2) providing medicla patients with sensory and procedural informaiton to increase cognitive control and support; and (3) increasing activity level to counter pain