PSY 320 Using Health Services Study Notes Exam III

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Psychology 320: Health Psychology, Spring 2017 (Instructor: Leong)

Exam 3 Study Guide

Chapter 8

1. Describe the social and psychological factors that influence the recognition and interpretation of

symptoms.

• Recognition of symptoms

o Individual differences

▪ Hypochondriacs believe normal bodily symptoms are indicators of illness

▪ People who convert distress into physical Symptoms: commonly back

pain, joint pain, pain in the extremities, headache, abdominal symptoms,

CV symptoms

▪ Women are not more likely than men to report symptoms

▪ Older people report more symptoms than young people

▪ Neurotic people either exaggerate symptoms or are more attentive to real

symptoms

o Attentional Differences

▪ People who are focused on themselves are quicker to notice symptoms

▪ People with more distractions and who attend less to themselves

experience fewer symptoms than people who have little activity in their

lives

o Situational Factors

▪ Boring situations make people more attentive to symptoms

▪ Medical Students’ Disease

➢ Students believing they are ill with the same illness about which

they are studying

o Stress

▪ Stress-related physiological changes are interpreted as symptoms of illness

o Mood

▪ Affects perception about symptoms and perceived vulnerability to illness

• Interpretation of Symptoms

o Prior-Experience

▪ Common disorders are regarded as less serious than rare disorders

o Expectations

▪ Unexpected symptoms are ignored and expected symptoms are amplified

o Seriousness of the symptoms

▪ Treatment is sought only when the symptom:

➢ Affects a highly valued body part

➢ Causes pain

2. Define illness representations and illness schema, and explain their influence on the interpretation

of symptoms.

• Illness Representations or schemas

o An organized set of beliefs about an illness or a type of illness, including its nature,

cause, duration, and consequences

• Commonsense model of illness

o Argues that people hold implicit commonsense about their symptoms and illnesses

• Can influence people’s preventative health behaviors, their reactions when they experience

or are diagnosed with illness, their adherence to treatment recommendations, their

expectations for their future health, and their health outcomes

• Includes basic information about an illness

o Identity-Name of the illness

o Causes-Factors believed to have led to the illness

• Consequences-Symptoms, treatments, and their implications for quality of life

• Time line- Length of time the illness is expected to last

• Control/cure- Whether the person believes the illness can be managed or cured

• Coherence- How well these beliefs represent the disorder

3. Describe the nature and function of disease prototypes.

• Acute Illness

o Believed to be caused by viral or bacterial agents

o Short in duration, with no long-term consequences

o Ex. Flu

• Chronic Illness

o Believed to be caused by multiple factors

o Long in duration, often with severe consequences

• Cyclic Illness

o Alternating period of either no symptoms or many symptoms

o Ex. Herpes

4. Describe the nature and function of the lay referral network.

• Family and friends who offer their own interpretations of symptoms way before treatment

is sought

• Advice is offered regarding:

o What the symptom means

o Advisability of seeking medical treatment

o Various home remedies

• In many communities, the lay referral network is the preferred mode of treatment

o Powerful lay figure, such as an older women who has had many children, may act

as a lay practitioner

5. Describe the use of the Internet as a lay referral network.

• 2/3 of internet users have used it to find health information

o more than ½ of them say it improved the way they took care of themselves

• Many physicians depend on It for the most up-to-date information on illnesses and

treatments

• The internet constitutes a lay referral network of its own

6. Describe the demographic factors that predict the use of health services.

• Age-Infants and the elderly use it most frequently

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Psychology 320: Health Psychology, Spring 2017 (Instructor: Leong) Exam 3 Study Guide Chapter 8 1. 2. Describe the social and psychological factors that influence the recognition and interpretation of symptoms. • Recognition of symptoms o Individual differences ▪ Hypochondriacs believe normal bodily symptoms are indicators of illness ▪ People who convert distress into physical Symptoms: commonly back pain, joint pain, pain in the extremities, headache, abdominal symptoms, CV symptoms ▪ Women are not more likely than men to report symptoms ▪ Older people report more symptoms than young people ▪ Neurotic people either exaggerate symptoms or are more attentive to real symptoms o Attentional Differences ▪ People who are focused on themselves are quicker to notice symptoms ▪ People with more distractions and who attend less to themselves experience fewer symptoms than people who have little activity in their lives o Situational Factors ▪ Boring situations make people more attentive to symptoms ▪ Medical Students’ Disease ➢ Students believing they are ill with the same illness about which they are studying o Stress ▪ Stress-related physiological changes are interpreted as symptoms of illness o Mood ▪ Affects perception about symptoms and perceived vulnerability to illness • Interpretation of Symptoms o Prior-Experience ▪ Common disorders are regarded as less serious than rare disorders o Expectations ▪ Unexpected symptoms are ignored and expected ...
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Tags: Commonsense Model of Illness Situational Factors Hypochondriacs nonadherence to treatment regimens Effectiveness of Interventions