Deck 12: Health Psychology

Question 1

Which of the following are considered psychological risk factors?

A) humor and optimism
B) stress management techniques
C) overeating, smoking, and poor diet
D) aggressiveness, anxiety, and depression

Answer 1

aggressiveness, anxiety, and depression

Question 2

A major contribution health psychologists have made to working with individuals with HIV/AIDS is

A) developing psychological treatments to cure the disease.
B) improving the mental health of those who have contracted the virus.
C) understanding the role spirituality has in facilitating compliance with treatment.
D) focusing attention on the fact that most cases can be prevented by encouraging the avoidance of risky behavior patterns.

Answer 2

focusing attention on the fact that most cases can be prevented by encouraging the avoidance of risky behavior patterns.

Question 3

Which of the following have been identified as components of stress hardiness?

A) optimism
B) resilience and curiosity
C) faith and hope
D) all of the above

Answer 3

all of the above

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT a focus of pain research and treatment for health psychologists?

A) helping patients perceive less pain
B) reduce the psychological distress associated with pain
C) developing medications to eliminate chronic pain
D) developing strategies for living more effectively with chronic pain

Question 5

Health psychology has grown because

A) medical professionals are often not well-trained to deal with the behavioral and psychological aspects of disease.
B) as many as 60% of office visits are associated with patient distress.
C) prevention and treatment of stress and difficulties related to illness are increasingly carried out by health psychologists.
D) all of the above

Question 6

Many researchers suspect that _____________________is the factor that links stress to illnesses, such as colds and cancers.

A) general adaptation syndrome
B) stage of exhaustion
C) immunosuppression
D) resistance factors

Question 7

The interdisciplinary science that integrates knowledge from the social/behavioral sciences and medicine, and focuses on understanding and treating medical disorders is called

A) psychiatry.
B) behavioral medicine.
C) biopsychosocial medicine.
D) integrative psychotherapy.

Question 8

Phantom pain

A) can be easily treated through cognitive-behavioral interventions.
B) refers to pain that comes and goes mysteriously.
C) is difficult to treat because its origins and processes are unknown,
D) is no longer considered an area for health psychologists to concern themselves with.

Question 9

Several types of psychotherapeutic interventions have been studied for treating the depression that often accompanies HIV/AIDS diagnosis.Which ones were found to be the most helpful?

A) behavioral and cognitive-behavioral therapies
B) behavioral and interpersonal therapies
C) interpersonal therapy and supportive therapy, plus antidepressant medication
D) behavior therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy, plus antidepressant medication

Question 10

The fact that demographic variables are related to risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) indicates that

A) poverty causes CVD.
B) lower socioeconomic status is inversely related to health-damaging behaviors.
C) CVD leads to lower incomes and a decline in living standards.
D) all of the above

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT an example of problem-focused coping?

A) confronting the situation head-on
B) distancing oneself from the situation
C) consulting with someone to get more information or new ideas
D) making a plan of action and following it

Question 12

Research has demonstrated that the most health-risky aspect of the Type A personality is

A) hostility.
B) fast pace of life.
C) impatience.
D) pressured speech.

Question 13

The concept of coping

A) refers to cognitive, emotional, and behavioral efforts to deal with stressors.
B) is understood to entail two distinct types: emotion-focused and problem-focused.
C) both of the above
D) neither of the above

Question 14

The individual who called the pattern of central and autonomic nervous system responses the general adaptation syndrome was

A) Sir William Oser.
B) Hans Selye.
C) Barbara Dohrenwend.
D) Carl Rogers.

Question 15

Anything that increases the likelihood of a person developing an illness or disorder is called a

A) risk factor.
B) resilience asset.
C) psychological stressor.
D) protective agent.

Question 16

Anticipatory nausea

A) is an example of a classically conditioned response.
B) can cause patients to forego treatments that could be lifesaving.
C) is poorly controlled by standard anti-nausea medications.
D) all of the above

Question 17

Individuals who are at risk for developing CVD or hypertension

A) can benefit from prevention programs aimed at reducing health-damaging behaviors.
B) are difficult to identify, so prevention is not likely to be effective.
C) probably won't benefit from workplace programs designed to encourage health habits because only programs that start earlier (e.g., grade school) have demonstrated effectiveness.
D) all of the above

Question 18

Emotion-Focused coping

A) is used more by women than men.
B) is favored for stressors related to work.
C) is favored for stressors involving health issues.
D) all of the above

Question 19

The transtheoretical model in health psychology

A) addresses cognitive factors involved in people's decision to change health-related behaviors.
B) assesses a client's readiness and ability to inhibit certain behaviors.
C) assesses a client's ability to perform certain behaviors.
D) all of the above

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a person who is considered to have a Type A personality?

A) competitiveness
B) heightened pace of living, impatience
C) problem-focused coping style
D) preoccupation with themselves

Question 21

Cognitive-behavioral programs have not been shown to improve adherence to complicated drug programs, such as those often prescribed for HIV/AIDS sufferers.

Question 22

Adolescents are particularly good about following medical treatment regimens.

Question 23

Discuss the relationship that emotional aspects of patient-physician communications might have with treatment adherence.

Question 24

Health psychology has been a clinical specialty since WWII.

Question 25

The health belief model (HBM) helps explain

A) why some patients don't adhere to treatment plans.
B) why some patients don't get along with their doctors.
C) the reasons some doctors discontinue treatments for some patients.
D) all of the above

Question 26

Which of the following have been used to improve adherence to medical procedures?

A) breathing exercises and distraction techniques
B) hypnosis
C) systematic desensitization and relaxation
D) all of the above

Question 27

Describe the three stages to Selye's general adaptation syndrome.

Question 28

Writing about stressful experiences has been shown to improve health outcomes.

Question 29

There appear to be factors that reduce stress reactions, and factors that amplify stress reactions.

Question 30

It has been demonstrated that a lack of social support puts people at higher risk for physical and psychological disorders.

Question 31

Research indicates that doctors should give patients written instructions about how treatment will proceed because most people forget about 25% of the oral information their doctors give them.

Question 32

Recommending that a depressed client increase his or her activity level and get regular exercise is an example of

A) an improper use of therapeutic resources.
B) an evidence-based intervention that falls outside the traditionally defined roles of the psychotherapist.
C) an old-fashioned approach that is no longer considered valid.
D) an intervention that is based in folk-wisdom.

Question 33

Why might social support be considered important, but also to carry some risks to adaptive functioning?

Question 34

Coping refers to cognitive, emotional, and behavior capacities that help people deal with stressors.

Question 35

Explain why poverty and low SES are considered risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.

Question 36

Explain the relationship between stress and illness.

Question 37

Although early research indicated that Type A behavior increased the risk for cardiovascular disease, it is now known that the relationship is more complex than initially believed.

Question 38

Nearly half of all deaths in the United States can be attributed to risky behaviors, such as smoking, unhealthy eating, sedentary lifestyles, and alcohol abuse.

Question 39

The theory that describes several perceptual sets patients maintain that affect treatment compliance or adherence is called

A) the health belief model.
B) the health compliance model.
C) the general adaptation model.
D) a contingency contract.

Question 40

Which of the following is NOT a technique frequently used to improve adherence to treatment?

A) offering fewer treatment options to patients who demonstrate low adherence.
B) educating patients about the importance of adhering to a treatment plan, so that they will be more active participants in the process.
C) making treatment plans simpler and more clear
D) using self-monitoring and reminder cues