Deck 12: Health Psychology

Question 1

Which of these concepts is not part of the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of health?

A) absence of illness
B) a state of complete physical, social and spiritual wellbeing
C) behaviour
D) All of the given options are part of the WHO definition of health.
E) None of the given options are part of the WHO definition of health.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Health psychology interventions can be targeted at:

A) individual patients.
B) groups.
C) communities and populations.
D) All of the given options are correct.
E) None of the given options is correct.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The Holmes and Rahe Social Readjustment Rating Scale, in which the number of recent stressful life events is counted, has been criticised in the literature because:

A) the same event can have a different impact on different people.
B) it does not include all the possible stressful life events.
C) it includes too many categories of stressful life events.
D) All of the given options are correct.
E) None of the given options are correct.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The term 'stress' is used to refer to:

A) a stimulus or event external to the individual.
B) a physical or biological reaction.
C) a psychological state or response.
D) All of the given options are correct.
E) None of the given options are correct.

Question 5

The strongest associations between stress and physical disease have been reported in the literature on:

A) cancer.
B) irritable bowel syndrome.
C) asthma.
D) coronary heart disease.
E) arthritis.

Question 6

The term Health-QOL refers to:

A) the impact of changes in health status on quality of life.
B) the impact of quality of life on changes in health status.
C) an individual's evaluation of his or her life (all aspects).
D) a doctor's evaluation of a patient's life (all aspects).
E) All of the given options are correct.

Question 7

Health promotion targets:

A) genes that cause or contribute to disease.
B) behaviours that cause or contribute to the burden of disease.
C) treatment of existing disease.
D) All of the given options are correct.
E) None of the given options are correct.

Question 8

Social cognition models of health behaviour suggest that:

A) positive attitudes prevent disease.
B) cognitive impairments lead to illness.
C) shared beliefs about health influence behaviour.
D) social networks lead to shared illnesses.
E) family behaviour patterns influence health.

Question 9

Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behaviour suggests that an individual's intentions to perform a behaviour (e.g., quit smoking) are influenced by:

A) their attitudes to the behaviour and to the likely consequences.
B) their perceptions of significant others' beliefs and wishes concerning the behaviour.
C) their beliefs about how easy or difficult the behaviour may be to perform.
D) All of the given options are correct.
E) None of the given options are correct.

Question 10

Which of these constructs is not central to Maslach's model of burnout?

A) total hours of work
B) reduced personal accomplishment
C) depersonalisation
D) emotional exhaustion
E) All the options given are correct

Question 11

Which of these is a valid criticism of the research on mood disturbance or stress and subsequent cancer diagnoses?

A) Cancer symptoms may have preceded the reported stress or mood disturbance.
B) Sample sizes are often small.
C) Other risk factors and mediating social supports are not always controlled for.
D) All of the given options are correct.
E) None of the given options are correct.

Question 12

Research has demonstrated a relationship between coronary heart disease and:

A) work stress.
B) depression and lack of social support.
C) type A behaviour.
D) All of the given options are correct.
E) None of the given options are correct.

Question 13

Which of these constructs is not a component of shared decision making with regards to patient care?

A) The doctor ensures the patient gets the best intervention(s).
B) The doctor and patient are simultaneously involved in all stages of decision making.
C) The doctor and patient exchange information.
D) There is mutual deliberation followed by agreement on the treatment to implement.
E) The family is involved in all medical decisions.

Question 14

Research suggests that in situations where it is possible for something to be done:

A) emotion-focused coping is more adaptive than problem-focused coping.
B) problem-focused coping is more adaptive than emotion-focused coping.
C) both problem-based and emotion-based coping are effective, and equally so.
D) neither problem-based nor emotion-based coping is effective.
E) social-focused coping is more effective than either problem-based or emotion-based coping.

Question 15

The Health Belief Model suggests that people's health-related behaviours are influenced by:

A) how susceptible they believe they are to a given illness or injury.
B) how severe they believe a given illness or injury would be.
C) the perceived benefits of, and barriers to, a health-related behaviour.
D) All of the given options are correct.
E) None of the given options are correct.

Question 16

Which of these statements is not true of the Health Belief Model?

A) It explains most of the variance in people's health-related behaviours.
B) Its variables are difficult to operationalise and test.
C) Interactions of variables in the model are not well described or defined.
D) Some of the central variables fail to predict some health-related behaviours.
E) All of the given options are true of the Health Belief Model.

Question 17

The Prochaska and di Clemente Stages of Change Model suggests that:

A) relapse cannot occur until treatment has successfully been completed.
B) the same strategy will always work for the same client.
C) different strategies are needed at different stages.
D) motivation and readiness for change do not affect outcomes.
E) All of the given options are correct.

Question 18

According to Self Regulation Theory, an individual's initial response to a health threat is based on their:

A) cognitive representation of the illness.
B) emotional representation of the illness.
C) cognitive and emotional representation of the illness.
D) stage of change: contemplation or pre-contemplation.
E) All of the given options are correct.

Question 19

There is increasing research evidence that psychological distress and dysfunction can predispose people to developing diseases via:

A) failing to take a positive attitude.
B) negative visual imagery.
C) impaired immune functioning.
D) All of the given options are correct.
E) None of the given options are correct.

Question 20

When discussing the risks and benefits of treatments, research has shown that patients:

A) understand percentages more easily than frequencies.
B) choose treatments with more long-term benefits if discussions are longer.
C) comprehend the meaning of relative risk ('double your risk') better than absolute risk (x% or y%).
D) choose riskier treatments if information is worded negatively (chance of death).
E) All of the given options are correct.

Question 21

In a recent study of factors related to bowel cancer screening in a regional Australian community, greater embarrassment in regards to bowel cancer screening was associated with which of the following?

A) being at a later stage of change
B) higher likelihood of participating in bowel cancer screening
C) being at an earlier stage of change
D) All of the given options are correct.
E) None of the given options are correct.

Question 22

Patients may choose active treatment options rather than a 'wait and see' or palliative approach when outcomes are described in terms of:

A) relative rather than absolute risk reductions.
B) absolute rather than relative risk reductions.
C) both relative and absolute risk reductions.
D) neither relative nor absolute risk reductions.
E) The way treatment options are described makes no difference.

Question 23

Because it is perceived more accurately, the best format for presenting risk information is:

A) bar graphs.
B) pie charts.
C) pictograms.
D) verbal description.
E) All of the given options are equally effective in presenting risk information.

Question 24

The finding of some studies that people with advanced illness has been shown to have an equivalent quality of life to that of healthy people can be explained by which of the following phenomena?

A) illness denial syndrome
B) response shift
C) social support equivalence
D) All of the given options are correct.
E) None of the given options are correct.

Question 25

Which of the following is not one of the four phases a person might experience response to illness according to Morse and Johnson (1991)?

A) uncertainty
B) disruption
C) striving for recovery
D) maintenance of health
E) restoration of wellbeing

Question 26

A criticism of the Health Belief Model is that:

A) it can explain only a limited proportion of the variance in health behaviour.
B) is assumes that beliefs about health occur simultaneously in a 'one off' assessment.
C) it assumes that people are rational decision makers, which is not always the case.
D) All of the options given are correct.
E) None of the options given are correct.

Question 27

Which component of Protection Motivation Theory is the strongest predictor of health-related behaviour?

A) appraisal of threat
B) coping appraisal
C) self-efficacy
D) high anxiety
E) health knowledge

Question 28

Which statement least describes a cancer patient's understanding of feedback given to them by their health professional?

A) There may be frequent misunderstandings of what they are told.
B) There may be misunderstandings about the goals of treatment.
C) There may be misunderstandings about the severity of their illness.
D) Patients can be overly optimistic regarding their prognosis.
E) Patients have a clear understanding as to the nature of their illness.

Question 29

Which is not a key component of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?

A) acceptance of life circumstances (e.g., chronic pain) without attempting to change them
B) non-judgmental observance of thoughts
C) becoming aware of self
D) correcting cognitive distortions
E) None of the options given are correct.

Question 30

Which of the following statements is correct in terms of the association between stress and health?

A) The association is relatively large.
B) The association is relatively small.
C) There is a moderate association between stress and health.
D) The association between stress and health is greater only for women.
E) None of the options given are correct.

Question 31

Which is not a typical physiological change associated with progressive muscle relaxation?

A) decreased oxygen consumption
B) decreased heart rate
C) increased beta waves
D) decreased muscle tension
E) All of the given options are correct.

Question 32

The Job Demands-Control Model of employee burnout proposes that burnout in increased by:

A) total hours worked.
B) greater job control.
C) excessive job demands.
D) All of the given options are correct.
E) None of the given options are correct.

Question 33

The Hippocratic Oath, which includes the words 'I will prescribe regimes for the good of my patients...', is an example of which type of patient care?

A) patient centred
B) doctor-patient centred
C) professional-centred
D) family centred
E) All of the given options are correct.

Question 34

A 2008 study conducted a meta-analysis of psychosocial interventions for cancer patients and concluded that:

A) the overall quality of studies in this area is poor.
B) the evidence is highly inconsistent.
C) many of the studies had low statistical power to detect effects of intervention.
D) All of the given options are correct.
E) None of the given options are correct.

Question 35

The fight or flight response involves all of the following except:

A) elevated muscle tension.
B) rapid breathing.
C) elevated heart rate.
D) increased blood pressure.
E) exhaustion.