Health Psychology

Health Psychology Phil Thirkell

Lay Beliefs • What are Lay Beliefs? • Common-sense understanding and knowledge about health/illness • Rooted in their own experience • Aren’t necessarily wrong Where do patients get lay beliefs from?

Lay Beliefs • Why might taking into account a patient’s lay beliefs be beneficial? • Help to understand illness related behaviour • Understand their needs • Understand their expectations • Patient satisfaction • Doctor satisfaction

What triggers a patient to access healthcare? • Sanctioning(my wife told me to come and see you…) • Temporalising of Symptomatology(if my leg hasn’t got better by next week I’ll go to the GP…) • Interfering with vocational activity (my constant headaches mean I can’t concentrate at work…) • Interfering with social activity/relationship(I can’t play football anymore because my knee hurts so much…) • Interpersonal crisis(my brother’s just had a heart attack, so think I should do something about my chest pain…)

Health Behaviour vs. Illness Behaviour • Health Behaviour • Behaviours related to the health status of an individual • Sleep, exercise, attending screening, smoking, alcohol etc. Illness Behaviour • Behaviours a patient engages in once they believe they are ill • e.g. seeking help, changing habits etc.

Dual Pathway Model –how psychological factors affect health Psychological Factors e.g. stress Health Outcome e.g. hypertension direct pathway indirect pathway Behaviour e.g. smoking

BioPsychoSocial Model • BIO • Bacteria • Viruses • Genetics • Other illness • PSYCHO • Behaviour • Emotions • Beliefs • Stress • SOCIAL • Employment • Housing • Class • Ethnicity

Determinants of Health Behaviour • Background – e.g. ethnicity, culture, education etc. • Stable (personality type) • Social – e.g. social cues (you look terrible today), social support (high = perceived healthier) • Situational – e.g. if bored you’re more likely to notice symptoms, publicly visible symptoms Emotional disposition – O.C.E.A.N. Expectancies – LOCUS OF CONTROL Explanatory style – OPTIMIST/PESSIMIST

Stable Factors – Emotional Disposition • OCEAN • Openness – curious, willing to accept new ideas • Conscientiousness – discipline, organisation etc. • Extroversion – enthusiastic, actively seeks information/help • Agreeableness – sympathetic, appreciative etc. • Neuroticism – anxious, tense, self-pitying

Stable Factors – Generalised Expectancies • Locus of Control– how much control they have over future events • Internal – more favourable outcomes. They believe: • Responsible for their own health • Illness can be avoided by good health behaviours • Ill health is from poor health behaviours • External – opposite of all the above Self – Efficacy • Belief that they can carry out an action which will lead to a good outcome

Stable Factors – Explanatory Style • Optimism/Pessimism • A patient’s expectation of the future despite a current bad situation • Attributional Style • Self – internal/external • Time – permanent/temporary • Situation – global/specific

Models of Health

Health Psychology