BHS Health Psychology 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which coping strategy involves reframing the meaning of a stressor to make it less threatening?
- Problem-focused coping
- Avoidant coping
- Cognitive reappraisal (Correct answer)
- Emotion-focused suppression
Correct answer: Cognitive reappraisal
Cognitive reappraisal is an emotion-regulation strategy that changes the mental representation of a situation to alter its emotional impact.
Question 2: The biopsychosocial model, as applied to health psychology, was primarily introduced by:
- George Engel (Correct answer)
- Hans Selye
- Albert Bandura
- Aaron Beck
Correct answer: George Engel
George Engel (1977) criticized the purely biomedical model and proposed the biopsychosocial framework integrating biological, psychological, and social factors.
Question 3: Which psychoneuroimmunology finding best demonstrates a direct link between psychological state and immune function?
- Placebo-induced analgesia reducing substance P
- Exam-period stress reducing natural killer cell activity in students (Correct answer)
- Cognitive behavioral therapy lowering resting heart rate
- Social isolation increasing cortisol binding affinity
Correct answer: Exam-period stress reducing natural killer cell activity in students
Kiecolt-Glaser's studies showed that medical students had significantly reduced NK cell activity during final exams, directly linking academic stress to immune suppression.
Question 4: According to the Health Belief Model, 'perceived barriers' refers to:
- An individual's belief that they are susceptible to a disease
- Obstacles a person anticipates in adopting a health behavior (Correct answer)
- Lack of knowledge about a recommended health action
- Environmental factors that prevent access to healthcare
Correct answer: Obstacles a person anticipates in adopting a health behavior
Perceived barriers are the individual's assessment of the physical, psychological, or financial obstacles to taking a health action.
Question 5: A health psychologist helping a patient manage type 2 diabetes primarily uses motivational interviewing. MI is best characterized as:
- A directive, advice-giving therapy focusing on behavioral consequences
- A collaborative, person-centered style that elicits and strengthens motivation to change (Correct answer)
- A structured cognitive protocol to correct irrational diabetes beliefs
- An educational approach that emphasizes factual knowledge about glucose management
Correct answer: A collaborative, person-centered style that elicits and strengthens motivation to change
Motivational Interviewing (Miller & Rollnick) is a collaborative, goal-oriented style of communication that strengthens personal motivation by exploring and resolving ambivalence.
Question 6: Which factor is most strongly associated with nonadherence to long-term medication regimens?
- Low patient health literacy alone
- Asymptomatic nature of the condition (Correct answer)
- Medication cost alone
- Patient age over 65
Correct answer: Asymptomatic nature of the condition
When a condition produces no symptoms, patients often perceive no immediate need for medication, making adherence particularly difficult to sustain.
Question 7: Tertiary prevention in health psychology focuses on:
- Vaccinating healthy populations before disease onset
- Screening high-risk individuals to detect early disease
- Reducing disability and improving quality of life in those with chronic illness (Correct answer)
- Educating communities to eliminate behavioral risk factors
Correct answer: Reducing disability and improving quality of life in those with chronic illness
Tertiary prevention aims to minimize the impact of established disease through rehabilitation, disease management, and quality-of-life interventions.
BHS Health Psychology 3
Which coping strategy involves reframing the meaning of a stressor to make it less threatening?