BHS Health Psychology 5

Question 1

Which cognitive distortion is most specifically targeted in pain catastrophizing interventions?

Accepted Answer

Magnification and rumination about pain

Answer

Pain catastrophizing involves magnifying the threat of pain, ruminating on it, and feeling helpless — all targeted in cognitive restructuring for chronic pain.

Question 2

The concept of 'illness representations' in Leventhal's Common Sense Model includes which five dimensions?

Accepted Answer

Identity, timeline, consequences, cause, control/cure

Answer

Leventhal's self-regulation model proposes that patients form illness representations along five dimensions: identity, timeline, consequences, cause, and control/cure.

Question 3

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for chronic illness primarily aims to:

Accepted Answer

Increase psychological flexibility and value-driven action despite symptoms

Answer

ACT emphasizes accepting unwanted private experiences, defusing from unhelpful thoughts, and committing to behaviors aligned with personal values even in the presence of chronic symptoms.

Question 4

A health psychologist conducts a study showing that optimism predicts lower 5-year mortality in cardiac patients after controlling for disease severity. The MOST plausible behavioral mechanism is:

Accepted Answer

Optimists are more likely to adhere to treatment and adopt positive health behaviors

Answer

Behavioral pathways — including better adherence to cardiac rehabilitation, medication, and lifestyle change — are the most empirically supported mechanisms linking optimism to better health outcomes.

Question 5

Which research design is considered the gold standard for evaluating the efficacy of a health psychology intervention?

Accepted Answer

Randomized controlled trial (RCT)

Answer

The RCT, with random assignment to intervention and control conditions, best controls for confounders and establishes causal efficacy of psychological interventions.

BHS - Bachelor of Health Science Practice Test

BHS - Bachelor of Health Science Practice Test

BHS Health Psychology 5