U4AOS2

• wellbeing


  state in which individual is mentally, physically and socially healthy and secure
• mental wellbeing

  individual’s psychological state, including ability to think, process information & regulate emotions

  • MW is high / low depending on ability to function and cope with everyday demands, mood patterns and quality of social connections
• ways of considering MW

  • levels of functioning
  • resilience
  • SEWB
• levels of functioning

  • degree to which an individual can complete day to day tasks in an independent and effective manner
  • examples
  • ability to carry out basic tasks everyday
  • productivity in completing day to day tasks
  • setting goals and actions taken to achieve them
  • ability to be independent and cope with changes
• resilience

  • being able to psychologically bounce back from adversity and the ability to cope with and manage change & uncertainty
  • examples
  • ability to seek help / solutions to problems
  • effectiveness of coping strategies
  • flexibility in circumstances around change
  • ability to be optimistic in face of adversity
• social wellbeing

  • ability for an individual to form and maintain meaningful bonds with others, and adapt to different social situations
  • examples
  • effectiveness of support network
  • ability to form meaningful relationships / connections
  • ability to effectively communicate
• emotional wellbeing

  • ability for an individual to appropriately control and express their own emotions in an adaptive way, as well as understand the emotions of others
  • examples
  • awareness of emotional state
  • awareness of others emotional state
  • experiencing wide range of emotions
  • ability to express emotions
• SEWB framework

  • used by ATSI people to describe physical, social, emotional, spiritual and cultural wellbeing of a person
  • suggests that all these dimensions are interconnected & each dimension acts to promote a stronger, more positive identity for ATSI people (therefore promoting their overall MW)
• holistic vs multidimensional

  • holistic = considers whole person (mental, physical, spiritual, social needs)
  • multidimensional = made up of different components
• 7 dimensions of SEWB

  • body & behaviours
  • mind & emotions
  • family & kinships
  • community
  • culture
  • country
  • spirit, spirituality & ancestors
• 3 determinants of SEWB

  • historical (Stolen Generations)
  • social (socio-economic status)
  • political (Constitution impacts)
• MW as a continuum

  • high = mentally healthy
  • high functioning
  • high resilience
  • good SEWB
  • moderate = mentally ill
  • functioning not optimal
  • moderate resilience (amplified emotions + stress)
  • moderate SEWB
  • temporary, modern impact
  • low = mental health disorder (hint: 3D’s)
  • distress - high distress
  • dysfunction - unable to function independently & effectively
  • diagnosable - mental health professional, severe + long term impacts
• difference between low & moderate on MW continuum

  depends on duration & severity of the issue
• advantages of MW as a continuum

  • everyone has mental wellbeing
  • useful tool to track fluctuating MW
  • allows for early signs of mental health difficulties to be identified
  • aligns well with SEWB (identifies mentally unwell without meaning you have a mental disorder)
• internal factors influencing MW continuum

  • biological
  • gender
  • genes
  • imbalance / balance of neurotransmitters
  • NS functioning
  • hormones
  • psychological
  • way of thinking
  • belief
  • attitude
  • learning
  • perception of self
  • decision-making & problem solving
  • managing emotions
• external factors influencing MW continuum

  • social
  • school
  • work
  • interpersonal relationships
  • social support
  • level of education
  • income
  • housing access
  • culture
  • social stigma
  • exposure to stressors
• stress overview

  • dominant NS - sympathetic
  • stimulus - known
  • associated emotions - positive (excitement) or negative (fear, nervousness)
  • eustress / distress - positive (eustress) or negative (distress)
  • adaptive / maladaptive - adaptive in short term, maladaptive in long term
  • on MW continuum - from low/moderate to high
• anxiety overview

  • dominant NS - sympathetic
  • stimulus - unknown (perceived threat)
  • associated emotions - feelings of worry & apprehension (negative)
  • eustress / distress - distress (negative)
  • adaptive / maladaptive - adaptive in short term, maladaptive in long term
  • on MW continuum - from low/moderate to high
• phobia overview

  • dominant NS - sympathetic
  • stimulus - known (phobic stimulus)
  • associated emotions - disproportionate & excessive fear
  • eustress / distress - distress (negative)
  • adaptive / maladaptive - maladaptive
  • on MW continuum - low (severe)
• stress


  psychological & physiological experience that occurs when an individual encounters a stressor that exceeds their ability to cope
• anxiety


  a psychological & physiological response that involves feelings of worry & apprehension about a perceived future threat
• phobia


  type of diagnosable anxiety disorder that is categorised by excessive and disproportionate fear when encountering / anticipating the encounter of a phobic stimulus
• specific phobia

  • diagnosable anxiety disorder that is categorised by excessive & disproportionate fear when encountering or anticipating the encounter of a particular stimulus (avoidance behaviours to avoid this encounter)
  • exposure to phobic stimulus can trigger an acute stress response, even a panic attack
• checklist for specific phobia

  • intense / irrational fear
  • avoids fear stimulus
  • cannot control fear
  • fear interrupts daily functioning
  • overwhelming anxiety
• factors for specific phobia

  • biological (internal, genetically / physiologically based)
  • GABA dysfunction
  • LTP
  • psychological (internal, mental processes, cognitions, emotions)
  • CC (precipitation = increasing susceptibility)
  • OC (perpetuating = inhibit ability to recover from phobia)
  • catastrophic thinking
  • memory bias
  • social (external, interactions with others & their environment)
  • specific environmental triggers
  • stigma around seeking treatment
• specific phobia - biological

  • GABA dysfunction
  • can't regulate post-synaptic activation (insufficient levels don’t decrease likelihood of action potential)
  • low levels of GABA, glutamate is left unbalanced (higher activity, contributing to anxiety)
  • can't regulate anxiety & stress levels, as neurotransmitters become overexcited & fire uncontrollably
  • LTP
  • fear & phobias = learnt response
  • phobia memory circuit strengthened through LTP, messages transmitted faster + more efficiently
  • the response & fear is more pronounced and exaggerated, easily triggered
• specific phobia - psychological behaviours

  • CC (precipitation)
  • leads to onset of the phobia
  • association b/w two unrelated stimuli, repetitively linked (existing reflex is elicited by new stimulus)
  • consistent pairing causes phobic reactions
  • OC (perpetuating)
  • leads to the continuation of phobia
  • reward for staying away from phobic stimulus is calm feeling (negative reinforcement)
  • negative punishment - exposure to phobic stimulus to take away the fear (treats the phobia)
• specific phobia - psychological cognitions

  • catastrophic thinking
  • repeated overestimation of potential dangers of an object or event
  • eg. if you are scared of dogs, thinking if you run into one on the street it will kill you
  • memory bias
  • type of error in thinking when interpreting information
  • remember something to be scarier than it was (makes you more prone towards avoidance behaviours)
• specific phobia - social

  • specific environmental triggers
  • environmental factors that elicit fear response & predispose individual to develop specific phobia
  • occurs through direction confrontation, observation or indirect learning of stimulus
  • stigma around treatment
  • stigma = feelings of shame experienced by individual for characteristics that differentiates them from others
  • difficult for people to sympathise with phobias (seen as unrealistic / dramatic), so negative stereotype placed upon them
  • leads to feelings shame, hopelessness and distress
  • won't seek support, perpetuating phobia
• biological interventions

  • benzo’s (GABA agonist)
  • group of short-acting anti-anxiety medications used in the short term for phobic anxiety
  • acts as a depressant on CNS, imitating GABA
  • they bind to GABA receptor sites, mimicking their effects to increase the inhibitory response
  • breathing retraining
  • process of identifying incorrect breathing habits and replacing them with correct ones to decrease arousal
  • breathing from the diaphragm
  • effects include lower BP, improved sleep, decreased stress hormones, increased feelings of self-control
• psychological interventions

  • CBT
  • replacing dysfunctional thoughts + behaviours with more adaptive thoughts + behaviours
  • cognitions and behaviours mutually reinforce each other to perpetuate a phobia
  • combats catastrophic thinking & memory bias + avoidance behaviours & not seeking help
  • systematic desensitisation
  • uses CC principles to unlearn the previously learnt fear response, and replace it with a new relaxed response
  • repeated pairing of relaxation and the phobic stimulus, stimulus loses its power to provoke anxiety
• social interventions

  • psychoeducation
  • education about the illness, such as the nature of the illness, its treatment & management strategies
  • empowers the phobic person to understand their illness and how to develop strategies to cope with it & recover from it
  • to help families & supporters understand the illness and reduce stigma
  • involves
  • challenges unrealistic thoughts
  • discouraging avoidance behaviours
• steps of systematic desensitisation

  1. learn relaxation techniques (ie. breath retraining)
  2. develop a fear hierarchy (list of anxiety inducing experiences)
  3. step by step exposure (can’t move on until fear response is eliminated at each level)
  4. continuation of systematic exposure until most fear inducing stimulus elicits no fear response
• protective factors

  • influences that enable an individual to promote & maintain high levels of MW
  • reduces risks of low levels of MW (or the development of mental disorder)
  • increases the likelihood of high levels of MW
• biological protective factors

  • adequate nutrition + hydration
  • when the type and amount of food & drink that an individual consumes meets their physical needs
  • sleep
  • good sleep reduces likelihood of mental disorders and promotes MW
• psychological protective factors

  • CB strategies (sub-category of CBT)
  • challenges and changes thoughts and behaviours that impair MW
  • educates patients about body’s natural reactions to threatening situations
  • teaching relaxation
  • establishing daily routines
  • meditation
  • individual focuses on their present experience to promote feelings of calm and peace
  • reduces stress & likelihood of rumination
  • improves emotional reactivity & memory
• social protective factors

  • support network
  • genuine & effective assistance provided by family, friends and community that is authentic and energising
• cultural determinants

  act as protective factors for ATSI people, as they draw strength, resilience and empowerment from culture, contributing to their health and wellbeing
• explain how cultural determinants can be considered ‘protective factors’ for the wellbeing of ATSI communities (2 marks)

  • it is important to consider cultural determinants have a significant impact on ATSI wellbeing.
  • Further, they are unique to ATSI communities & context, therefore may be somewhat different to other methods of maintaining MW
• examples of cultural determinants

  • cultural continuity
  • self-determination