Medical Sociology Exam 1

The major causes of death in the United States changed substantially during the 20th century. a. true b. false

a

A cerebrovascular accident that occurs when part of the brain does not receive the flow of blood it needs is which of the following: a. Hypertension b. Stroke c. Cancer d. Cardiovascular Disease

b

Which part of the brain deals with automatic response? a. pituitary b. hypothalamus c. amygdala d. outer cortex

d

According to self-assessments and physician evaluations, the level of health among the elderly has improved in recent years. a. true b. false

a

Consistently, men have much higher rates of psychological distress than women. a. true b. false

a

What was the name of the study published in 1910 that provided an analysis (and much criticism) of medical schools in the United States and Canada; it was the impetus for significant change in medical education? a. the Flexner Report b. the Hippocratic Oath c. the Lincoln Report d. the Ebers Papyrus

a

What were the major contributions of ancient Rome to medicine? a. sanitation and public health b. reflections on ethical issues c. medical technologies d. research on human cadavers

a

Which of the following is the type of role strain that occurs most often in the work and homemaker roles? a. role overload b. interpersonal problems within role sets c. inter-role conflict d. role restructuring

a

Which of the following is/are true regarding infant deaths in the United States? a. Low birth weight is the single most hazardous condition for infants. b. There is insufficient evidence to link maternal smoking and use of alcohol/drugs to higher infant death rate. c. There is little discrepancy between the infant mortality rate of white infants and racial/ethnic minority infants.

a

Which of the following statements about the history of the stress concept is true? a. Consideration about harmony in body and spirit dates back to early civilizations. b. Only in the last ten years has there been recognition that stress contributes to ill health. c. Pasteur's discovery of the germ theory of disease stimulated many scientists to focus more attention on social stress as a cause of disease. d. Hans Brinker, founder of the general adaptation syndrome, is often cited as the classic figure in stress research.

a

According to Paul Starr: a. the advancement of science is the only factor necessary to explain the professionalization of medicine in America. b. the advancement of science is one factor in understanding medicine's professionalization, but social authority (for example, laws protecting medicine) is also important. c. the advancement of science and social authority are important but cultural authority (people believing in the legitimacy of medicine) is the crucial component.

b

Brown (1984) suggests a categorization of stress that includes: a. emotional disturbance, violence, and crime. b. emotional disturbance, abnormal behaviors, psychosomatic illness, and organic illness. c. violence, crime, mental illness, and lack of family support. d. organic illness, psychosomatic illness, and lack of family support.

b

Which term describes the amount of disease, impairment, and accident in a population? a. Incidence b. Prevalence c. Morbidity d. Mortality

b

The germ theory of disease is primarily credited to one man, now referred to as the "father of modern medicine." Who is this French chemist? a. Jacques Lister b. Edward Jenner c. Louis Pasteur d. Pierre Aspirine

c

Which of the following events was extremely important in the AMA developing into a strong professional association? a. the knowledge created by the germ theory of disease b. the successful battle to require medical licensure c. the drive to improve medical education in America d. all of the above were important factors

d

Categories of disorders in the DSM include: a. homosexuality, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and Alzheimer's. b. anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and dementias. c. drapetomania, dementia, and depression.

b

High rates of mental illness are associated with which of the following? a. upper-class business executives b. the lower class c. rural residency d. being married

b

How has research demonstrated that social support influences stress and stress outcomes? a. only through the "main effects model"—a direct contribution to health and well-being at all times b. only through the "buffering effects model"—a decrease in negative stress outcomes during times of stress c. through both the main effects and buffering effects models

b

Which of the following is the number one cause of death in the United States? a. cancer b. cardiovascular disease c. AIDS d. accidents

b

Which of the following is correct regarding gender and health? a. Men have a higher prevalence of fatal conditions and therefore place a higher value on their health. b. Women have higher morbidity rates for acute and chronic conditions and thus value their health less. c. Women are more willing than men to acknowledge symptoms of ill health and more readily seek care.

c

Which of the following is the sociological theory that views society as a system largely dominated by social inequality; whatever societal order exists is thought to be dictated by powerful groups of people. a. structural- functionalism b. symbolic interactionism c. social conflict theory d. social order theory

c

Which of the following groups have traditionally been underrepresented in medical research? a. white males b. females c. racial minorities d. only b and c

d

The health of children has changed dramatically in the past four decades. Which of the following is/are true? a. Major infectious diseases have been nearly eliminated. b. Violence toward children is decreasing. c. The age at which cigarette smoking is initiated is declining. d. Alcohol consumption among teenagers is slowly declining. e. All of the above are correct. f. Only a, c, and d are correct.

e

Which of the following factors helps to explain the higher infant mortality rate among blacks than among whites? a. a greater likelihood of living in poverty b. a greater likelihood of living in a toxic environment c. poorer maternal health prior to pregnancy d. insufficient access to health care services e. all of the above

e

Which of the following is/are true regarding chronic diseases in the United States? a. In general, blacks and whites suffer from the same conditions. b. Persons with higher incomes are more susceptible to chronic diseases than are lower-class persons. c. Rates for blacks are consistently much higher than for whites. d. All of the above are correct. e. Only a and c are correct.

e

Robert Straus gave which name to research in medical sociology that is designed primarily to answer practical questions of interest to health care professionals and sponsoring agencies rather than to test sociological hypotheses? a. sociology in medicine b. sociology of medicine

a

The name of the term that measures the number of infant deaths under age 1 for every 1,000 babies born is which of the following? a. Infant Mortality b. Neonatal Mortality c. Postneonatal Mortality d. Maternal Mortality

a

Which of the following statements accurately describe lessons learned from the outbreak of sudden acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in the early 2000s? a. Viruses that emerge in one part of the world can easily spread to other areas. b. Public health improvements are needed throughout the world. c. Current infectious disease control programs are ineffective in dealing with outbreaks of communicable diseases. d. Only a and b are correct. e. All of the statements are correct.

a

Which of the following statements accurately describes physicians in early America? a. There were few physicians and many of these were not formally trained in medicine. b. There were few physicians but those in practice were highly educated and had completed a stringent medical curriculum. c. There were many physicians because much of the medical profession in Europe had migrated to America.

a

Which of the following statements accurately describes the relationship between race and morbidity? a. Overall rates of morbidity are higher for blacks than for whites, but chronic conditions are less prevalent among blacks. b. Hypertension is more common among whites than blacks due to their more stressful jobs. c. Asians and Pacific Islanders born in the U.S. have similar rates of morbidity as the population as a whole. d. All of the above are correct.

a

Which one of the following is a key pathway through which stress leads to disease? a. through direct psychophysiological effects—stress causes the brain to release body hormones and to send messages to the body's system of nerves—this affects the whole body b. through health-impairing behaviors such as disturbed sleeping patterns c. both a and b are key pathways

a

Who was the African engineer, architect, scribe, priest, and physician who made many contributions to medicine around 3000 B.C. and is known as the "historical father of medicine"? a. Imhotep b. Hannibal c. Hammurabi d. Galen

a

With which of the following advancements is Hippocrates associated? a. the principle of natural rather than supernatural explanations for disease b. the circulation of blood within the body c. the demonstration that the humoral theory of disease was incorrect d. all of the above

a

In the late 1700s, understanding of the causes of disease and illness was not much more advanced than 2,500 years earlier. Then, Giovanni Morgagni made a critical discovery: diseases could be traced to particular disturbances in individual organs. By what name is this understanding referred? a. the germ theory of disease b. the anatomical concept of disease c. the cellular basis of disease d. none of the above

b

Medical sociology, as a sub-discipline of sociology, formally came into being in what time period? a. in ancient Greece with Hippocrates' writings on medical ethics b. in the late 1800s and early 1900s as a consequence of the forces of industrialization and urbanization c. in the 1920s and 1930s as a consequence of the forces of the Depression d. in the 1950s and 1960s as the field was institutionalized within the discipline of sociology

b

Stressors and mediators: a. are not related most of the time. b. are related and not independent of one another. c. has not been studied by academicians.

b

Teen pregnancy rates: a. are higher for blacks than whites and are increasing at a higher rate among blacks. b. are higher for blacks than whites but are increasing at a higher rate among whites. c. are similar for whites and blacks and are increasing at a similar rate.

b

The second half of the Medieval Era runs from approximately 1000 A.D. to 1500 A.D. Which of the following did not occur during this era? a. a series of devastating epidemics b. a strong belief in astrology c. the establishment of medical education in universities d. all of these things occurred during this time period

b

The term that describes the basic social conditions, such as social inequality, race, gender, socioeconomic status and neighborhood, that impact health. a. Proximate risk factors b. Fundamental causes c. Social inequality d. Popular Epidemiology

b

What is the name of the nationwide system of surveillance for disease in the United States? a. National Center for Disease and Illness b. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention c. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report d. Department of Health and Human Services

b

Which of the following is not true about the epidemiological transition? a. Early stages of development are characterized by high risks of death from acute, infectious diseases at relatively young ages. b. As societal advancement proceeds, there is greater likelihood of dying from chronic, degenerative diseases at older ages. c. During the period of Delayed Degenerative Diseases, all segments of the elderly population are expected to decrease dramatically.

b

Which of the following is the type of role strain that typically touches people most deeply (and may be the single most important source of stress)? a. role overload b. interpersonal problems within role sets c. interrole conflict d. role captivity

b

Which of the following is/are true regarding the five-year survival rates for cancer? a. Early detection is important and now highly possible for all types of cancer. b. The survival rate for lung cancer is now over 50%. c. Prostate cancer and cancer of the uterus are difficult to detect and therefore have low survival rates (less than 10%). d. Regardless of their effectiveness, all cancer treatments have high personal and economic costs associated with them.

b

Which of the following is/are true regarding the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease? a. It is estimated that over 25% of persons 65 and over are afflicted by the disease. b. The prevalence is expected to rise significantly over the next several decades. c. Diagnosis of the disease is relatively simple and accurate. d. None of the above is true.

b

Which of the following statements about the genetic influence on transmission of disease and illness is true? a. All diseases and illnesses can be directly traced to genes. b. Some disease and illnesses can be directly traced to genes, while others result from an interplay of genes and the environment. c. No diseases or illness can be directly traced to genes.

b

What has been the dominant epidemiological trend in the United States in the last 100 years? a. a dramatic increase in rates of acute, infectious disease b. a dramatic reduction in rates of chronic, degenerative disease c. a dramatic reduction in rates of acute, infectious disease

c

Which of the following statements accurately summarizes the effects of life events on health? a. The effect of life events is not large and usually does not persist over time. b. The effect of life events is not large but it stays with the person for a long time. c. The effect of life events is often very large and stays with the person for a long time.

b

Which of the following statements most accurately summarizes Vicente Navarro's position on the rise of medical authority in America? a. The rise of medical authority occurred because powerful societal groups arranged for that to occur so that they would personally benefit. b. The rise of medical authority occurred because powerful societal groups persuaded the general public that it would be in their best interest. c. The rise of medical authority occurred because a majority of Americans perceived that to be in their best interests.

b

Many medical sociologists conduct their research by systematically observing people in their natural environment. What type of research is this? a. experimental research b. demographic research c. observational research d. survey research

c

Men: a. have higher rates of personality disorder than women. b. are less likely to suffer from schizophrenia than women. c. are typically violent when they are mentally ill; women are not violent when mentally ill. d. have lower rates of substance abuse than women.

c

People in early human civilizations commonly believed that the cause of disease and illness was traceable to: a. tidal forces and other massive movements of water. b. the alignment of the planets within the solar system. c. the direct or indirect intervention of supernatural beings. d. germs transferred to humans by wild and domesticated animals.

c

The medical sociology-related journal sponsored by the American Sociological Association is: a. Medical Care. b. Social Science and Medicine. c. the Journal of Health and Social Behavior. d. the Journal of Behavioral Medicine

c

The rate of cancer: a. has declined in recent years. b. continues to rise. c. is increasingly due to rising breast cancer rates. d. is expected to drop dramatically during the next ten years.

c

The usefulness and necessity of hospitals was an outgrowth of the forces of industrialization and urbanization (which created unhealthy, unsanitary, overcrowded cities). In what century did hospitals emerge as major care centers for the sick? a. the 12th b. the 17th c. the 19th d. the 20th

c

What percentage of the population experiences at least one of the mental disorders listed in DSM-IV(R) (not counting substance abuse) each year? a. 1-2 percent of the population b. 5-8 percent of the population c. 30 percent of the population d. more than 50 percent of the population

c

Which of the following is true concerning the DSM and homosexuality? a. the first DSM did not include homosexuality b. the most recent version of the DSM includes homosexuality c. homosexuality was included in earlier versions of the DSM but removed later d. the DSM has never included a diagnosis of homosexuality

c

Which of the following statements about disability is accurate? a. By definition, persons with a disability are in poor health. b. Rates of disability are higher for men than women. c. Older persons are much more likely than the young to have a disability. d. About one American in every 20 has a disability.

c

Which of the following statements accurately describes infectious diseases today? a. They are a regional (Asia, Africa) rather than a global problem. b. Infectious diseases no longer exist in the United States. c. Many antibiotics that have been effective against infectious diseases have lost their effectiveness.

c

Which of the following statements accurately describes the origin and early years of the American Medical Association (AMA)? a. The AMA was founded in the mid-1700s-just prior to the Revolutionary War. b. The AMA was formed only when the federal government demanded that physicians form a professional association. c. There was considerable sentiment in the country against legitimating any particular medical orientation—thus it was many years after its founding before the AMA acquired any real strength. d. All of these statements are accurate.

c

Which of the following statements best captures the sociological perspective on human behavior? a. Every individual is unique; the explanation for human behavior usually can be found in investigating these individual traits and characteristics. b. While the social environment does have an influence, human behavior is largely shaped through our genes. c. Human behavior is largely shaped by the groups to which people belong and the social interaction that occurs within those groups.

c

With which of the following groups is higher life expectancy associated? a. racial and ethnic minorities, the middle and upper classes, and men b. whites, the middle and upper classes, and men c. whites, the middle and upper classes, and women d. whites, the lower class, and women

c

A situation in which an individual is in an unwanted role and feeling an obligation to do one thing while preferring to do something else (e.g., a student who is attending college only because of parental pressure).

d

According to the World Health Organization, which of the following is the single biggest cause of premature adult death throughout the world? a. alcohol b. drug abuse c. crime d. tobacco

d

Charles Horton Cooley described the development of self-image as a process whereby people come to view themselves the way that they perceive others view them. What term did he use to describe this process? a. generalized other b. the Cooley theorem c. the mediated ego d. the looking-glass self

d

Curative procedures in early civilizations often were designed to force some foreign object out of the body. Which of the following specific procedures were used? a. artificially inducing the patient to vomit b. draining blood from the body c. carving a hole in the skull d. all of the above e. only a and b

d

Most people use coping strategies to deal with stress in their lives. Which of the following is a coping "psychological resource"? a. playing sports b. having high external control c. listening to music as a diversion d. having a sense of hardiness

d

One of the most important insights that shaped Emile Durkheim's work on suicide is: a. that all individuals are different and that it is impossible to identify general patterns in human behavior. b. that religion is the only social factor that influences the likelihood of committing suicide. c. that broad social factors—like the state of the economy—influence suicide rates, but that personal characteristics—like marital status—do not. d. that behaviors as seemingly individual as suicide are shaped by social forces.

d

Rodney Coe has suggested that the development of medical sociology was facilitated by several factors, including which of the following? a. the shift in patterns of morbidity and mortality to lifestyle-related diseases b. increasing attention to preventive medicine and public health c. the increasing complexity of the health care system d. all of these factors were identified by Coe

d

Several techniques have been used to study the effects of specific life events on level of stress. Which of the following techniques has/have been used? a. general community surveys asking respondents both about exposure to life events and indicators of illness b. experiments in which the experimental group but not the control group are intentionally exposed to several stressful life events c. comparison of the number and type of life events experienced by psychiatric patients prior to hospital admission with the same information in a non-patient control group d. all of the above e. only a and c

d

The significant decline in infant mortality in the United States in the last 100 years can be attributed to which of the following? a. improvements in socio-environmental factors b. medical discoveries such as antibiotics and immunizations, better prenatal care and delivery, and technological breakthroughs c. the advent of legalized abortion d. all of the above e. only a and b

d

Through the 1700s and into the 1800s, physicians were poorly paid (and sometimes not paid at all). Which of the following factors helps to explain this pattern? a. Many people preferred family medicine. b. There were so many physicians, none saw very many patients. c. Many patients could not pay for care received. d. All of these factors help explain the pattern.

d

What was the most significant occurrence in medicine during the Medieval Era? a. an acceptance of science as the best course to understanding disease and illness b. an acceptance by governments of their critical role in financing medical research c. the establishment of hospitals as the primary site where physicians practiced d. a rejection of scientific medicine and a return to religious explanations for disease and illness

d

Which of the following is/are mechanisms for transmission of the HIV/AIDS virus? a. homosexual activity b. heterosexual activity c. contaminated blood d. The virus can be transmitted through any of the above.

d

Which of the following is/are the primary cause(s) of the dramatic declines in the death rate from heart diseases over the past several decades? a. major medical advances b. decline in the smoking rate c. changes in diet d. all of the above e. only b and c

d

Which of the following statements about chronic strains is/are true? a. Chronic strains are a more powerful determinant than life events of stress-related disorders. b. Chronic strains may lead to life events and vice-versa. c. Measurement of chronic strains is a simple, straightforward procedure. d. Only a and b are correct.

d

Which of the following statements about incidence and prevalence of disease is correct? a. Incidence indicates increases and decreases in the spread of a condition while prevalence determines the extent of a condition in a population. b. Prevalence indicates increases and decreases in the spread of a condition while incidence determines the extent of a condition in a population. c. Measurements of incidence are most helpful in studying whether the progression of a disease is accelerating, stabilizing, or decelerating. d. Both a and c are correct.

d

Which of the following is/are true regarding the etiology of cancer? a. It is estimated that up to 90% of all cancers are environmentally induced or related. b. Inhaling others' cigarette smoke can cause cancer. c. There is a clear link between diet and cancer. d. Obesity increases the risk of cancer. e. All of the above are correct. f. Only b, c, and d are correct.

e

Which of the following statements accurately describes the Hippocratic Oath? a. A large section of the Oath describes the importance of the relationship between physicians and their apprentices. b. The Oath contains several specific promises made by physicians to their patients. c. In Hippocrates's time and now, the Oath is considered a sacred pledge and physicians try never to deviate from its guidelines. d. Both a and b are correct. e. Both b and c are correct.

e