Tanvi Rane
HLTH 1000 – Unit 1 Study Guide
Staying Safe at ECU (online lesson)
• National statistics reveal that Freshman are the most likely victims of crime on college campuses.
• The most important resource to keep you safe at ECU is you .
• Locks are your first line of defense for residential personal safety.
• Theft is the number one crime on campus.
• To report student behavior that is concerning or threatening, but not necessarily criminal or indicating imminent
danger, contact ECU Cares online, in person, or by phone (252) 737-5555.
• T or F: Most crimes against students occur OFF campus.
• Studies show that students can reduce their risk of being involved in a crime by 67% just by being with
someone else .
• Simple assault accounts for most violent crime involving college students.
• T or F: Male college students are twice as likely to be victims of violence.
• 80% of sexual assaults are committed by someone the victim knows .
• However you decide to get home, never leave a party or club alone with someone you’ve just
met or don’t know well.
• The Office of Victim Advocate assists all victims of crime on or off
campus, including crimes such as relationship violence and sexual assault. It is a key campus resource that can
both provide services and refer you to additional services that you might need. Their phone number is (252)
737-1466, email is ECUVA@ECU.EDU and they are located at 137 Umstead.
Chapter 2: Promoting and Preserving Your Psychological Health
• Most experts identify several basic elements shared by psychologically healthy people. They feel good
about themselves; they feel comfortable with other people and feel respect and compassion
for others; they are self-compassionate; they control tension and anxiety; they meet the demands of life;
they curb hate and guilt; they maintain a positive outlook; they value diversity ; and
they appreciate and respect the world around them.
• In sum, psychologically healthy people possess emotional, mental, social, and spiritual resiliency and
don’t live in a world where “it’s all about me.”
• According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, failure to meet needs at a healthy level will interfere with a
person’s ability to address upper level needs.
• A mentally healthy person perceives life in realistic ways, can adapt to change, can
develop rational strategies to solve problems, and carry out personal and professional
responsibilities.
• Emotionally healthy people usually respond appropriately to upsetting events. Rather than reacting in an
extreme fashion or behavior inconsistently or offensively, they express their feelings , communicate with
others, and show emotions in appropriate ways.
• Socially healthy individuals can listen , express themselves, form healthy attachments, act in socially
acceptable and responsible ways, and adapt to an ever-changing society.
• Research shows that college students with adequate social support have improved
overall well-being, including higher GPAs, less stress and depression, less peer pressure for binge drinking,
lower rates of suicide, and higher overall life satisfaction.
• T or F: It is possible to be mentally, emotionally, and socially healthy and still not achieve optimal
psychological well-being.
• Altruism , the giving of oneself out of genuine concern for others, selflessly, is a key aspect of a
spiritually healthy lifestyle.
• Self-efficacy describes a person’s belief about whether he or she can successfully
engage in and execute a specific behavior. In contrast, self-esteem refers to one’s sense of self-respect and self-
worth.
Tanvi Rane
• A person’s emotional intelligence is the ability to identify, use, understand, and manage one’s emotions in
positive and constructive ways. It is about recognizing your own emotional state and the emotional state of
others.
• Emotional intelligence (EI) has 5 components. What are they? Self-awareness, Self-Regulation/management,
internal motivation, empathy, and social skills.
• A leading personality theory called the five-factor model distills personality into five traits, often called the
“Big Five.” What are they? Openness, Conscientious, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism
• People with a high level of Subjective well-being often demonstrate more resiliency in dealing with
challenges. They can bounce back, stronger and wiser, having learned from their lessons.
• Psychologists, most notably Martin Seligman, suggest that we can develop well-being by practicing positive
psychological actions. Seligman describes the five elements of well–being (represented by the acronym
PERMA) that help humans flourish. PERMA stands for: P = Positive Emotion ; E = Engagement ;
• R = Relationships; M = Meaning ; A = Achievement .
• Research suggests that laughter can increase blood flow, boost the immune response, lower blood
sugar levels, and facilitate better sleep.
• Mental Illnesses are disorders that disrupt thinking, feeling, moods, and behaviors, and cause varying
degrees of impaired functioning in daily living.
• Mental illnesses are believed to be caused by a variety of biochemical , genetic , and environmental
factors. Among the most common risk factors are a genetic or familial predisposition and excessive,
unresolved stress, particularly due to trauma or war or devastating natural or human-caused disaster.
• Mental health problems among college students are growing in both number and severity.
• Disorder and chaos can be headaches for us all, but ADHD sufferers may find them insurmountable
obstacles.
• Mental health problems, particularly depression , have gained increased recognition as obstacles to
healthy adjustment and success in college.
• Stressors such as anxiety over relationships, pressure to get good grades and win social acceptance, abuse of
alcohol and other drugs, poor diet, and lack of sleep can overwhelm even the most resilient students.
• Mental health problems can affect every aspect of your life, including relationships, academics, career
potential, and overall well-being. Stigma over mental illnesses keep many from reaching out for help.
Knowing the signs and symptoms of someone who is struggling (including you) and where to go for help is key
to avoiding serious problems.
• T or F: Typically, depression presents itself the same way for men and women.
• Anxiety disorders, characterized by persistent feelings of threat and worry, are the largest mental
health problem in the United States, affecting more than 40 million people in any given year.
• T or F: In general, anxiety disorders are highly treatable.
• Many people are uneasy around spiders, but if your fear of them is deliberating , it may be a phobia.
• People who commit suicide usually indicated their intensions although others do not always recognize
their warnings.
• T or F: Most people who attempt suicide really want to live but see death as the only way out of an intolerable
situation.
• Crisis counselors and suicide hotlines may help temporarily, but the best way to prevent suicides is to get rid of
conditions and substances that may precipitate attempts, including alcohol, drugs, loneliness,
isolation, and access to guns.
• If someone you know threatens suicide or displays warning signs of doing so, get involved —ask
questions and seek help .
• If you are considering treatment for a psychological problem, schedule a complete evaluation first.
• When you begin seeing a mental health professional, you enter into a relationship with that person, and just as
with any person, you will connect better with some therapists than others. If one doesn’t “ feel right ,”
trust your instincts and look for someone else.
• It is not uncommon for psychotherapeutic treatment to combine talk therapy with drug therapy.
Tanvi Rane
Focus on: Cultivating Your Spiritual Health
• Spirituality is widely acknowledged to have a positive impact on health and wellness, from reductions in overall
morbidity and mortality to improved abilities to cope with illness and stress.
• Cultivating your spiritual side takes just as much work as becoming physically fit .
• volunteering your time and energy is a great way to connect with others and help make the world a
better place while improving your own health.
Chapter 3: Managing Stress and Coping with Life’s Challenges
• Stress is the mental and physical response and adaptation by your body to real or perceived change and
challenges.
• A Stressor is any real or perceived physical, social, or psychological event or stimulus that causes our bodies
to react or respond.
• The factors that influence one’s response to stressors include the characteristics of the stressor (How
traumatic is it? Can you control it? Did it catch you by surprise? Has anything in your life experience prepared
you for it?); biological factors (e.g., your age or gender, your health status, whether you’ve had enough
sleep recently); and past experiences (e.g., things that have happened to you, their consequences, and how
you felt or responded to the situation).
• T or F: All stress is bad for you.
• The body’s physiological responses to stressors evolved to protect humans from harm .
• Prolonged stress can linger indefinitely and wreak silent havoc on your body systems.
• First characterized by Hans Selye in 1936, the internal fight to restore homeostasis, or balance, in the face of a
stressor is known as the general adaptation syndrome (GAS), which has three phases: Alarm stage ,
Resistance Stage , and Exhaustion stage .
• The alarm phase of GAS, also known as the fight or flight response, is a physiological reaction and is
one of our most basic, innate survival instincts.
