Health Psychology: An Overview Chapter 1

Illness / Wellness What is health? Objective and subjective signs

Illness / Wellness Continuum Major disability Symptoms/minor Average Healthful Signs Very healthful From illness disability Signs & lifestyle signs & lifestyle Death Optimal Wellness

The Disease Pattern  XVll and XlX Centuries  Infectious Diseases  XX and XXl Centuries  Chronic Diseases, Injury

HEALTH BELIEFS  Ancient Cultures  Magic, Supernatural, Mind-Body separation  Middle Ages  Church supremacy, Illness and sin, Body-Mind interaction  Renaissance  Human Centered, Mechanistic view, dissection, surgery, microscope…  XX Century  The Biomedical model

Psychology and Health Individuals Lifestyle Risk Factors Personality Health Care Models Psychosomatic Medicine Psychoanalysis and Psychiatry Biopsychosocial Approach Behavioral Medicine Health Psychology

Psychology and Health Health Psychology: Goals Prevent illness Identify causes of illness Treat Illness Health care systems and public policy

Related Fields Epidemiology Distribution and frequency of disease mortality: number of deaths morbidity: illness, injury prevalence: total number of cases incidence: number of new cases epidemic: rapid increase in incidence

Related Fields Public Health field focuses on organized effort related to health issues in a community Medical Sociology field concerned with social factors related to health and illness Medical Anthropology field concerned with the cross-cultural aspects of health and illness

Research Methods Theory A tentative explanation of why and under what conditions a certain phenomenon occurs A useful theory: is clearly stated organizes facts relates information allows for predictions

Research Methods Experiments A controlled study in which one variable is manipulated as another variable is measured. Independent variable Dependent variable Experimental and Control Groups Double-blind study Nonexperimental Methods Independent Variable is not manipulated

Quasi-experimental Designs Correlational Studies Retrospective approach: look back Prospective approach: follow group Developmental Approaches Cross-sectional different ages observed at the same time Longitudinal observe same individuals over a long time Single-subject Designs Case study