Introduction to Health

Psychology
*The World Health Organization
defined health as ‘a state of
complete physical, mental and
social well-being and not merely
the absence of disease or
infirmity’ (World Health Organization, 1948).
*wellness to refer to this optimum
state of health.
 WHAT IS HP?
Health psychology is an
exciting and relatively
new field devoted to
understanding psychological
influences
on how people stay healthy,
why they become ill, and
how they respond when
they do get ill.
 Health
Psychology
Study of social, behavioural, cognitive, and
emotional factors that influence the:
Maintenance of health
Development of illness and disease
Course of illness or disease
Patient’s and family’s response to illness
and disease
The scientific study of how
psychological factors relate to the
promotion and maintenance of health
and causation, prevention and
treatment of physical illness as well
as people respond when they do get
ill (Taylor, 1999)
 GOALS IN HEALTH
PSYCHOLOGY
Pinpoint Psychological, Behavioral
and Social factors in disease and
health(The biopsychosocial model).
Promote and maintain health
Prevent and treat illness
Improve the Health care system
and health care policy.
 Health
Psychologist
Health psychologists use their
knowledge of psychology and health to
promote general well-being and
understand physical illness.
They are specially trained to help people
deal with the psychological and
emotional aspects of health and illness
as well as supporting people who are
chronically ill.
Health psychologists promote healthier lifestyles
and try to find ways to encourage people to
improve their health.
Health psychologists study the psychological
aspects of the prevention and treatment of
illness.
Health psychologists focus on health
promotion and maintenance
Health psychologists also focus on the etiology
and correlates of health, illness, and
dysfunction. Etiology refers the origins or
causes of illness.
health psychologists analyze and attempt to
improve the health care system and the
formulation of health policy.
 Where can you find clinical-health
psychologists?
 Stroke rehabilitation
 Family practice
 Sleep disorders clinics
 Pediatrics
 Public health and
 HIV prevention and
treatment policy
 Infertility clinics
 Multidisciplinary Pain
 Oncology
Centers
 Cardiopulmonary  HMOs
Rehabilitation  Industry
 Emergency room  Chronic disease
 Spinal cord injury support groups
rehabilitation  Dialysis treatment
centers
 And many more!
 Relation of health psychology to
other health-related fields

Medicine
Health
Psychosomatic
Education
Cardiology
Nutrition
Oncology, etc.

Sociology Behavioural
Behavioural
Nutrition health Physiology
medicine
Exercise Phys.
Health
Psychology

Psychology
 Important Contributions of
Psychology to Health
Has provided techniques useful in changing
behaviours that affect health and illness.
Is committed to keeping people healthy
rather than waiting to only treat them when
they become ill.
Long history of developing reliable and
valid measures for assessing health-related
factors.
Has contributed a solid foundation of
scientific methods for studying such
behaviours.
CONDUCTING HEALTH
RESEARCH
Although much research in health
psychology is guided by practical
problems, such as how to ease the
transition from hospital to home care,
about one-third of health psychology
investigations are guided by theory
(Painter, Borba, Hynes, Mays, & Glanz,
2008).
A theory is a set of analytic statements
that explain a set of phenomena, such as
why people practice poor health behaviors.
The best theories are simple and useful.
Advantages of theories:
I. Theories provide guidelines for how
to do research and interventions.
II.Theories generate specifi c
predictions, so they can be tested
and modifi ed as the evidence comes
in.
III.Theories help tie together loose
ends.
 Experimental Designs
In an experiment, a researcher creates two or
more conditions that differ from each other in
exact and predetermined ways.
Examines differences between experimentally
manipulated groups (e.g., one group gets a
certain drug and the other gets a placebo).
When we manipulate a variable and see its
effects, we can establish a cause-effect
relationship definitively.
 Sample of Participants
Coronary risk factors
measured

Experimental Group Control Group

Received behavioral Receives standard
counseling advice

Measure dietary fat Measure dietary fat

intake intake
Results
Compare dietary fat intake of the
two groups
Conclusions
Differences in dietary fat intake due to
behavioral caunseling
 Correlational Studies
Much research in health psychology is correlational
research, in which the health psychologist measures
whether a change in one variable corresponds with changes
in another variable.
 A correlational study, for example, might reveal that people
who are more hostile have a higher risk for cardiovascular
disease.
The disadvantage of correlational studies is that it is difficult
to determine the direction of causality unambiguously.
For example, perhaps cardiovascular risk factors lead people
to become more hostile. On the other hand, correlational
studies often have advantages over experiments because
they are more adaptable, enabling us to study issues when
variables cannot be manipulated experimentally.
 Longitudinal Design
A particular type of prospective study is
longitudinal research, in which the same
people are observed at multiple points in
time.
For example, to understand what factors are
associated with early breast cancer in women
at risk, we might follow a group of young
women whose mothers developed breast
cancer, identify which daughters developed
breast cancer, and see if there are any factors
reliably associated with that development,
such as diet, smoking, or alcohol consumption.
 Case Studies
In depth analysis of one individual
Type of single-subject research
design
Advantage is a more complete
analysis of the individual
Disadvantage is that it can
magnify sampling errors
 Cross-Sectional Study
Designs
Compares groups at one point in time
(e.g., age groups, ethnic groups,
disease groups)
Advantage is that it is an efficient
way to identify possible group
differences because you can study
them at one point in time.
Disadvantage is that you cannot rule
out cohort effects.
 REFERENCES

Brannon,L. & Feist, J. (2007). Health

psychology: An introduction to behavior.
United State: Thomson Wadsworth.
Taylor, Shelley E.(2015). Health Psychology
9th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill
Education.