16.1: Introduction to Health Psychology, Slides of Health psychology

Download 16.1: Introduction to Health Psychology and more Slides Health psychology in PDF only on Docsity! 16.1: Introduction to Health Psychology From Psychology by Boundless (www.boundless.com) Health psychology is the application of psychological theory and research to health, illness, and healthcare. Learning Objective Define the focus and goals of the field of health psychology Key Points • Health psychology is concerned with the psychology of a range of health-related behaviors, including healthy eating, the doctor-patient relationship, a patient's understanding of health information, and beliefs about illness. • The biopsychosocial model views health and illness as the product of biological characteristics (genes), behavioral factors (lifestyle, stress, health beliefs), and social conditions (cultural influences, family relationships, social support). • Clinical health psychology (CIHP) refers to the application of scientific knowledge, derived from the field of health psychology, to clinical questions that may arise across the spectrum of healthcare • Public health psychology (PHP) is population oriented, investigating potential causal links between psychosocial factors and health at the population level. • Community health psychology (CoHP) investigates community factors that contribute to the health and well-being of individuals in their communities. • Critical health psychology (CrHP) is concerned with the distribution of power and the impact of power differentials on health experience and behavior, healthcare systems, and health policy. Key Terms • public health The science and practice of community hygiene; includes preventive medicine, health education, sanitation and environmental safety. • health psychology a discipline concerned with understanding how biological, psychological, environmental, and cultural factors are involved in physical health and the prevention of illness. • biopsychosocial Having biological, psychological and social characteristics Health psychology, often referred to as behavioral medicine or medical psychology, is the application of psychological theory to health-related practices. The field of health psychology includes two sub-fields. Behavioral health focuses on prevention of health problems and illnesses, while behavioral medicine focuses on treatment. Health psychology is concerned with the psychology of a range of health-related behaviors, including nutrition, exercise, healthcare utilization, and medical decision-making. Healthy eating tips" by the U.S. National Cancer Institute Nutrition is often researched by health psychologists. The Biopsychosocial Model The biopsychosocial model views health and illness behaviors as products of biological characteristics (such as genes), behavioral factors (such as lifestyle, stress, and health beliefs), and social conditions (such as cultural influences, family relationships, and social support). Health psychologists work with healthcare professionals and patients to help people deal with the psychological and emotional aspects of health and illness. This can include developing treatment protocols to increase adherence to medical treatments, weight loss programs, smoking cessation, etc. Their research often focuses on prevention and intervention programs designed to promote healthier lifestyles (e.g., exercise and nutrition programs). Goals of Health Psychology. There are eight major goals of health psychology: 1. understanding behavioural and contextual factors for health and illness 2. preventing illness 3. investigating the effects of disease 4. providing critical analyses of health policies 5. conducting research on prevention of and intervention in health problems 6. improving doctor-patient communication 7. improving adherence to medical advice 8. finding treatments to manage pain. Focuses of Health Psychology Health psychology addresses individual and population-level issues across four domains: clinical, public, community, and critical (social justice). Clinical Health Psychology Clinical health psychology refers to the application of scientific knowledge to clinical questions that arise across the spectrum of healthcare. Because it focuses on the prevention and treatment of health problems, clinical health psychology is a specialty practice area for clinical psychologists. Clinical practice includes education on mechanisms of behavior change and psychotherapy. Public Health Psychology Public health psychology investigates potential causal links between psychosocial factors and health at the population level. Public health psychologists present research results on epidemiological findings related to health behaviors to educators, policy makers, and health care providers in order to promote public health initiatives for at-risk groups. Community Health Psychology Community health psychology investigates community factors that contribute to the health and well-being. Community health psychology also develops community-level interventions that are designed to combat disease and promote physical and mental health. Examples of community health initiatives might be efforts to eliminate soft drinks from schools, diabetes awareness events, etc. Critical Health Psychology Critical health psychology is concerned with the distribution of power and the impact of power differentials on health behaviors, healthcare systems, and health policy. Critical health psychology prioritizes social justice and the universal right to good health for people Cultural Factors Also included in the social domain are cultural factors. For instance, differences in the circumstances, expectations, and belief systems of different cultural groups contribute to different prevalence rates and symptom expression of disorders. For example, anorexia is less common in non-western cultures because they put less emphasis on thinness in women. Culture can vary across a small geographic range, such as from lower-income to higher-income areas, and rates of disease and illness differ across these communities accordingly. Culture can even change biology, as research on epigenetics is beginning to show. Specifically, research on epigenetics suggests that the environment can actually alter an individual's genetic makeup. For instance, research shows that individuals exposed to over-crowding and poverty are more at risk for developing depression with actual genetic mutations forming over only a single generation. Application of the Biopsychosocial Model The biopsychosocial model states that the workings of the body, mind, and environment all affect each other. According to this model, none of these factors in isolation is sufficient to lead definitively to health or illness—it is the deep interrelation of all three components that leads to a given outcome. Health promotion must address all three factors, as a growing body of empirical literature suggests that it is the combination of health status, perceptions of health, and sociocultural barriers to accessing health care that influence the likelihood of a patient engaging in health-promoting behaviours, like taking medication, proper diet or nutrition, and engaging in physical activity. Attributions Introducing Health Psychology • "Boundless." http://www.boundless.com/. Boundless Learning CC BY-SA 3.0. • "Health psychology." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_psychology. Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0. • "Health psychology." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_psychology. Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0. • "biopsychosocial." http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/biopsychosocial. Wiktionary CC BY- SA 3.0 • Introduction to Psychology/HealthPsychology. "http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Introduction_to_Psychology/Health_Psychology. Wikibooks CC BY-SA 3.0. • "public health." http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/public_health. Wiktionary CC BY-SA 3.0. • "Chicken and rice casserole." http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chicken_and_rice_casserole.jpg. Wikimedia Public domain. • The Biopsychosocial Model of Health and Illness "Boundless." http://www.boundless.com/. Boundless Learning CC BY-SA 3.0. • "biopsychosocial." http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/biopsychosocial. Wiktionary CC BY- SA 3.0. • "Schizophrenia." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia. Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0. • "Biopsychosocial model." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biopsychosocial_model. Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0. • "PSYCH205: Clinical Psychology." https://legacy.saylor.org/psych205/Intro/. Saylor CC BY 3.0. • "monozygotic." http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/monozygotic. Wiktionary CC BY-SA 3.0. • "Shaheen Lakhan, The Biopsychosocial Model of Health and Illness. November 22, 2013."http://cnx.org/content/m13589/latest/. OpenStax CNX CC BY 3.0