Health Psychology Terms Chapter 1

acute disorders

short-term illnesses, often a result of viral or bacterial invader and usually curable

behavioral medicine

biomedical model

all illness can be explained on the basis of aberrant somatic bodily processes, such as biochemical imbalances or neurophysiological abnormalities

biopsychosocial model

health and illness are consequences of the interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors

conversion hysteria

specific unconscious conflicts can produce physical disturbances that symbolize repressed psychological conflicts

correlational research

measure whether changes in one variable correspond with changes in another variable

epidemiology

study of the frequency, distribution, and causes of infectious and noninfectious diseases in a population

etiology

origins or causes of illness

evidence-based practice

medical and psychological interventions go through rigorous testing and evaluation of their benefits, usually through randomized clinical trials, before they become the standards of care

health

a complete state of physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity

health psychology

how psychological factors influence health and well-being, focused on understanding behaviors, emotions, and beliefs that impact physical health outcomes

longitudinal research

the same people are observed at multiple points in time

meta-analysis

combining results from different studies to identify how strong the evidence is for particular research findings

morbidity

the number of cases of a disease that exist at a given time or having symptoms of a disease

mortality

number of deaths due to particular causes

prospective research

looks forward in time to see how a group of people change, or how a relationship between two variables change over time

psychosomatic medicine

the interrelationship between psychological factors and physical health

randomized clinical trials

experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments or interventions over time (placebo usage)

retrospective designs

look back in time to reconstruct the conditions that led to a current situation