Lecture 1 Welcome to health psychology
Page 1: Introduction to Health Psychology
Module Code: PS20720 / SC20720
Welcome message for students.
Page 2: Module Information
Module Convenor: Rachel Rahman, P5 1.30, rir@aber.ac.uk
Lecturing Staff: Dr. Judith Roberts, P5 2.16, jur24@aber.ac.uk
Page 3: Blackboard
Information Provided:
Timetable of topics
Useful websites
Learning materials including core readings, weekly activities, lecture slides, and recordings
Specific folder for seminar work
Assignment and feedback section with details on coursework support and guidelines
Page 4: Module Structure
Weekly Lectures: 4 seminars
Workload: 200 total hours
30 hours contact time
~170 hours self-directed reading and working.
Page 5: Seminars
Purpose: Put lecture material into practice.
Activities: Problem-solving and applying lecture content to real-life situations.
Preparatory Work: Available in advance on Blackboard.
Page 6: Assessment
Coursework: 50%
Health promotion poster with a 1500-word outline
Examination: 50%
2-hour unseen exam with 2 essay-style questions from 5 options
Allowed 1 double-sided A4 note sheet.
Page 7: Feedback Opportunities
Formative Feedback: Helps development through questions in lectures and discussions.
Summative Feedback: Based on assessed work; formal feedback available on assignments.
Office hours for poster/outline discussion.
Page 8: Health Psychology Application and Research
Focus on applications and research in the field of Health Psychology.
Page 9: Definition of Health Psychology
Health Psychology Contributes To:
Promotion and maintenance of health
Prevention and treatment of illness
Identification of aetiological/dynamic correlates
Analysis and improvement of health care systems/policy reform (Matarazzo, 1982).
Page 10: Role of Health Psychologists
Work settings include:
Universities, NHS, Prisons, NGOs
Responsibilities:
Teaching and researching health psychology
Designing health promotion strategies
Delivering interventions and improving communication
Addressing occupational stress and planning service provision.
Page 11: Becoming a Health Psychologist
Education Pathway:
Undergraduate degree in psychology (GBC from BPS)
Postgraduate study focusing on Health Psychology.
Two stages for chartered registration with the HCPC.
Page 12: Health Care Professions Council (HCPC)
Role: Regulates health professionals to ensure public safety.
Registered Title: ‘Health Psychologist’ is legally protected.
Page 13: Conceptual Framework of Health Psychology
Health Psychology addresses:
Behavioural impacts on illness
Improving quality of life
Adjustment to terminal illness
Health policies and culture sensitivity.
Page 14: Research in Health Psychology
Methodological Approaches:
Randomized control trials, qualitative methods, meta-analyses, surveys, clinical observations.
Page 15: Health Psychology Approaches
Theoretical Applications:
Incorporating theories from social psychology, cognitive psychology, ecology, biological psychology.
Page 16: Literature Searching
Key databases for research:
Psychology (PsychArticles), Social Science (Web of Knowledge), Medical (PubMed), Scientific databases (Science Direct, Web of Science).
Page 17: Definition of Health
Introduction to the concept of health.
Page 18: Historical Health Beliefs
Early Middle Ages: Health viewed as divine punishment or evil spirits influence.
Page 19: Historical Perspectives
Descartes’ Dualism: Interaction of mind and body, the brain as material, mind as non-material.
Page 20: Biomedical Approach Overview
Advances in the 19th century established a medical perspective:
Development of germ theory by Pasteur.
Page 21: Historical Views on Health
Previously defined as the absence of disease (biomedical model), with statistics on causes of death.
Page 22: Biomedical Model Perspective
Focuses on biological causes and treatments of illness, viewing patients as victims to external diseases.
Page 23: Leading Causes of Death (World 2016)
Statistics: Cardiovascular diseases, cancers, respiratory diseases, diabetes, etc. Overview of mortality rates and prevalent conditions.
Page 24: Changing Health Perspectives
Shift from viewing health solely as absence of disease to a holistic understanding.
Introduction of the biopsychosocial model focusing on all health aspects.
Page 25: Biopsychosocial Model of Health
Integrates biology, psychology, and sociology factors into health assessment and treatment.
Page 26: Comprehensive Understanding of Illness
Examines the multifaceted approach to health, emphasizing holistic treatment and the interplay between body and mind.
Page 27: Summary on Health Understanding Evolution
Recognition of the broader implications of lifestyle, society, and economics on health, transitioning to biopsychosocial models in intervention strategies.
Page 28: Recommended Reading
Suggested textbooks for deeper understanding:
Ogden: Health Psychology: A textbook, Chapter 1
Morrison & Bennett: An Introduction to Health Psychology, Chapter 1.