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.