provides an in depth knowledge about the basics of psychology to start your course as a psychology university student. Its also a great display of notes to help revise in a simple way.
DEFINING THE FIELD SESSION 1
What is health psychology?
Is a mixture of several factors such as scientific to maintain and promote health and wellbeing.
Wants to improve the healthcare system.
What do health psychologists do?
Use their skills and knowledge of psychology to promote wellbeing and healthy behaviours across the
population. (NHS 2024)
This involves:
-identify behaviours that may impact health eg smoking
-find ways to encourage a healthy lifestyle and behaviours eg good diet
-apply psychological interventions to help with illness and symptoms
What is health and health behaviour?
‘Health is a state of well-being with physical, cultural, psychosocial, economic and spiritual attributes,
not simply the absence of illness’ (Marks et al. 2005)
the biopsychosocial model (engel,1977)
Illness as multi causal – biological, psychological, social
• Holistic – considers the whole person
• Mind and body interact• Health and illness on a continuum
• Psychological factors may contribute and derive from illness
Health behaviours are behaviours that maintain or improve health, aimed to prevent disease.
Illness behaviour is behaviour aimed to seek remedy
A sick role behaviour is an activity aimed at getting well
Health promotion and changing behaviours
HBM limitations
Inconsistent evidence- range of studies with different results
Doesn’t account for habitual behaviour
Emphasises factors related to individual
Health locus of control (Rotter, 1966)
Internal LoC- individual is responsible for their own health= more likely to change behaviours eg smoking
, External LoC- being well is a matter of luck= less likely
Limitations
-not specified if it’s a state or trait
- could be both
Health promotion
"the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health”. Ref: WHO (1984)
Regional Office for Europe
Aims of public health campaigns
-change attitudes and behaviours
-influencing social norms
-Increasing knowledge and awareness of risks
Self-empowerment approach
- ‘say No’ technique
-young people and contraceptive use
-goal = empower individuals to make healthy choices
critiques
-assumes rational choices are healthy choices
-lack ecological validity= skills practice in an artificial setting
-social inequalities in power
Community interventions
Aims
-increase health knowledge
-encourage use of health services
-encourage practice of health behaviour
Advantages
-reaches large populations
-cost effective
Disadvantges
-aim is long term behaviour change= takes time
-competing messages
ACCESSING AND INTERACTING WITH HEALTH CARE /
NON-ADHERENCE SESSION 2
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY CARE
PRIMARY
-First point of contact
-main aim of primary care team
SECONDARY
-referral from GP to specialist
-based mainly in hospitals
CONSULTATIONS
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