Health psychology

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Health Psychology is the study of psychological and behavioral processes in health, disease, and health care. This is related to understanding how psychological, behavioral, and cultural factors contribute to physical health and disease. Psychological factors can affect health directly. For example, chronic environmental stressors that affect the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, cumulatively, may be harmful to health. Behavioral factors can also affect a person's health. For example, certain behaviors may, over time, harm (smoking or excessive alcohol consumption) or improve health (exercise). Health psychologists take a biopsychosocial approach. In other words, health psychologists understand health as a product not just biological processes (eg, viruses, tumors, etc.) but also psychologically (eg, thoughts and beliefs), behaviors (eg, habits), and social processes (eg, and ethnicity).

By understanding the psychological factors that affect health, and constructively applying that knowledge, health psychologists can improve health by working directly with individual patients or indirectly in large-scale public health programs. In addition, health psychologists can help train other health professionals (eg, doctors and nurses) to utilize the knowledge generated discipline, while caring for patients. Health psychologists work in a variety of settings: together with other medical professionals in hospitals and clinics, in the public health department working on large-scale behavioral changes and health promotion programs, and at universities and medical schools where they teach and conduct research.

Although the beginning can be traced to the field of clinical psychology, four distinct divisions in health psychology and one related field, occupational health psychology (OHP), have evolved over time. The four divisions include clinical health psychology, public health psychology, public health psychology, and critical health psychology. Professional organizations for the field of health psychology include the 38th Division of the American Psychological Association (APA), the Psychology Division of Public Health Psychology UK (BPS), and the European Society of Health Psychology. Advanced credentials in the US as clinical health psychologists are provided through the American Board of Professional Psychology.

Video Health psychology

Ikhtisar

Recent advances in psychological, medical, and physiological research have led to new ways of thinking about health and disease. This conceptualization, which has been labeled biopsychosocial models, views health and disease as the product of a combination of factors including biological characteristics (eg, genetic predisposition), behavioral factors (eg, lifestyle, stress, health trust), and social conditions (eg, culture, family relations, social support).

Psychologists who seek to understand how biological, behavioral, and social factors affect health and disease are called health psychologists. Health psychologists use their knowledge of psychology and health to improve general well-being and understand physical illness. They are specially trained to help people deal with the psychological and emotional aspects of health and illness. Health psychologists work with many different health care professionals (eg, doctors, dentists, nurses, physician assistants, dieticians, social workers, pharmacists, physical and occupational therapists, and pastors) to conduct research and provide clinical assessment and care services. Many health psychologists focus on preventive research and interventions designed to promote a healthier lifestyle and try to find ways to encourage people to improve their health. For example, they can help people lose weight or quit smoking. Health psychologists also use their skills to try to improve the health care system. For example, they may advise physicians about better ways to communicate with their patients. Health psychologists work in many different places including the UK National Health Service (NHS), private practice, universities, communities, schools and organizations. While many health psychologists provide clinical services as part of their duties, others function in non-clinical roles, especially those involving teaching and research. Leading journals include Health Psychology, Journal of Health Psychology, Journal of English Health Psychology, and Applied Psychology: Health and Health - Being Health psychologists can work with people on a one-to-one basis, in groups, as a family, or at a larger population level.

Clinical health clinics (ClHP): ClHP is an application of scientific knowledge, derived from the field of health psychology, to clinical questions that may arise throughout the health care spectrum. ClHP is one of many specialized areas of practice for clinical psychologists. It is also a major contributor to the behavioral health field that focuses on prevention and treatment-oriented behavior medicine. Clinical practices include education, behavioral change techniques, and psychotherapy. In some countries, a clinical health psychologist, with additional training, may become a medical psychologist and, thus, obtain a prescription privilege.

Public health psychology (PHP): PHP is population-oriented. The main purpose of PHP is to investigate potential causal relationships between psychosocial and health factors at the population level. Public health psychologists present research findings to educators, policy makers, and healthcare providers to promote better public health. PHP allied with other public health disciplines including epidemiology, nutrition, genetics and biostatistics. Some PHP interventions are targeted at at-risk populations (eg, uneducated women, single pregnant women who smoke) and not the overall population (eg, all pregnant women).

Community health psychology (CoHP): CoHP investigates the factors of society that contribute to the health and well-being of individuals living in communities. CoHP also develops community-level interventions designed to combat disease and improve physical and mental health. Communities often serve as a level of analysis, and are often sought as partners in health-related interventions.

Essential health psychology (CrHP): CrHP is concerned with the distribution of power and the impact of power differences on health experience and behavior, health care systems, and health policy. CrHP prioritizes social justice and universal rights for health for people of all races, sexes, ages, and socioeconomic positions. The main concern is health inequality. Critical health psychologists are agents of change, not just analysts or catalogers. The leading organization in this field is the International Critical Health Psychology Society.

Health psychology, like the field of other applied psychology, is a theoretical and applied field. Health psychologists use diverse research methods. These methods include randomized controlled trials, quasi-experiments, longitudinal studies, time-series design, cross-sectional studies, case-control studies, qualitative research and action research. Health psychologists study a variety of variables including cardiovascular disease (heart psychology), smoking habits, religious beliefs with health, alcohol use, social support, living conditions, emotional states, social classes, and more. Some health psychologists treat individuals with sleep problems, headaches, alcohol problems, etc. Other health psychologists work to empower community members by helping members of the community control their health and improve the quality of life for the whole community.

Maps Health psychology

Origin and development

Psychological factors in health have been studied since the early twentieth century by disciplines such as psychosomatic treatment and behavioral treatment in later life, but these are mainly branches of medicine, not psychology. Health psychology began to emerge as a different psychological discipline in the United States in the 1970s. In the mid-20th century there was a growing understanding in medicine about the effects of behavior on health. For example, the Alameda County Study, which began in the 1960s, shows that people who eat regularly (eg breakfast), maintain a healthy weight, receive adequate sleep, do not smoke, drink a little alcohol, and exercise regularly under conditions better. health and live longer. In addition, psychologists and other scientists found a connection between psychological processes and physiological processes. These findings include a better understanding of the impact of psychosocial stress on the cardiovascular and immune systems, and preliminary findings that the functioning of the immune system can be altered by learning.

Psychologists have been working in medical settings for years (in the UK sometimes the field is called medical psychology). Medical psychology, however, is a relatively small field, mainly intended to help patients adjust to the disease. In 1969, William Schofield prepared a report for APA titled The Role of Psychology in the Delivery of Health Services . Although there are exceptions, he found that psychological research at the time often regarded mental health and physical health as separate, and paid very little attention to the psychological impact on physical health. One of several psychologists working in this field at the time, Schofield proposed new forms of education and training for future psychologists. APA, responding to its proposal, in 1973 set up a task force to consider how psychologists can (a) help people to manage their health-related behaviors, (b) help patients manage their physical health problems, and (c) train health care staff for work more effectively with patients.

Led by Joseph Matarazzo, in 1977, APA added a division devoted to health psychology. At the first division conference, Matarazzo delivered a speech that played an important role in defining health psychology. He defines a new field in this way, "Health Psychology is an aggregate of specific educational, scientific and professional contributions of psychological disciplines for the promotion and maintenance of health, disease prevention and treatment, diagnostic identification and etiology correlated with health, disease and related dysfunction, and analysis and improvement of health care systems and health policy formation. "In the 1980s, similar organizations were established elsewhere. In 1986, BPS established the Division of Health Psychology. The European Health Psychology Society was also established in 1986. Similar organizations were established in other countries, including Australia and Japan. The university began to develop a doctoral level training program in health psychology. In the US, post-doctoral health psychology training programs are established for individuals who complete a doctorate in clinical psychology.

A number of relevant trends coincide with the emergence of health psychology, including:

Epidemiological evidence linking behavior and health.
The addition of behavioral science to the medical school curriculum, with courses often taught by psychologists.
Training of health professionals in communication skills, with the aim of improving patient satisfaction and adherence to medical care.
Increased number of interventions based on psychological theory (eg, behavioral modification).
Increased understanding of the interaction between psychological and physiological factors leading to the emergence of psychophysiology and psychoneuroimmunology (PNI).
Health domains have been the target of research by social psychologists who are interested in testing the theoretical models linking beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors.
The emergence of AIDS/HIV, and increased funding for the research of provoked epidemic behavior.

In the UK, reconsideration of BPS on the role of Medical Section encourages the emergence of health psychology as a different field. Marie Johnston and John Weinman argue in a letter to the BPS Bulletin that there is a great need for the Health Psychology Section. In December 1986, this section was formed at the London BPS Conference, with Marie Johnston as chairman. At the 1993 BPS Annual Conference, an overview of "Current Trends in Health Psychology" was organized, and the definition of health psychology as "the study of psychological and behavioral processes in health, disease and health care" is proposed. The Health Psychology Division became a Special Group in 1993 and was awarded the division status in the UK in 1997. The granting of division status meant that individual training needs and professional practice of health psychologists were recognized, and members were able to obtain rental status with BPS. BPS goes on to organize training and practice in health psychology until standard regulation and professional qualifications are taken over by mandatory registration with the Board of Health Professionals in 2010.

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Destination

Understanding behavioral and contextual factors

Health psychologists conduct research to identify behaviors and experiences that improve health, cause illness, and affect the effectiveness of health care. They also recommend ways to improve health care policies. Health psychologists have worked to develop ways to reduce smoking and improve daily nutrition to improve health and prevent disease. They also studied the relationship between disease and individual characteristics. For example, health psychology has found a connection between personality characteristics of sensation seeking, impulsivity, hostility/anger, emotional instability, and depression, on the one hand, and high-risk driving, on the other.

Health psychology also considers contextual factors, including economic, cultural, community, social, and lifestyle factors that affect health. The biopsychosocial model can help in understanding the relationship between contextual and biological factors in influencing health. Physical addiction inhibits smoking cessation. Several studies have shown that tantalizing ads also contribute to psychological dependence on tobacco, although other studies have found no relationship between media exposure and smoking in adolescents. The OHP study shows that people in jobs that combine low-latitude decision with high psychological workload are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Another OHP study revealed a link between unemployment and increased blood pressure. Epidemiological studies document the relationship between social class and cardiovascular disease.

Health psychologists also aim to change health behaviors for the dual purpose of helping people stay healthy and help patients comply with disease treatment regimens (also see health-care process approaches). Health psychologists use cognitive behavioral therapy and applied behavioral analysis (also see behavior modification) for that purpose.

Prevent disease

Health psychologists promote health through behavior change, as mentioned above; however, they are trying to prevent the disease by other means as well. Health psychologists try to help people to live a healthy life by developing and running programs that can help people make changes in their lives such as quitting smoking, reducing the amount of alcohol they eat, eating healthier, and exercising regularly. Campaigns informed by health psychologists have targeted tobacco use. Those who are least able to buy the most tobacco products consume them. Tobacco provides the individual with a way of controlling the unpleasant emotional state that accompanies the daily stress experience that characterizes the lives of deprived and vulnerable people. Practitioners emphasize education and effective communication as part of disease prevention as many people do not recognize, or minimize, the risk of illness present in their lives. In addition, many people often can not apply their knowledge of health practices due to daily pressures and pressures. A common example of a population-based effort to motivate smokers to reduce their dependence on tobacco is the anti-smoking campaign.

Health psychologists help improve health and well-being by preventing disease. Some diseases can be more effectively treated if caught early. Health psychologists have worked to understand why some people do not seek preliminary examination or immunization, and have used that knowledge to develop ways to encourage people to perform initial health checks for diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Health psychologists also find ways to help people avoid risky behaviors (eg, engage in unprotected sex) and encourage behaviors that improve health (eg, regular brushing or hand washing).

Health psychologists also aim to educate health professionals, including doctors and nurses, in effectively communicating with patients in ways that overcome barriers to understanding, remembering, and implementing effective strategies to reduce exposure to risk factors and make behavioral changes that improve health.

There is also evidence from OHP that stress reduction interventions in the workplace can be effective. For example, Kompier and his colleagues have shown that a number of interventions aimed at reducing stress on bus drivers have beneficial effects for employees and bus companies.

Disease effects

Health psychologists investigate how diseases affect the psychological wellbeing of individuals. A person suffering from severe illness or injury faces many different practical pressures. These suppressors include the problem of medical and other medical bills, the problem of getting proper care when returning from hospital, barriers to caring for dependents, experiencing a sense of independence of a person disturbed, getting unwanted new identities such as sick people, and so on. These stressors can cause depression, decreased self-esteem, etc.

Health psychology also takes care of itself by improving the lives of individuals with deadly diseases. When there is little hope of recovery, the health psychologist therapist can improve the patient's quality of life by helping the patient recover at least part of his psychological well-being. Health psychologists are also concerned with providing therapeutic services to the bereaved.

Critical analysis of health policy

Critical health psychologists explore how health policy can affect injustice, inequality and social injustice. This research path extends the scope of health psychology beyond the level of individual health for examination of social and economic factors of health both within and between regions and countries. Individualism mainstream health psychology has been criticized and deconstructed by critical health psychologists using qualitative methods that target health experience.

Conducting research

Like psychologists in other major psychological disciplines, health psychologists have an in-depth knowledge of research methods. Health psychologists apply this knowledge to do research on various questions. For example, health psychologists conduct research to answer questions such as:

What affects healthy eating?
How stress is associated with heart disease?
What are the emotional effects of genetic testing?
How do we change people's health behaviors to improve their health?

Teaching and communicating

Health psychologists can also be responsible for training other health professionals on how to provide interventions to help promote healthy eating, smoking cessation, weight loss, etc. Health psychologists also train other health professionals in communication skills such as how to stop bad news or support change behavior for the purpose of improving adherence to treatment.

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Apps

Improving_doctor-patient_communication> Improving doctor-patient communication

Health psychologists assist the communication process between physicians and patients during medical consultations. There are many problems in this process, with patients showing a lack of understanding of many medical terms, especially anatomical terms (eg, gut). One area of â€‹â€‹research on this topic involves "doctor-centered" or "patient-centered" consultations. Doctor-centered consultations are generally directive, with patients answering questions and not playing a role in decision-making. Although this style is favored by parents and others, many people do not like the sense of hierarchy or inspired ignorance. They prefer patient-centered consultation, focusing on the patient's needs, involving the physician fully listening to the patient before making a decision, and engaging the patient in the process of choosing care and finding a diagnosis.

Improve compliance with medical advice

Health psychologists are involved in research and practice that aim to get people to follow medical advice and adhere to their treatment regimen. Patients often forget to take their pills or consciously choose not to take prescribed medications because of side effects. Failure to take expensive prescribed medicines and spend millions of usable drugs that can help others. Estimates of compliance levels are difficult to measure (see below); Nevertheless, there is evidence that adherence can be enhanced by adjusting treatment programs to the daily lives of individuals. In addition, traditional cognitive-behavioral therapy has been adapted for people suffering from chronic illness and comorbid psychological pressure to include modules that encourage, support and strengthen adherence to medical advice as part of a larger treatment approach.

How to measure compliance

Health psychologists have identified a number of ways of measuring patient compliance with a medical regimen:

Count the number of pills in a medicine bottle
Use self-report
Uses the "Trackcap" bottle, which tracks how many times the bottle is opened.

Managing pain

Health psychologists try to find treatments to reduce or eliminate pain, and understand pain anomalies such as episodic analgesia, causalgia, neuralgia, and ghost pain. Although the task of measuring and describing pain has been a problem, the development of McGill Pain Questionnaire has helped make progress in this field. Treatment for pain involves patient-provided analgesia, acupuncture (found to be effective in relieving pain for knee osteoarthritis), biofeedback, and cognitive behavioral therapy.

The role of health psychologist

Below are some examples of the types of positions held by health psychologists in applied settings such as the NHS UK and private practice.

Consultant health psychologist : A health consultant psychologist will lead to health psychology in public health, including managing tobacco control and quit smoking services and providing professional leadership in managing health trainers.
Major health psychologists : Major health psychologists can, for example, lead a health psychology service at one of the leading heart and lung hospitals in the UK, provide clinical care to patients and advise all members multidisciplinary team.
Health psychologist : An example of the role of a health psychologist is to provide health psychology input to the center for weight management. Psychological assessment of treatment, development and delivery of customized weight management programs, and advise on approaches to improve adherence to health advice and medical care.
Research psychologist : Health psychologist research conducts health psychology research, for example, explores the psychological impact of receiving a diagnosis of dementia, or evaluates how to provide psychological support for people with burns. Research can also be done in the field of health promotion, such as investigating the determinants of healthy eating or physical activity or understanding why people abuse substances.
Health psychologist in training/assistant health psychologist : As an assistant/trainer, a health psychologist will gain experience assessing the patient, provide psychological interventions to change health behavior, and conduct research, while being supervised by a quality health psychologist.

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Training

In the UK, health psychologists are enrolled by the Board of Health Professionals (HPC) and have been trained to the level to qualify for full membership of the Division of Health Psychology in BPS. Registered health psychologists enrolled in BPS will conduct a minimum of six years of training and will have a health psychology specialist for at least three years. The health psychologist in the training must have completed the BPS 1st stage training and registered with the Phase 2 BPS training route or with a BPS-accredited doctoral university health psychology program. Once qualified, health psychologists can work in a variety of settings, such as the NHS, universities, schools, private health, and research and charitable organizations. A health psychologist in training may work in the arrangements applied while working towards registration and rental status. A health psychologist will demonstrate competence in all of the following areas:

professional skills (including applying ethical and legal standards, communications, and teamwork),
research skills (including designing, conducting, and analyzing psychological research in various fields),
consulting skills (including planning and evaluation),
teaching and training skills (including knowledge on designing, delivering and evaluating large and small scale training programs),
intervention skills (including delivery and evaluation of behavior change interventions).

All qualified health psychologists should also be involved and record their continuous professional development (CPD) for psychology each year throughout their careers.

References

External links

North America

American Psychological Association, Division 38: Health Psychology. Accessed: 15:52, 29 July 2014 (UTC).
Division 38: Health Psychology at APA.org. Accessed: 15:52, 29 July 2014 (UTC).
Society for Occupational Health Psychology. Accessed: 15:52, 29 July 2014 (UTC).
Society of Behavioral Medicine. Accessed: 15:52, 29 July 2014 (UTC).

Europe

Society of European Health Psychology. Accessed: 15:06, July 25, 2017 (UTC).
Psychology Division of Public Health Psychology UK. Accessed: 15:52, 29 July 2014 (UTC).
European Health Academy Occupational Health Psychology. Accessed: 15:52, 29 July 2014 (UTC).

Source of the article : Wikipedia

Health psychology

Senin, 16 Juli 2018