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Aims and Scope of Health Psychology
Aims (What it tries to achieve)
. Understand how mind affects health
Studies how stress, emotions, and thoughts can cause or worsen illness
Example: Anxiety increasing heart rate or blood pressure
. Promote healthy behavior
Encourages habits like exercise, balanced diet, proper sleep
. Prevent diseases
Educates people to avoid illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, cancer
. Improve healthcare system
Helps doctors communicate better and improves patient cooperation
. Support patients emotionally
Helps people cope with chronic illness, pain, or terminal conditions
. Understand patient behavior
Explains why people ignore symptoms or don’t follow treatment
Scope (Where it is used)
Health psychology has a wide scope:
● Health promotion → teaching hygiene, nutrition, exercise
● Disease prevention → awareness about vaccination, lifestyle
● Behavioral medicine → treating lifestyle diseases (obesity, hypertension)
● Hospitals & clinics → helping patients with stress, pain, recovery
● Research → studying mind-body connection
● Public health programs → anti-smoking, drug control, healthy living campaigns
Simple idea:
Aims = goals
Scope = where and how it is applied
Models of Health Psychology
Models explain how health and illness work.
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1. Biomedical Model
● Health = no disease
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● Focus only on physical causes (germs, injury)
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Ignores mental and social factors
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2. Biopsychosocial Model
● Health depends on:
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○ Biological (body, genes)
○ Psychological (thoughts, stress)
○ Social (family, environment)
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Most modern and realistic model
3. Health Belief Model (HBM)
Explains behavior based on beliefs:
● Am I at risk? (susceptibility)
● Is it serious? (severity)
● Will action help? (benefits)
● What stops me? (barriers)
● Can I do it? (self-confidence)
4. Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB)
Behavior depends on intention, which is influenced by:
● Attitude (personal opinion)
● Social pressure (others’ views)
● Confidence (ability to perform behavior)
5. Stages of Change Model
Behavior change happens in steps:
. Not ready
. Thinking
. Preparing
. Action
. Maintenance
. Relapse
Assessment and Intervention in Health Psychology
Assessment (Understanding the Problem)
Assessment means collecting information about a person’s health and behavior.
Goals:
● Understand thoughts, emotions, habits
● Identify risky behaviors (smoking, poor diet)
● Diagnose mental conditions
● Plan treatment
● Track progress
Methods:
● Questionnaires → stress, depression scales
● Interviews → detailed discussion
● Psychological tests → personality, intelligence
● Observation → behavior in real situations
● Biopsychosocial assessment → combines body + mind + social factors
Intervention (Taking Action to Improve Health)
Intervention means methods used to treat or improve health.
Goals:
● Change unhealthy habits
● Improve treatment follow-up
● Manage stress and illness
● Improve quality of life
Types:
1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
● Changes negative thinking and behavior
2. Motivational Interviewing
● Encourages people to want change themselves
3. Stress Management
● Relaxation, breathing, mindfulness
4. Health Education
● Teaching about diet, exercise, sleep
5. Family/Social Support
● Involving family for better care
6. Medical Adherence Counseling
● Helping patients follow medication and treatment
Final Quick Summary
● Aims → improve health, prevent disease, support patients
● Scope → used in hospitals, research, public health, community
● Models → explain health (biomedical, biopsychosocial, etc.)
● Assessment → understand the problem
● Intervention → solve the problem