2nd Week lesson EPU-Semester 8- Subject- Psycho-Sociology for Physiotherapist
What factors led to the development of health psychology?
Changing Patterns of Illness
An important factor influencing the rise of health psychology has been the change in
illness patterns that has occurred in technologically advanced societies in recent
decades. Until the 20th century, the major causes of illness and death were acute
disorders (are short-term illnesses, often the result of a viral or bacterial invader and
usually responsive to cure). Now, however, chronic illnesses are the main
contributors to disability and death, particularly in industrialized countries. Chronic
illnesses are slowly developing diseases with which people live for many years and
that, typically, cannot be cured but rather only managed by patient and health care
providers.
Increased Medical Acceptance
Another reason for the development of health psychology is the increasing
acceptance of health psychologists within the medical community. Their value is
increasingly recognized by physicians and other health care professionals. Health
psychologists have developed a variety of short-term behavioral interventions to
address a broad array of health-related problems, including managing pain,
modifying bad health habits such as smoking, and managing the side effects of
treatments. Health psychology is enabling health care providers to manage the
social and psychological aspects of health problems.
BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL MODEL OF HEALTH AND ILLNESS
The Biomedical Model
The biomedical model, which was formed in the 19th and 20th centuries, proposes that health
problems are rooted in physical causes, such as viruses, bacteria, injuries, and biochemical
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2nd Week lesson EPU-Semester 8- Subject- Psycho-Sociology for Physiotherapist
imbalances. This model therefore explains illness in terms of the pathology, biochemistry, and
physiology of a disease.
This model proposes that medical treatment is needed to cure or manage the physical complaint
and thereby return a person to good health. It assumes that psychological and social processes are
largely irrelevant to the disease process. Although the biomedical model has led to a number of
benefits for our society, including advancements in immunology, public-health policy, pathology,
and surgery, increasingly evidence is showing that biological factors alone cannot account for
health. Psychological and Social factors are associated with the development of many of the
leading causes of deaths.
The Biopsychosocial model
This model was developed in the late 1970s, by psychiatrist George Engel. It views health and
illness as the consequences of the complex interplay between biological factors, psychological
factors, and social factors.
Bio (physiological pathology)
Psycho (thoughts emotions and behaviours such as psychological distress, fear/avoidance beliefs,
current coping methods and attribution)
Social (socio-economical, socio-environmental, and cultural factors suchs as work issues, family
circumstances and benefits/economics)
The Biological (bio-) – often associated with the relationship of disease and bodily health. For
example, a patient may experience a hernia, which usually cause less severe but long-term health
problems that must be addressed by a physician. Acute and severe health problems, like an aortic
dissection, require immediate medical treatment and have a much more disruptive effect on daily
life.
The Psychological (-psycho-) – The field of health psychology addresses how one’s behavior can
influence health, wellness, and illness in a variety of ways. Specifically, health psychology
examines how psychological factors influence the experience of stress and people’s physiological
reactions to stress, affect the promotion and maintenance of health, influence coping with and
treating pain and disease as well as the effects of pain and disease on psychological functioning,
and affect how individuals respond to health-care recommendations as well as health-promotion
messages. psychological factors can have a direct influence on physical health by impacting
whether and how much stress a person experiences as well as the impact of stress on various
physiological mechanisms in the body ( e.g. weakened immune system).
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2nd Week lesson EPU-Semester 8- Subject- Psycho-Sociology for Physiotherapist
The Social (-social) – social factors, including social support as well as social influences, are
associated with individuals’ physiological reactions and health-related behaviors. Individuals with
high levels of social support have lower blood pressure and a more active immune system
compared to those with less support. In turn, people who have more social support may be better
able to fight off minor illnesses and avoid major ones. People who have high levels of social
support may also engage in more health-promoting behavior (e.g., eating nutritiously, exercising
regularly), in part because their loved ones encourage such activities.
To apply the biopsychosocial approach to clinical practice, the clinician should:
• Recognize that relationships are central to providing health care
• Use self-awareness as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool
• Elicit the patient’s history in the context of life circumstances
• Decide which aspects of biological, psychological, and social domains are most important to
understanding and promoting the patient’s health
• Provide multidimensional treatment
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