Psychology of Health and Illness

Underpinning much of the activity within health psychology is the understanding of the processes that relate to the maintenance of health, prevention of disease and the promotion of psychological well being. It is also essential to understand the links between psychological factors, behaviour, physiological mechanisms and ill health.  This module aims to provide you with a broad knowledge base in these areas. 

On successful completion of the module, you will be able to critically evaluate how health psychology theory and research has aided our understanding of the influences on health-related behaviour, and how psychological and physiological processes are associated with ill health.

 This module will cover topic areas such as:

• Introduction to the psychology of health and illness; contexts and perspectives; socio-demographic factors in health and illness
• Understanding and predicting health and health behaviour
• Models of health behaviour
• Attribution factors; locus of control; personal control and health care; learned helplessness; self efficacy
• Understanding and reporting illness
• Biological and physiological aspects of stress; models of stress; coping with stress
• Personality factors associated with health and illness
• Psychological aspects of pain and pain management
• Psychoneuroimmunology and the links between stress and the immune system.