An I ntroduction to Health Psychology.

Dr Dominic Upton
Population Growth
Year Population (millions)
1 170
1000 265
1500 425
1650 545
1850 1200
1930 2000
1950 2500
2000 5750
2022 6500-8000 (estimate)
What is causing this population
growth?
Two possible factors:

Increasing birth rate.
Decreasing death rate.

(Growth=Birth rate-death rate)

The answer
Birth rate remained stable.
Death rate has decreased substantially.

But why?? What factors have led to the
improvement in death rates?
Reducing
mortality rates
this century.
But when was
the treatment
introduced?
Life expectancy improvements.
Great improvement in life expectancy over the
past century.

McKeown (1979): Life expectancy has nothing to
do with medical improvements, but to do with
social improvements.
A nice quote
Medical measures (both chemotherapeutic
and prophylactic) appear to have
contributed little to the overall decline in
mortality in the United States since 1900
McKinlay and McKinlay (1981)
Patterns of illness.
Until the twentieth century, people typically died from
nutritional deficiencies and infectious diseases.
In developed countries, infectious diseases are largely
controlled.
Declining infant mortality led to increasing life
expectancy.
With increased life expectancy, chronic illnesses
(diseases of ageing) are now more prevalent.
Deaths, selected causes 1950s and now (per 1,000 deaths)
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400
500
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1950s Now
Major killers.
Pneumonia
TB
Diarrhoea
Heart disease
Kidney
Accidents
Cancer
Heart disease
Cancer
Liver disease
Athersosclerosis
Accidents
Pneumonia
Diabetes

1900
Now
How successful is modern medicine?
Not very: major killers are still around.
What factor do the major killer (heart disease,
cancer, liver disease, accidents) have in
common?

PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS
Aim of the subject.
To examine the range of psychosocial
factors that influence peoples health
behaviour, their susceptibility and
reactions to illness states and
responses to medical treatment.
Definition of health psychology.
the aggregate of the specific educational,
scientific, and professional contributions of
the discipline of psychology to the
promotion and maintenance of health, the
prevention and treatment of illness, the
identification of aetiologic and diagnostic
correlates of health, illness, and related
dysfunction, and to the analysis and
improvement of the health care system and
health policy formation.
(Matarazzo, 1982).
Perspectives on health and illness.
Biomedical model- most widely used,
but useful?
Biopsychosocial perspective
BI O (Biological factors)
Physiology and genetics
PSYCHO (Psychological factors)
Cognitions, emotions, motivation
SOCI AL (Social factors)
Society, interpersonal relationships
family
Answer these questions for the biomedical and
biopsychosocial models of health and illness.
1. What causes illness?
2. Who is responsible for illness?
3. How should illness be treated?
4. Who is responsible for treatment?
5. What is the relationship between health
and illness?
6. What is the relationship between mind
and body?
7. What is the role of psychology in
health and illness?
Recent developments in health psychology.
Health promotion
Psychological states
and illness
Cognitive factors
Stress and illness
Coping
Social support
Social factors: class
and gender
Pain
Pain management
Adherence to
treatment

Conclusion.
Improvements in life expectancy have come about
for a variety of reasons: most not concerned with
medical factors.
Biomedical model is most widely used, but does
not offer a full explanation of health and illness.
The biopsychosocial model offers a fuller
explanation.
Health psychology is concerned
with the role of psychology in all
aspects of health and illness.
Marks (1996, p.18):
Health psychology is at
an exciting and formative
stage of development.