BioPsychoSocial Health Topic
Health Psychology Research Methods
As an empirical science, health psychology utilizes the scientific method - a process by which scientists compose, direct, and distribute findings as representations of their subjects that are both accurate and capable of validation. In order to analyze the quality of the research performed, we must first understand the limitations of the research methods and then scope their implications. In brief, researchers specify an issue, problem, or hypothesis; develop an operational definition; collect data from various methods; analyze data often using statistical methods; and formulate or redefine/comment on an existing theory.
The Emergence of Health Psychology
Psychology as a profession has rapidly changed since a half-century ago. Psychologists and other medical professionals are increasingly adopting the biopsychosocial model that states biological, psychological, and social processes are inherently, integrally, and interactively involved in physical health and illness. In 1976, the APA developed a Health Psychology division to serve as a professional organization and promoting association for new branch of psychology. As new breed of psychologists, health psychologists were charged to conduct basic and applied research attempting to uncover how psychosocial factors influence the etiology and progression of disease. Health psychologists have since demonstrated the positive therapeutic benefits of employing behavioral and stress coping strategies, patient and family health education, and co-managed care for medical conditions.
The Evolving Health
In industrialized nations, health has changed from an era of infectious plagues and poor nutrition to chronic and often preventable morbidity. A combination of biotechnological advancements (e.g. vaccines) and mere improvement in personal and medical hygiene have eradicated diphtheria, typhoid fever, and measles from topping the major causes of death. Now, there is now a "new morbidity" where chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes topped the charts. Consequently, two major shifts in public health were observed: a significant reduction in infant mortality and significantly greater life expectancy at birth.
Mind and Body in Pain
Engel's commitment to revolutionizing the health care sector remains important, for we are all affected as consumers, patients, practitioners, or administrators. His message is notably broad, for the scope of the holistic biopsychosocial model is virtually limitless - from psychiatry, immunology, and public health to pain, sexuality, and everyday life - and defines a wellness balance. This may explain the interconnected nature and difficulty in studying (and perhaps more so in treating disorders involving) these phenomena.
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