Health and Medical Psychology
LECTURE 1
- Health as; not ill (no symptoms), reserve/resources (recovering quickly),
behaviour (looking after oneself), physical fitness and vitality (energetic),
psychological well-being (in harmony), function (to do what is want/need)
- WHO definition of health; state of complete physical, mental and social well-
being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity
- Biomedical model (underlying pathology, neural and/or biochemical activity),
for example: exposure to contagious agent - insufficient immune response
- What else predicts health and illness; health behaviours (physical activity,
nutrition, sleep), stress/emotions, social relations (support, conflict)
- Biopsychosocial model; body and mind in interaction determine health and
illness, consequences of interplay of biological (genes, pathogens),
psychological (emotions, cognition and behaviour) and social (norms, social
cultural background) factors
- Primary prevention; prevention of problem, illness or casualty
• Target group = healthy people
- Secondary prevention; tracing illness in an early phase, for early treatment or
for prevention of more serious complaints
• Target group = somewhat healthy people with an increased risk for disease
- Tertiary prevention; prevention of complications and worsening of symptoms
through optimal care (including self-regulation interventions)
• Target group = ill people
- Seven health factors for longevity (Alameda); exercising, drinking less than
five drinks in one sitting, sleeping 7-8 hours a night, not smoking, maintaining
a desirable weight for height, avoid snacks, eating breakfast
,- Behavioral pathogens (health risk behaviors); smoking, alcohol and drug
abuse, sharing needles, multiple sex partners, usafe sex, drink driving, no ear
protection…
- Behavioural immunogens (health protective behaviours); physical activity,
healthy nutrition (e.g., low in fat, sugar and salt, vegetables and fruit), sun
protection, bicycle helmet, vaccinations, medication
- Health behaviour is related to morbidity, mortality and quality of life
- Socio-demographic differences in health behaviour increase socio-economic
differences
- The prevalence of risk behaviours is high
- Health behaviour is not always an informed choice
- Adverse effects of the interventions; intervention generates inequalities,
hardening (having even stronger opinions on health behaviours because of
public health intervention), stigmatising
- Understanding health behaviour; getting motivated, preparing for action and
starting to change, staying on track
- Motivation models; health belief model, social cognitive theory, theory of
planned behaviour/reasoned action approach
,- Preparing for acting and starting to change; self determination theory, health
action process approach
, - Dual process theories; intuitive (does not include working memory,
autonomous - knowledge, intentions) vs reflective (requires working memory,
cognitive decoupling; mental simulation - habits, impulses)
- Reflective Impulsive Model; both systems operate in parallel, but there is an
asymmetry such that the impulsive system is always engaged in processing
whereas the reflective system may be disengaged, the reflective system
requires a high amount of cognitive capacity (conflicts may arise if behavioural
schemata are activated that are incompatible and inhibit one another)
- The resolution of the conflict depends on the strength of the activation for
each schema; cognitive capacity/working memory, self-control, impulsivity,
alcohol, emotions, habit strength
- Habits; mental association between cue and goal directed response, develops
when repeatedly performing a specific behaviour in a stable situation
- Good vs bad habits; no intention or planning required (efficient, easy),
automatic activation > difficult to change (despite having strong intentions, no
change in strength + automatic nature of the cue-response association)
- Integrative models (integrating all theories out there); COM-B model and
Behaviour Change Wheel, Theoretical Domains Framework
LECTURE 1
- Health as; not ill (no symptoms), reserve/resources (recovering quickly),
behaviour (looking after oneself), physical fitness and vitality (energetic),
psychological well-being (in harmony), function (to do what is want/need)
- WHO definition of health; state of complete physical, mental and social well-
being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity
- Biomedical model (underlying pathology, neural and/or biochemical activity),
for example: exposure to contagious agent - insufficient immune response
- What else predicts health and illness; health behaviours (physical activity,
nutrition, sleep), stress/emotions, social relations (support, conflict)
- Biopsychosocial model; body and mind in interaction determine health and
illness, consequences of interplay of biological (genes, pathogens),
psychological (emotions, cognition and behaviour) and social (norms, social
cultural background) factors
- Primary prevention; prevention of problem, illness or casualty
• Target group = healthy people
- Secondary prevention; tracing illness in an early phase, for early treatment or
for prevention of more serious complaints
• Target group = somewhat healthy people with an increased risk for disease
- Tertiary prevention; prevention of complications and worsening of symptoms
through optimal care (including self-regulation interventions)
• Target group = ill people
- Seven health factors for longevity (Alameda); exercising, drinking less than
five drinks in one sitting, sleeping 7-8 hours a night, not smoking, maintaining
a desirable weight for height, avoid snacks, eating breakfast
,- Behavioral pathogens (health risk behaviors); smoking, alcohol and drug
abuse, sharing needles, multiple sex partners, usafe sex, drink driving, no ear
protection…
- Behavioural immunogens (health protective behaviours); physical activity,
healthy nutrition (e.g., low in fat, sugar and salt, vegetables and fruit), sun
protection, bicycle helmet, vaccinations, medication
- Health behaviour is related to morbidity, mortality and quality of life
- Socio-demographic differences in health behaviour increase socio-economic
differences
- The prevalence of risk behaviours is high
- Health behaviour is not always an informed choice
- Adverse effects of the interventions; intervention generates inequalities,
hardening (having even stronger opinions on health behaviours because of
public health intervention), stigmatising
- Understanding health behaviour; getting motivated, preparing for action and
starting to change, staying on track
- Motivation models; health belief model, social cognitive theory, theory of
planned behaviour/reasoned action approach
,- Preparing for acting and starting to change; self determination theory, health
action process approach
, - Dual process theories; intuitive (does not include working memory,
autonomous - knowledge, intentions) vs reflective (requires working memory,
cognitive decoupling; mental simulation - habits, impulses)
- Reflective Impulsive Model; both systems operate in parallel, but there is an
asymmetry such that the impulsive system is always engaged in processing
whereas the reflective system may be disengaged, the reflective system
requires a high amount of cognitive capacity (conflicts may arise if behavioural
schemata are activated that are incompatible and inhibit one another)
- The resolution of the conflict depends on the strength of the activation for
each schema; cognitive capacity/working memory, self-control, impulsivity,
alcohol, emotions, habit strength
- Habits; mental association between cue and goal directed response, develops
when repeatedly performing a specific behaviour in a stable situation
- Good vs bad habits; no intention or planning required (efficient, easy),
automatic activation > difficult to change (despite having strong intentions, no
change in strength + automatic nature of the cue-response association)
- Integrative models (integrating all theories out there); COM-B model and
Behaviour Change Wheel, Theoretical Domains Framework
