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Health Psychology

Course leader: Dr Katherine Finlay
katherine.finlay@buckingham.ac.uk
One term (15 units)

This course is taken at the end of the first year and it addresses the paramount importance of ‘health' to individuals and society as a whole. It is a cross-over discipline, representing the fusion of psychology, medicine and sociology in the promotion and maintenance of health.

The aims of this course are to provide students with an understanding of the way in which psychology functions within medicine, clinical research and the creation of health policy. This is achieved through in-depth study of behaviour, theory and practice, incorporating key acute and chronic medical conditions.

On completion of the course students will have a sound understanding of the interaction between psychology and clinical practice. They will have a working knowledge of the ways in which biological, psychological and sociological influences coalesce to create uniquely individuated responses to health and illness. Students will be able to effectively conduct literature reviews of medical and psychology research and write effectively about theory and experimental research in the field. Students will develop their presentation skills and their ability to critically evaluate published research.

The course covers:

• Introduction to health psychology
• Health beliefs
• Smoking and alcohol use
• Obesity, heart disease and eating behaviours
• Sexual health and HIV
• Stress and coping
• Pain, chronic illness and disability
• Expectations, placebo, personality and gender issues

The course is assessed by both course work (40%) and written examination (60%)

Core text:

• Marks, D.F. (ed.), The health psychology reader (London: Sage, 2002). ISBN: 978-0-761-97271-6.

Other recommended reading:

• Bennett, P. Introduction to clinical health psychology (Maidenhead: Open University Press, 2000). ISBN: 978-0-335-20497-7.
• Conner, M. & P. Norman, Predicting health behaviour (2nd ed., Maidenhead: Open University Press, 2005). ISBN: 978-0-335-21176-0.
• Cullberg, J. Psychoses: An integrative perspective (Hove: Routledge, 2006). ISBN: 978-1-58391-993-4.
• Eiser, C. Growing up with a chronic disease: The impact on children and their families (London: Jessica Kingsley, 1993). ISBN: 978-1-85302-168-8.
• Lyons, A.C. & K. Chamberlain, Health psychology: A critical introduction (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006). ISBN: 978-0-521-00526-5.
• Marks, D.F., M. Murray, B. Evans, C. Willig, C. Woodall, & C.M. Sykes, Health psychology: Theory, research and practice (2nd ed., London: Sage, 2005). ISBN: 978-1-41290-336-3.
• Michie, S. & C. Abraham (eds), Health psychology in practice (Oxford: Blackwell, 2004). ISBN: 978-1-40511-089-1.
• Morrison, V. & P. Bennett, An introduction to health psychology (Harlow: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006). ISBN: 978-0-13-099408-0.
• Sarafino, E.P. Health psychology (6th ed., Chichester: Wiley, 2008). ISBN: 978-0-470-12916-6.
• Vollrath, M.E. Handbook of personality and health (Chichester: Wiley, 2006). ISBN: 978-0-470-02135-4.