Health psychology

Health psychology is the study of psychological and behavioral processes in health, illness, and healthcare.^[1] The discipline is concerned with understanding how psychological, behavioral, and cultural factors contribute to physical health and illness. Psychological factors can affect health directly. For example, chronically occurring environmental stressors affecting the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, cumulatively, can harm health. Behavioral factors can also affect a person's health. For example, certain behaviors can, over time, harm (smoking or consuming excessive amounts of alcohol) or enhance (engaging in exercise) health.^[2] Health psychologists take a biopsychosocial approach. In other words, health psychologists understand health to be the product not only of biological processes (e.g., a virus, tumor, etc.) but also of psychological (e.g., thoughts and beliefs), behavioral (e.g., habits), and social processes (e.g., socioeconomic status and ethnicity).^[2]

By understanding psychological factors that influence health, and constructively applying that knowledge, health psychologists can improve health by working directly with individual patients or indirectly in large-scale public health programs. In addition, health psychologists can help train other healthcare professionals (e.g., physicians and nurses) to apply the knowledge the discipline has generated, when treating patients. Health psychologists work in a variety of settings: alongside other medical professionals in hospitals and clinics, in public health departments working on large-scale behavior change and health promotion programs, and in universities and medical schools where they teach and conduct research.

Although its early beginnings can be traced to the field of clinical psychology,^[3] four different divisions within health psychology^[4] and one related field, occupational health psychology (OHP),^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8] have developed over time. The four divisions include clinical health psychology, public health psychology, community health psychology, and critical health psychology.^[4] Professional organizations for the field of health psychology include Division 38 of the American Psychological Association (APA),^[9] the Division of Health Psychology of the British Psychological Society (BPS),^[10] the European Health Psychology Society,^[11] and the College of Health Psychologists of the Australian Psychological Society (APS).^[12] Advanced credentialing in the US as a clinical health psychologist is provided through the American Board of Professional Psychology.^[13]

^ Johnston M (1994). "Current trends in Health Psychology". The Psychologist. 7: 114–118.
^ ^a ^b Ogden J (2012). Health Psychology: A Textbook (5th ed.). Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press.
^ Rogers RW (June 1983). "Preventive Health Psychology: An Interface of Social and Clinical Psychology". Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. 1 (2): 120–127. doi:10.1521/jscp.1983.1.2.120.
^ ^a ^b Marks DF, Murray M, Estacio EV, Annunziato RA, Locke A, Treharne GJ (2024). Health Psychology. Theory-Research-Practice (7th ed.). Sage.
^ Everly Jr GS (1986). "An introduction to occupational health psychology.". In Keller PA, Ritt LG (eds.). Innovations in clinical practice: A source book. Vol. 5. Sarasota, FL: Professional Resource Exchange. pp. 331–338.
^ Coll G, Wenham MA, Wood DW, Patrick WK (October 1990). "Psychology doctoral training in work and health". American Psychologist. 45 (10): 1159–1161. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.45.10.1159. PMID 2252234.
^ Quick JC (January 1999). "Occupational health psychology: Historical roots and future directions". Health Psychology. 18 (1): 82–88. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.18.1.82. PMID 9925049.
^ Schonfeld IS (2018). "Occupational health psychology.". In Dunn DD (ed.). Oxford Bibliographies in Psychology. New York: Oxford University Press.
^ "Division 38".
^ "Division of Health Psychology". The British Psychological Society.
^ "European Health Psychology Society".
^ "College of Health Psychologists".
^ "American Board of Professional Psychology".

[1] Johnston M (1994). "Current trends in Health Psychology". The Psychologist. 7: 114–118.

[Ogden_2012-2] Ogden J (2012). Health Psychology: A Textbook (5th ed.). Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press.

[Rogers_1983-3] Rogers RW (June 1983). "Preventive Health Psychology: An Interface of Social and Clinical Psychology". Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. 1 (2): 120–127. doi:10.1521/jscp.1983.1.2.120.

[Marks-4] Marks DF, Murray M, Estacio EV, Annunziato RA, Locke A, Treharne GJ (2024). Health Psychology. Theory-Research-Practice (7th ed.). Sage.

[5] Everly Jr GS (1986). "An introduction to occupational health psychology.". In Keller PA, Ritt LG (eds.). Innovations in clinical practice: A source book. Vol. 5. Sarasota, FL: Professional Resource Exchange. pp. 331–338.

[6] Coll G, Wenham MA, Wood DW, Patrick WK (October 1990). "Psychology doctoral training in work and health". American Psychologist. 45 (10): 1159–1161. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.45.10.1159. PMID 2252234.

[7] Quick JC (January 1999). "Occupational health psychology: Historical roots and future directions". Health Psychology. 18 (1): 82–88. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.18.1.82. PMID 9925049.

[8] Schonfeld IS (2018). "Occupational health psychology.". In Dunn DD (ed.). Oxford Bibliographies in Psychology. New York: Oxford University Press.

[9] "Division 38".

[10] "Division of Health Psychology". The British Psychological Society.

[11] "European Health Psychology Society".

[12] "College of Health Psychologists".

[13] "American Board of Professional Psychology".

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