Essential health psychology

247 Pages·2002·15.252 MB·English

by  Mark Forshaw

Essential Health Psychology
Also in the Essential Psychology Series
Published:
Essential Behaviour Analysis
Julian Leslie
Forthcoming:
Essential Personality
Donald C. Pennington
Essential Biological Psychology
G. Neil Martin
Essential Health
Psychology
Mark Forshaw
Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Coventry University, UK
Chartered Health Psychologist
A member of the Hodder Headline Group
LONDON
Co-published in the United States of America by
Oxford University Press Inc., New York
First published in Great Britain in 2002 by
Arnold, a member of the Hodder Headline Group
338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH
http://www.arnoldpublishers.com
Co-published in the United States of America by
Oxford University Press Inc.,
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
© 2002 Mark Forshaw
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically,
including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval
system, without either prior permission in writing from the publisher or a
licence permitting restricted copying. In the United Kingdom such licences
are issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency: 90 Tottenham Court Road,
London W1P OLP.
The advice and information in this book are believed to be true and
accurate at the date of going to press, but neither the author nor the publisher
can accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
ISBN 0 340 75971 2
123456789 10
Production Editor: James Rabson
Production Controller: Bryan Eccleshall
Cover Design: Terry Griffiths
Typeset in 10 on 12 Sabon by Phoenix Photosetting, Chatham, Kent
Printed and bound in Malta by Gutenberg Press Ltd
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Contents
Preface ix
1 Introduction 1
Models 5
Methods 5
2 The Biology of Health and Illness 7
Introduction 7
'Systems' 9
The endocrine system 10
The reproductive system 10
The digestive and excretory systems 11
The nervous system 12
The respiratory system 14
The cardiovascular system 15
Biological rhythms 16
The stress response 17
Psychoneuroimmunology 19
Concluding remarks 21
Study questions 23
Further reading 23
3 Perceptions, Beliefs and Cognitions 24
Introduction 24
Lay models 24
The Health Belief Model (HBM) 26
The Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) 30
The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) 32
Self-efficacy theory 33
Self-regulatory model 35
When behaviour influences attitudes 38
Concluding remarks 38
Study questions 39
Further reading 39
vi Contents
4 Differences Between People 40
Introduction 40
Cultural differences 41
Gender 43
Age 45
Intelligence 45
Disability 46
Locus of control (LoC) 47
Challenges to LoC 49
Types A and B personality and hostility 50
Optimism/pessimism 51
Anxiety and neuroticism 52
Hypochondriasis 53
Adherence and compliance 55
Individual differences applied to health professionals 56
Concluding remarks 57
Study questions 58
Further reading 58
5 Stress and Health 59
Intrpduction 59
Measuring stress 60
Coping with stress 62
Stress and social support 66
Direct and buffering hypotheses 68
Stress and control 70
Hardiness 71
Women and stress 71
Reducing stress 73
Stress in health professionals 75
Concluding remarks 78
Study questions 79
Further reading 79
6 The Appetites 80
Introduction 80
Eating disorders 81
Smoking 89
Alcohol 94
Illegal drug use 97
Sexual health 99
The issue of relapse 107
Combining appetites 107
Concluding remarks: self-harm 108
Contents vii
Study questions 109
Further reading 109
7 Communication and Behaviour 110
Introduction 110
Patient-patient communication 111
Professional-patient communication 112
Recall of information 117
Censorship 117
'Challenging'patients 118
Professional-professional communication 119
Communicating with children 119
Written communication 124
Concluding remarks 125
Study questions 125
Further reading 126
8 Psychometrics and the Measurement of Health and Illness 127
Introduction 127
Internal reliability (internal consistency) 129
Measurement scales 129
Scales and sub-scales 131
Validity 132
Reliability 134
Does 'off the shelf mean good? 135
Using tests 136
Concluding remarks 136
Study questions 137
Further reading 137
9 Chronic Illness, Palliative Care and Death 138
Introduction 138
Chronic illness 139
Palliative care 147
Death 154
Reacting to death: grief 154
Concluding remarks 156
Study questions 157
Further reading 157
10 Screening 158
Introduction 158
True positives 160
True negatives 161
viii Contents
False positives 162
False negatives 163
Dangers of screening and testing 164
Non-adherence 167
Concluding remarks 171
Study questions 171
Further reading 172
11 Mind and Body, Placebo and Pain 173
Introduction 173
Placebo effects 173
Tastes, colours and shapes 180
The experience of pain 182
Concluding remarks 192
Study questions 193
Further reading 193
Glossary 195
References 213
Indexes 230
Name Index 230
Subject Index 234
Preface
This book will not tell you everything you want to know about health
psychology. I know of no book, in my opinion, which can. (If it were the case,
you would only need the one book, and all others would be worthless.) You
will not find a discussion of every topic that health psychology involves. It is a
short book, an introduction. I have not packed the book with reference after
reference to studies. I have opted, instead, for a much lighter touch. I have
chosen to explain, in beginners' terms, some basic concepts which form the
essence of health psychology today. The often discursive style is part of a
deliberate approach aimed at opening up an area of considerable academic
merit and sophistication to people who are encountering it for the first time.
They might be psychologists in the making, or nurses or doctors, physio-
therapists, occupational therapists, training or practising. They might have no
knowledge of health issues, or they might have considerable expertise but are
interested in what psychology has to offer them.
I have succeeded in my aim if you read this book and want to read more
about health psychology. Computers are tremendously complicated machines
that can do impressive things. But, at first you have to press a button to start
them up. It is only one little button, and it only requires one little push, but it
is the first step in something much bigger and better and quite fascinating. This
book, I hope, is like that button.
(I cannot operate in isolation. A number of people have assisted me, in a
variety of ways, in producing this book. I have thanked them personally for it,
and simply reiterate it here. Thank you, everyone.)
Dr Mark Forshaw
January 2002