HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY

Erna Dwi Agustin

HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY

 The subfield of psychology that is dedicated to promoting good health and

health care
outline
Life Style Coping with
Stress
and Health stress
Beliefs, Attitude, and
Health Stress and the immune
Coping Strategies
system

Sexual Behavior and

health
Reliance on social
Stress and life events
support
Diet, Nutrition, and Weigt
Control
Stress management
Stress and individual training
Change in Health Habits differences
Life style and health

 Past: major causes  infectious disease such as influenza, TBC etc

 Effect of innovation in public health (improved sanitation, purified water etc)
and medical technology (vaccination, antibiotics)
 Disorders of lifestyle  they often can be traced to pattern of behavior ex:
smoking, overeating, alcohol consumption
Beliefs, attitude and health

 How severe the threat is perceived to be

 How vulnerable a person feels
 Beliefs about whether one can act to reduce the threat of disease( self
efficacy)
 Beliefs about whether one’s actions can overcome the threat
Sexual Behavior and Health

 Some lifestyle factors  sexual behavior

 AIDS  HIV
DIET, NUTRITION AND WEIGHT CONTROL

 Obesity  excess of body weight

 Anorexia Nervosa
 Bulimia
Change in Health Habit

 A multimodal program
 Self observation, self monitoring, self reinforcement
 Relapse prevention
STRESS

 Person appraises as harmful, threathening or challenging

 Appraisal: primary appraisal, secondary appraisal
stress

 General Adaptation Syndrome

Stage 1: Alarm Stage 2: Exhaustion

Resistenace

• Organism • Fight or flight, • Organism

mobilizes to reaction: begins
defend organism weakening
against threat responds to and can no
threat ex longer sustain
physical fight or flight
attack, response
escape etc
Stress and the immune system

 Immunocompetence  how well the immune system is operating

 Connection between stress and lowered immune system function
 Stress depression, negative mood, poorer health habits etc
Stress and life events

 Life change is stressful and can have a negative impact

Stress and individual differences


 Optimism vs pessimism
Coping with stress

 Problem directed coping strategies

 Emotion directed coping strategies
Reliance on social support

 Social support the knowledge that one is loved, cared for, valued, and
included in a network of mutual concers
 Categories of social support:
1. Tangible assistance
2. Information
3. Emotional support
Stress management training

 Cognitive Behavioral Technique  education, training, practice

 Biofeedback
 Relaxation Technique
 Exercise