Introduction to Health Psychology

This fourth edition retains the highly praised approach of previous editions, with each chapter providing an overview of the theory and research before moving on to explore applications and intervention practice. The primary goals of health psychologists are to describe, predict and then to intervene and this book continues to reflect that process.

If you are a student of medicine, nursing, health, and social care, then this revised edition is an invaluable learning resource for you. Introduction to Health Psychology, 5th edition, is a must-read, widely praised textbook that provides the learning resources you need from theory and research to real-world examples, helping you develop a better understanding and critical thinking on the issues explored. This revision provides a comprehensive guide on essential topics surrounding health, retaining its popular original structure of three multi-chaptered sections: 'Being and Staying Healthy', 'Becoming Ill', and 'Being Ill'. It also includes the useful final section, 'From Theory to Practice', which studies the need for theory-driven practice applications, making the most of the evidence available to support their study. The edition offers you an insightful overview of a range of topics on health behaviour, from health-risk to health-protective habits, before exploring applications and healthcare intervention practices. It also discusses biological and psychobiological models and theories and the impact of stress on health, illness, and its progression, with extensive references to healthy diet and exercise. The text also considers the role of key epidemiological updates and global health issues, cultural influences on health and health behaviour, and issues about health differentials, as seen in the illness experience. Each chapter opens with a current real-world example and places the topic into context by introducing the outline and learning outcomes. Along with the increased use of case studies, its useful Glossary and a list of Further Readings, the content will offer food for individual reflection and group discussion, helping you fully engage with this applied area of psychology—an approach praised by lecturers and students alike!

If you are a student of medicine, nursing, health, and social care, then this revised edition is an invaluable learning resource for you. Introduction to Health Psychology, 5th edition, is a must-read, widely praised textbook that provides the learning resources you need from theory and research to real-world examples, helping you develop a better understanding and critical thinking on the issues explored. This revision provides a comprehensive guide on essential topics surrounding health, retaining its popular original structure of three multi-chaptered sections: 'Being and Staying Healthy', 'Becoming Ill', and 'Being Ill'. It also includes the useful final section, 'From Theory to Practice', which studies the need for theory-driven practice applications, making the most of the evidence available to support their study. The edition offers you an insightful overview of a range of topics on health behaviour, from health-risk to health-protective habits, before exploring applications and healthcare intervention practices. It also discusses biological and psychobiological models and theories and the impact of stress on health, illness, and its progression, with extensive references to healthy diet and exercise. The text also considers the role of key epidemiological updates and global health issues, cultural influences on health and health behaviour, and issues about health differentials, as seen in the illness experience. Each chapter opens with a current real-world example and places the topic into context by introducing the outline and learning outcomes. Along with the increased use of case studies, its useful Glossary and a list of Further Readings, the content will offer food for individual reflection and group discussion, helping you fully engage with this applied area of psychology—an approach praised by lecturers and students alike!