Health Psychology: Processes and Applications

ANNABEL K BROOME The importance of psychological processes in the experience of health and sickness is being increasingly recognized There is mounting evidence for the role of personal behaviour in current trends of morbidity and mortality which is reflected in rapid and significant developments in psychological research Patterns of illness and death have changed in recent years with concurrent changes in demands on health services the skills of carers and the adjustments of the sick person It is within this changing scene that clinical and health psychologists are becoming increasingly involved in applied research into the prevention or alleviation of current health problems These changes are also influencing the training of health professionals with behavioural sciences now forming a substantial component of basic curricula in medical schools and other areas of professional training This book has arisen from this chan ging clinical scene and the need to convey useful psychological principles to care givers Part One con centrates on the general psychological processes that have relevance in many health settings in the prevention alleviation and management of illness as weIl as current practices in health care delivery As these developments have been patchy Part Two focuses on selected specialties that have received attention This book is not a comprehensive review of work done in all medical specialties although the structure has been chosen to reflect the prevalent sub divisions of medical teamwork Health psychology is developing at a rapid pace reflecting changes in consumer expectations and developments in the understanding of the effects of psychological processes on health This book considers the processes that contribute to illness such as stress and existing health beliefs