research articles on health psychology

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings
• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• Mens Sana Monogr
• v.7(1); Jan-Dec 2009

Health Psychology: Where Are We And Where Do We Go From Here?

Robert m. kaplan.

* Editor-in-Chief, Health Psychology. Fred W. and Pamela K. Wasserman Professor. Chair, Department of Health Services, University of California, Los Angeles

Human behaviour plays a significant role in most of the leading causes of death. Psychological science has the potential to enhance health outcomes through a better understanding of health promoting and health damaging behaviours. Health psychology and the related field of behavioural medicine focus on the interplay among biological dispositions, behaviour, and social context. The field might advance by building better collaboration with other fields of medicine, sharing expertise on technical aspects of psychometric outcomes assessment, identifying behavioural interventions to reduce health disparities, and creating an infrastructure that fosters multidisciplinary research.

Introduction

Psychological science can make important contributions to prevention and treatment of chronic illness (Taylor, 2006). To address the challenge, a new field of health psychology has evolved over the last 30 years. Health psychology is one of the most rapidly developing fields in contemporary academic psychology. It is now the sixth largest among 56 divisions of the American Psychological Association. The Divisions of Health Psychology of the British Psychological Society and the European Health Psychology Society are also thriving. In 2006, the Journal, Health Psychology [ http://www.apa.org/journals/hea ], had the largest number of individual subscriptions amongst any empirical psychology journal.

Health psychology encompasses a variety of activities ranging from basic and clinical research, through education, and clinical service. The discipline focuses on the interface between biology, behaviour, and social context. A biopsychosocial model considers health as the complex interplay among biological disposition, behaviour, and social conditions (Fava & Sonino, 2008). Behaviours include lifestyle variables such as tobacco use, risk taking, alcohol consumption, diet, and exercise. Social conditions range from cultural influences, family context, and conditions of poverty. Biological studies consider a range of variables, but the most thoroughly investigated topic has been the effect of psychological stress on immune functioning. A unifying theme in heath psychology is interest in the effects of these influences (Behaviours, social conditions, and psychological stress) upon health outcomes.

Health psychology significantly overlaps with the related filed of behavioural medicine–defined as the study of the interactions of behaviour with biology and the environment, and the application of that knowledge to improve the health and well-being of individuals, families, communities, and populations. The most important distinction between the fields is that behavioural medicine defines itself as multidisciplinary, while health psychology is considered to be a subdiscipline of psychology. In practice, the fields are highly intertwined. For example, most members of the Society of Behavioural Medicine are also affiliated with the Division of Health Psychology of the American Psychological Association.

The Challenge

The strong body of research in health psychology and the allied field of behavioural medicine rarely finds its way into the clinical practice of medicine. The challenge for contemporary health psychology is to develop integration with clinical health care. Clearly, there is a need for this integration. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that nearly half of all adults suffer from one or more chronic diseases and that chronic disease care is responsible for an estimated 75% of health care spending (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008) There is substantial evidence that risks for heart disease, many cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and stroke are at least partially the result of tobacco use, poor diet, or lack of physical activity (Mokdad, Marks, Stroup & Gerberding, 2004). Sexual behaviours, alcohol and drug abuse, and other habits place people at increased risk for many other serious health problems. Further, the full impact of many therapies for these conditions is often not realized because patients fail to use treatments as prescribed.

Contemporary practice guidelines often call for the use of behavioural counseling, but rarely offer guidance on how to apply the methods. In fact, the behavioural component is barely noted in some overviews (Boden, 2003). The curricula of most medical schools have only minimal content relevant to behavioural science. Funding for prevention and behavioural research lags far behind basic biological research, and there is typically only minimal support for behaviourally oriented providers in most clinical settings.

In part, the failure to recognize the role of behaviour in health outcomes reflects the poor appreciation of underlying causes of death. Behavioural or psychological factors play an important role in each of the top 10 causes of death in most developed countries (Mokdad et al ., 2004). Tobacco smoking, for example, is a key risk factor for the top four causes of death: heart disease, cancer, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Even if we understood the genetic basis for these conditions, it is almost inconceivable that the genetic information would allow us to disregard the need to reduce tobacco consumption.

In addition to behavioural factors playing a role in the development of chronic diseases, there is substantial evidence that modest behavioural intervention results in significant health benefits. Even moderate weight loss and physical activity can prevent diabetes for those at heightened risk. A systematic randomized clinical trial demonstrated that lifestyle changes were not only more effective but also more cost-effective than pharmacological intervention in the prevention of type 2 diabetes (Tuomilehto et al ., 2001). A series of behavioural, public policy, and communications strategies has resulted in a remarkable decline in the use of tobacco products (Messer et al ., 2007), and these reductions may have resulted in a decline in deaths from heart disease, lung cancer, and COPD. Applications of psychological and behavioural principles have had a profound impact on the epidemic of HIV disease; especially, there has been an impressive success regarding the transmission of HIV from mothers to their children. In the United States, HIV transmission rates have declined from more than 1500 per year to less than 50 (Office of Behavioural and Social Science Research, 2007).

Why So Little Attention?

When confronted with a choice between simple or complex solutions, we tend to favour the complex. Contemporary approaches to biomedical research glorify the role of genetics and molecular biology. In the United States, the vast majority of National Institutes of Health (NIH) dollars are devoted to technological interventions. Clearly, genetics and molecular biology hold the key to the understanding of many important diseases. However, simple behavioural technologies can have a profound impact at a relatively low cost. Part of the problem is that we think that behaviour change is easy to achieve. Patient advice or simple patient education rarely achieves its goal. For example, substantial benefits might arise from improved weight management. However, diet programmes tend to produce only short-term benefits (Mann et al ., 2007). The literature in health psychology clearly documents that behavioural change is complex and difficult to understand. More research is needed to learn how to improve these behavioural approaches.

What Needs to Be Done?

To realize the potential of modern behavioural science for enhancing the health of the population, we need to take several actions, including the following:

• 1. Form better collaboration between health psychology and health care providers . Academic psychologists are often removed from the clinical world. Sometimes they devote their energies to problems of little clinical importance. Clinicians may commonly encounter problems that would benefit from the systematic review of a sophisticated psychological investigator. For example, breast cancer management, particularly in the United States, has been very aggressive: most women receive adjuvant chemotherapy. Growing literature now indicates that adjuvant chemotherapy may be associated with losses in cognitive function. In particular, the use of adjuvant therapy results in problems with both working and long-term memory (Silverman, Castellon & Ganz, 2007) although there is still some controversy about the magnitude of the effects (Ahles et al ., 2008). Selective estrogen receptor modulators, such as tamoxifen, might also produce a problem with cognitive functioning (Vardy, Rourke & Tannock, 2007) . Success in treating cancer has created some new challenges. With a growing number of potential survivors comes the need to investigate social, emotional, and cognitive effects of survivorship and cancer treatment (Ganz, 2008). Despite the importance of these issues, we have devoted surprisingly little attention to the study of cognitive and social outcomes in cancer survivors. Neither psychologists nor oncologists are trained to address these issues alone. Collaboration might significantly enlighten and open new pathways. Funding these specific collaborations or solicitation of interdisciplinary proposals may help advance these efforts.

We need a greater emphasis on the development of methods that can capture these outcomes. Health psychology offers a rich tradition of measurement and can make valuable contributions to the assessment of patient-reported outcomes. Some of the most common measures are the Medical Outcomes Study 36 item Short Form (Ware & Gandek, 1998), the Quality of Well-being Scale (Kaplan & Anderson, 1996), and the Health Utilities Index (Feeny, Furlong, & Barr, 1998). Many people with advanced training in health psychology have expertise that can contribute to the development of these methods. Health psychologists are typically well-versed in statistics, psychometrics, and experimental design in addition to their substantive training.

• 3. Move beyond documentation of disparities . One of the most popular topics of contemporary outcomes research is the documentation of health disparities, including differences in outcomes between men and women. There are now literally hundreds of studies showing that those with more economic resources have better health outcomes than those with fewer economic opportunities. We have fewer studies demonstrating how to turn our knowledge of disparities into interventions that reduce the consequences of social disadvantage. We need greater efforts to help attenuate the known disparities associated with social and economic deprivation and gender. Health psychology and related fields have a rich history of the study of social and economic stressors and can make important contributions in this area (Cohen, Doyle & Baum, 2006; Cohen & Hamrick, 2003).
• 4. Create an infrastructure that fosters multidisciplinary research . We need to encourage more multidisciplinary research. There are plenty of advocates for multidisciplinary collaboration. However, there are many fewer examples of successful multidisciplinary achievement. One of the best examples of a successful collaboration is the work by Kielcolt-Glaser and Glaser that combines state-of-the-art psychosocial assessment with advanced methods from immunology. This collaboration has help redefine the influence of psychological stress on immune functioning (Glaser & Kiecolt-Glaser, 2005). Part of the problem is rooted in the reward systems of universities. Better mechanisms must be developed to reward team science and true collaboration.

Concluding Remarks

The purpose of health care is to improve the health of the population. Although many components of health are determined by genetic factors and environmental exposures, these interact with social and economic factors. Differences between genders in health outcomes might be affected by differences in health habits, social support systems, and in coping with stress. Health psychology offers an extensive literature and a set of validated methodologies that address many of these issues.

Take Home Message

In summary, health psychology and behavioural medicine have the potential to make important contributions to the health of populations. To realize this potential better, integration of medical science and medical practice is necessary.

About the Author

Robert M. Kaplan, Ph.D., is Fred W. and Pamela K. Wasserman Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Services at UCLA and Professor of Medicine at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. From 1997 to 2004, he was Professor and Chair of the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. He is past president of several organisations, including the American Psychological Association Division of Health Psychology, Section J of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (Pacific), the International Society for Quality of Life Research, the Society for Behavioural Medicine, and the Academy of Behavioural Medicine Research. He is a Past Chair of the Behavioural Science Council of the American Thoracic Society. Dr. Kaplan is currently Editor-in-Chief of Health Psychology and is the former Editor-in-Chief of the Annals of Behavioural Medicine. Kaplan currently serves on the National Advisory Committee for the Decade of Behaviour. Further, he is the chair of the Cost/Effectiveness Committee for the NHLBI National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT). Dr. Kaplan is the author or co-author of more than 15 books and approximately 400 articles or chapters. The ISI includes him in the listing of the most cited authors in the world (defined as above the 99.5th percentile). In 2005, he was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences. He is also on the Honorary International Editorial Advisory Board of the Mens Sana Monographs.

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Declaration: This editorial is original and has not previously been published or submitted for publication elsewhere.

CITATION: Kaplan R.M., (2009), Health Psychology: Where Are We And Where Do We Go From Here? In: Some Issues in Women's Studies, and Other Essays (A.R. Singh and S.A. Singh eds.), MSM , 7, Jan - Dec 2009, p3-9

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities. ®

• Digital Commons Network ™
• / Social and Behavioral Sciences
• / Psychology

Health Psychology Commons ™

Popular Articles

Based on downloads in June 2023

The Effects Of Sleep Deprivation On Individual Productivity , Sephra L. Snyder Marshall University

The Effects Of Sleep Deprivation On Individual Productivity , Sephra L. Snyder

Theses, dissertations and capstones.

Being sleepy on the job can have a vital impact on how well workers can do their job. The study examines the effects of partial sleep deprivation on productivity. It included a nonrandom sample of thirty participants, of which, sixty percent were female and eighty percent were Caucasian. All participants were employed and possessed a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.

Participants were asked to keep a sleep journal recording behaviors that could possibly affect sleep. Participants were also asked to complete a demographic questionnaire and a task log sheet. The percent of tasks completed daily on the task log sheet …

Go to article

Happiness Index Methodology , Laura Musikanski, Scott Cloutier, Erica Bejarano, Davi Briggs, Julia Colbert, Gracie Strasser, Steven Russell Happiness Alliance

Happiness Index Methodology , Laura Musikanski, Scott Cloutier, Erica Bejarano, Davi Briggs, Julia Colbert, Gracie Strasser, Steven Russell

Journal of sustainable social change.

The Happiness Index is a comprehensive survey instrument that assesses happiness, well-being, and aspects of sustainability and resilience. The Happiness Alliance developed the Happiness Index to provide a survey instrument to community organizers, researchers, and others seeking to use a subjective well-being index and data. It is the only instrument of its kind freely available worldwide and translated into over ten languages. This instrument can be used to measure satisfaction with life and the conditions of life. It can also be used to define income inequality, trust in government, sense of community and other aspects of well-being within specific demographics …

The Importance Of Nutrition For Development In Early Childhood , Kaitlyn Sue Suha California State University - San Bernardino

The Importance Of Nutrition For Development In Early Childhood , Kaitlyn Sue Suha

Electronic theses, projects, and dissertations.

Understanding which foods contain the necessary vitamins and nutrients for a child’s health, and which ones are lacking, can decrease the likelihood of children developing nutritional deficiencies and promote their overall developmental health. It is important for parents of young children to have an understanding of nutrition and the effect that poor nutrition can have. this project presented information sessions to parents to educate them further about these important topics through four weekly online workshops. Participants were asked to complete a pre- and post-session survey. Survey results scores indicated that participants reported an increase in knowledge and understanding in regards …

Sleepless In College Town: Causes And Effects Of Poor Sleep In College Students , Isabella E. Pandolfo St. John Fisher University

Sleepless In College Town: Causes And Effects Of Poor Sleep In College Students , Isabella E. Pandolfo

The review: a journal of undergraduate student research.

This article is an examination of the various causes and effects of sleep deprivation and poor sleep quality in college students. Using various studies and articles as evidence, this review explores the causes of sleep deprivation in college students, and addresses the ways in which other parts of one's well-being may suffer as a result of sleep deprivation. The nature of life as a college student is not conducive to good quality sleep or sufficient amount of sleep, and the various detrimental factors to sleep quality, such as napping, technology, and social factors contribute to problems in other areas. According …

The Relationship Between Social Media Use And Depression In College Students: A Scoping Review , SUSAN WU UTHealth School of Public Health

The Relationship Between Social Media Use And Depression In College Students: A Scoping Review , Susan Wu

Dissertations (open access).

Background: In 2017, 17.3 million adults in the U.S. (7.1% of all U.S. adults) have had at least one major depressive episode, with individuals ages 18-25 having the highest prevalence of major depression at 13.1%. Studies have looked at the association between social media (SM) use and depression with mixed findings. The goal of this research is to conduct a scoping review of existing evidence for the relationship between SM use and depression among college students.

Methods: Searches for articles published in the scientific literature were performed on PubMed, Embase and Scopus. Articles selected followed an inclusion criteria: studied SM …

Profiling A Unique Female Serial Killer: Aileen Wuornos's Life Of Violence , Phyllis Chesler Phyllis Chesler Organization

Profiling A Unique Female Serial Killer: Aileen Wuornos's Life Of Violence , Phyllis Chesler

Dignity: a journal of analysis of exploitation and violence.

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Stress Management On Learning In A Classroom Setting , Pankaj Mandale Western Kentucky University

Impact Of Stress Management On Learning In A Classroom Setting , Pankaj Mandale

Masters theses & specialist projects.

Stress is an important feature of the lives of college students and can impact negatively on learning. The effectiveness of an in-class stress management intervention for improving course content retention was tested with a cross-over design in two introductory graduate biostatistics classes. Each class met one day per week for the duration of the semester, and was taught by the same instructor, following the same syllabus. A pretest duplicating items on the midterm and final exam was administered to all students at the first class meeting. Identical midterm and final exams were administered in both classes. During the first half …

Growing Up With Porn: The Developmental And Societal Impact Of Pornography On Children , Gail Dines Wheelock College

Growing Up With Porn: The Developmental And Societal Impact Of Pornography On Children , Gail Dines

The Effect Of Abortion Legalization On Sexual Behavior: Evidence From Sexually Transmitted Diseases , Jonathan Klick, Thomas Stratmann University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

The Effect Of Abortion Legalization On Sexual Behavior: Evidence From Sexually Transmitted Diseases , Jonathan Klick, Thomas Stratmann

All faculty scholarship.

Unwanted pregnancy represents a major cost of sexual activity. When abortion was legalized in a number of states in 1969 and 1970 (and nationally in 1973), this cost was reduced. We predict that abortion legalization generated incentives leading to an increase in sexual activity, accompanied by an increase in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Using Centers for Disease Control data on the incidence of gonorrhea and syphilis by state, we test the hypothesis that abortion legalization led to an increase in sexually transmitted diseases. We find that gonorrhea and syphilis incidences are significantly and positively correlated with abortion legalization. Further, we …

The Porn Myth: Exposing The Myth Behind The Fantasy Of Pornography By Matt Fradd , Donald L. Hilton Jr. University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, USA

The Porn Myth: Exposing The Myth Behind The Fantasy Of Pornography By Matt Fradd , Donald L. Hilton Jr.

All articles in health psychology.

3,019 full-text articles. Page 1 of 128 .

The Implications, Magnitude, And Development Of Traumatic Brain Injury For Individuals Undergoing Treatment For Opioid Use Disorder , Hannah G. Mitchell 2024 East Tennessee State University

The Implications, Magnitude, And Development Of Traumatic Brain Injury For Individuals Undergoing Treatment For Opioid Use Disorder , Hannah G. Mitchell

Electronic theses and dissertations.

There is an established bidirectional relation between substance use and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Despite the high rate of prescribing opioids for pain management following a TBI and the epidemic of opioid use disorder (OUD) in the United States, scarce research has specifically analyzed the association between TBI and OUD. In a series of three interrelated manuscripts, the present study will first examine the prevalence and features of TBIs among persons seeking treatment for OUD. Next, the present study will evaluate the association between TBI and indicators of risky health behaviors and OUD severity, including the risk of overdose and …

The Association Between Uncertainty, Reproductive Distress, And Avoidance In Assigned Female At Birth Adolescent And Young Adult (Aya-F) Cancer Survivors , Devon Ann Pons 2024 University of San Francisco

The Association Between Uncertainty, Reproductive Distress, And Avoidance In Assigned Female At Birth Adolescent And Young Adult (Aya-F) Cancer Survivors , Devon Ann Pons

Doctoral dissertations.

Family building and fertility is a complex component of survivorship for assigned female at birth Adolescent and Young Adult’s (AYA-F’s), often accompanied by a mix of cognitive uncertainty, emotional uncertainty, reproductive distress, and avoidance. These psychological components present in survivorship for AYA-F’s can impact coping, identity development, and individualized care plans throughout survivorship. This novel examination of data from a cross sectional study shed light on the associations between reproductive distress, uncertainty, and avoidance and how they are experienced differently by various subgroups within the sample.

Results demonstrate that reproductive distress fully mediated the association between emotional uncertainty and avoidance, …

Student-Athlete Mental Health: University Of Montana Case Study , Abigail M. Sherwood 2024 University of Montana

Student-Athlete Mental Health: University Of Montana Case Study , Abigail M. Sherwood

Undergraduate theses, professional papers, and capstone artifacts.

Research suggests that Division I college-student athletes experience higher levels of stress and other behavioral health issues than their non-athlete counterparts, with up to 20% of them suffering from depression (Sudano et al., 2017). Two studies on student athletes’ well-being conducted in 2020, reported that athletes continue to report higher levels of mental health concerns (Johnson, 2022). Since the fall of 2020, rates of mental exhaustion, depression, and anxiety have improved minimally with rates remaining 1.5 to two times higher than reported before the COVID-19 pandemic (Johnson, 2022). Naomi Osaka withdrawing from the French Open in 2021 and Simone Biles …

Repeated Treatment With 5-Ht1a And 5-Ht1b Receptor Agonists: Evidence Of Tolerance And Behavioral Sensitization , Jordan Taylor 2023 California State University, San Bernardino

Repeated Treatment With 5-Ht1a And 5-Ht1b Receptor Agonists: Evidence Of Tolerance And Behavioral Sensitization , Jordan Taylor

Serotonin has been found to regulate several cognitive and physiological functions, and its role in depression and other neuropsychiatric disorders has been a focus of research. More specifically, a wealth of research regarding serotonin focuses on serotonergic medications in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety, and stimulates the 5-HT 1A and 5-HT 1B receptors. Within the last decade, there has been an increase in prescriptions of psychotropic medication for children, however, the efficacy and adverse effects of these drugs have not been evaluated in younger populations. While antidepressants reduce symptoms of depression in adults, they are …

Prevalence Of Anxiety In College And University Students: An Umbrella Review , Gabriel Xing Da TAN, Xun Ci SOH, Andree HARTANTO, Adalia Yin Hui GOH, Nadyanna M. MAJEED 2023 Singapore Management University

Prevalence Of Anxiety In College And University Students: An Umbrella Review , Gabriel Xing Da Tan, Xun Ci Soh, Andree Hartanto, Adalia Yin Hui Goh, Nadyanna M. Majeed

Research collection school of social sciences.

The pervasiveness of anxiety has been increasing progressively over the years, becoming one of the most critical concerns among colleges and universities. With implications extending towards poorer academic performance and overall student mental health, there is an urgent need to address this growing concern. As such, we conducted an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses to summarize data in the literature on the overall prevalence of anxiety among college and university students. Moreover, this umbrella review also considered the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and assessed potential moderators through distinct subgroup analyses. A systematic search was carried out across …

Evaluating The Rates Of Opioid Overdose By County In Middle Tn , Khanh Nguyen, Isha Kapoor, Sarah West 2023 Belmont University

Evaluating The Rates Of Opioid Overdose By County In Middle Tn , Khanh Nguyen, Isha Kapoor, Sarah West

Science university research symposium (surs).

Opioid misuse presents a well-documented and substantial threat to human health, with potentially life-threatening issues. Improved access to healthcare and increased social support are believed to contribute to better health outcomes for individuals in higher socioeconomic classes (McMaughan et al. , 2020). Conversely, individuals in lower socioeconomic classes may experience poorer health and engage in more hazardous occupations (Ravesteijn et al. , 2013). These disparities are thought to be linked to factors such as limited access to quality healthcare and greater exposure to non-prescription opioid drugs among those in lower socioeconomic classes. Data was obtained from mySidewalk. Specific variables of …

The Ritual Of Therapeutic Artmaking In Long-Term Care , Melinda Heinz Dr., Elissa Wenthe, Alexis Schramel 2023 Upper Iowa University

The Ritual Of Therapeutic Artmaking In Long-Term Care , Melinda Heinz Dr., Elissa Wenthe, Alexis Schramel

International journal of lifelong learning in art education.

The transition to long-term care settings can be difficult for residents and feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety are not uncommon in these environments. However, participating in therapeutic artmaking rituals creates opportunities for residents to process their feelings, experience states of flow and mindfulness, engage with others, and focus on their own psychological growth. In long-term care, the physical needs of residents are often prioritized, but psychosocial needs also require attention. For this project, therapeutic artmaking rituals were created at a long-term care facility in three levels of care over 12 months. Older adults engaged with clay, paint, raw fiber, …

The Case For Patient-Reported Pleasure , Preston Long, Tanja Stamm 2023 Medical University of Vienna

The Case For Patient-Reported Pleasure , Preston Long, Tanja Stamm

Patient experience journal.

Pleasure is a cornerstone of human behavior. Its lack of consideration in the medical sciences has been to the detriment of all patients. The process of including pleasure as a medical outcome has multiple beginnings. A health-related pleasure scale must be developed for clinical purposes and original research must be conducted to establish the added value of measuring pleasure. Treatment comparisons, prediction models for recovery, side-effect investigations, and more may benefit from the collection of patient-reported pleasure. Furthermore, simply inquiring about a patient’s pleasure may serve as a positive intervention by giving them permission to discuss more than the illness …

Examining The Evidence Base For Burnout , Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld 2023 Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Examining The Evidence Base For Burnout , Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and research.

Burnout has elicited growing interest among occupational health specialists in recent decades. Since 2019, the World Health Organization has characterized burnout as a syndrome resulting from chronic, unmanageable workplace stress. According to the ICD-11, three symptoms define the entity: feelings of exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job, and a sense of ineffectiveness at work, all of which correspond to the structure of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The ICD-11 includes burnout among the factors that influence health status. This paper calls into question that conceptualization based on a number of lines of evidence. The evidence includes the following: burnout was …

Understanding The Work Demands, Resources, And Barriers To Achieving Optimal Well-Being In Immigrant Workers , Amira Marquez Moreno, Kristen J. Black 2023 University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Understanding The Work Demands, Resources, And Barriers To Achieving Optimal Well-Being In Immigrant Workers , Amira Marquez Moreno, Kristen J. Black

River cities industrial and organizational psychology conference.

According to recent reports of immigrants working in poor conditions worldwide, the International Committee of Health (ICOH, 2021) has declared the immediate need to create scientific evidence to encourage a preventive culture in occupational health for migrant workers. In 2019, 470,125 immigrants lived in Tennessee, of which 43% are Latino, and Spanish the most common language (76%). The present study aims to identify the work-demands, resources, and barriers to achieve optimal well-being in immigrant workers with a sample recruited from Chattanooga and the surrounding area. Participants will be recruited through convenience and snowball sampling with the inclusion criteria of being …

Outbreak Communication: Exploring The Relationships Between Health Information Seeking Behaviors, Vested Interests, And Covid-19 Knowledge In U.S. Midwest Populations , Alicia Mason, Josh Compton, Elizabeth Spencer, Kaitlin Barnett 2023 Pittsburg State University

Outbreak Communication: Exploring The Relationships Between Health Information Seeking Behaviors, Vested Interests, And Covid-19 Knowledge In U.S. Midwest Populations , Alicia Mason, Josh Compton, Elizabeth Spencer, Kaitlin Barnett

Faculty submissions.

On February 15, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director, General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated at a Munich Security Conference, “We’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic,” (Zarocostas, 2020, p. 676). The term ‘infodemic’ refers to the onslaught of both accurate and inaccurate health information surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. The concept of an ‘infodemic’ was quickly integrated into mass media, popular culture (i.e., documentaries, podcasts), and eventually scholarly literature. In response to COVID-19, health communication scholars have centered on understanding specific messaging strategies such as the use of fear appeals (Stolow et al., 2020), nature of advertising …

One Size Doesn’T Fit All: Attitudes Towards Work Modify The Relation Between Parental Leave Length And Postpartum Depression , Christine Y. Chang, Sabrina R. Liu, Laura M. Glynn 2023 Chapman University

One Size Doesn’T Fit All: Attitudes Towards Work Modify The Relation Between Parental Leave Length And Postpartum Depression , Christine Y. Chang, Sabrina R. Liu, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology faculty articles and research.

The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between parental leave length and maternal depressive symptoms at six- and twelve-months postpartum and whether this relation was influenced by women’s attitudes towards leave, whether leave was paid or unpaid, and the reason they returned to work. The sample included 115 working women recruited during pregnancy as part of a larger longitudinal study. Analyses revealed that maternal attitudes toward leave influenced the association between leave length and depressive symptoms. Specifically, longer leaves were associated with increased depressive symptoms for women who missed their previous activities at work. Furthermore, women who missed work …

Self Determination Theory And Health Behavior Interventions , Anna T. Simpson 2023 University of Louisville

Self Determination Theory And Health Behavior Interventions , Anna T. Simpson

The cardinal edge.

Physical and mental health contribute to a person’s overall sense of well-being. People generally want to live happy and healthy lives, so they make decisions that will increase their well-being. Many factors contribute to our health, but health behavior is something we can modify. Health behavior interventions aim to promote healthy choices and a sense of well-being in patients. Interventions have a theoretical basis that influences the design of the intervention. Public health interventions have used self-determination theory (SDT) and its components to guide interventions that promote health behavior change in various populations. This paper will seek to understand the …

Illness Intrusiveness And Psychosocial Adjustment Among Older Adults With Multimorbidity , Irina Mindlis 2023 The Graduate Center, City University of New York

Illness Intrusiveness And Psychosocial Adjustment Among Older Adults With Multimorbidity , Irina Mindlis

Dissertations, theses, and capstone projects.

Given the high prevalence of multimorbidity (MM) among older adults and the exponential growth of the older adult U.S. population, identifying factors that can lessen depressive symptoms and improve quality of life (QOL) in this population is timely and important. While it is well established that MM is associated with greater depressive symptoms and poorer QOL (Li et al., 2016; Makovski et al., 2019; Marengoni et al., 2011; Read et al., 2017), the mechanisms underlying these relationships remain understudied. The illness intrusiveness model (Devins et al., 1984) proposes that stressors posed by diseases (disease-related factors) and their treatments (treatment-related factors) …

Parallel Processes Of Posttraumatic Stress And Metabolic Dysfunction: Long-Term Costs Of Trauma On The Psychological And Physical Health Of 9/11 Survivors , Shane W. Adams 2023 The Graduate Center, City University of New York

Parallel Processes Of Posttraumatic Stress And Metabolic Dysfunction: Long-Term Costs Of Trauma On The Psychological And Physical Health Of 9/11 Survivors , Shane W. Adams

Metabolic conditions (MetC) have been associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and may be critical indicators of the systemic physical sequelae of traumatic stress. Parallel process latent growth modeling wasapplied to longitudinal data collected from 35,788 9/11 survivors and used to model PTSD symptoms and MetC to determine how the development and course of one affect the other. A unidirectional relationship was found in which the intercept of PTSD symptoms predicted the slope of MetC. Hyperarousal ( ß =.172) and emotional numbing ( ß =.171) PTSD symptoms demonstrated the strongest association with the growth of MetC over and above …

Apoe Risk Disclosure: A Review Of Positive And Negative Outcome , Stacey Rowcliffe 2023 National Louis University

Apoe Risk Disclosure: A Review Of Positive And Negative Outcome , Stacey Rowcliffe

Dissertations.

Two of this century’s most significant healthcare challenges are Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment, with 40 million people suffering from the diseases. In fact, a conservative estimate projects that both conditions will double every 20 years until 2050. Alzheimer’s disease involves memory impairment, disorientation, confusion, and various problematic behaviors. Presently, no prevention method or cure has been discovered for Alzheimer’s. Mild cognitive impairment typically includes problems with memory, language, thinking, and judgment beyond those typical of one’s age. Usually, these symptoms do not interfere with daily activities but do not improve and have been linked with a risk of …

Empowering Students As Leaders Of Behavior Change: An Experiential-Learning Project , Zachary Zenko, Alexis Fuston, Jafrā D. Thomas 2023 California State University, Bakersfield

Empowering Students As Leaders Of Behavior Change: An Experiential-Learning Project , Zachary Zenko, Alexis Fuston, Jafrā D. Thomas

Educational practices in kinesiology.

The purpose of this resource is to allow university educators to implement an experiential-learning project in which students act as leaders of behavior change. Specifically, kinesiology students are paired with “clients” to engage with outside of the classroom and tasked with helping the clients achieve their physical activity goals. This semester-long behavior change project can be used in classes delivered in online, in-person, or hybrid formats. It is estimated that two hours are required for initial project instructions and set-up, with about 12 additional hours throughout the semester for continuous instruction, review, discussion, and presentation. Students are expected to benefit …

Mental Health And Experiences Of Pregnancy Among Black Women And Birthing People With Type 1 Diabetes (T1d) , Madeleine E. Marcus 2023 University of San Francisco

Mental Health And Experiences Of Pregnancy Among Black Women And Birthing People With Type 1 Diabetes (T1d) , Madeleine E. Marcus

This dissertation explored the potential effects of intersections of oppression (i.e., anti-Black racism, diabetes discrimination, and sexism) on mental health and pregnancy experiences among Black women and birthing people with Type 1 diabetes (T1D). Previous studies about pregnancy and T1D have included mainly white, cisgender women. Three participants qualified for inclusion in the present study and participated in semi-structured interviews, which the researcher analyzed using an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) framework. Participants described feeling uncertain about whether aspects of their pregnancy experiences were related to obstetric and/or medical racism. Similarly, participants sometimes seemed uncertain about how racism may affect their …

An Exploration Of Queer Women's Relationship With The Body And Physical Activity , Jade A. Bailey 2023 Western University

An Exploration Of Queer Women's Relationship With The Body And Physical Activity , Jade A. Bailey

Electronic thesis and dissertation repository, traditional physical activity contexts are male-dominated, cis-heteronormative, and perpetuate western beauty standards. research has identified that queer women experience the lowest rates of physical activity participation, compared to other lgbtq+ groups. the present study investigated the relationship between queer women’s ( n = 70) body image, physical activity behaviour, and experiences. participants completed one virtual focus group and four themes were identified: the queer women’s body is political; (in)visibility of sexual and gender identity in physical activity; hypervigilance to maintain safety and reduce perpetuating gender-based violence; and desire for spaces that foster safety, belonging, and connection. findings revealed that queer ….

Recentering Psych Stats , Lynette Bikos 2023 Seattle Pacific University

Recentering Psych Stats , Lynette Bikos

Faculty open access books.

To center a variable in regression means to set its value at zero and interpret all other values in relation to this reference point. Regarding race and gender, researchers often center male and White at zero. Further, it is typical that research vignettes in statistics textbooks are similarly seated in a White, Western (frequently U.S.), heteronormative, framework. ReCentering Psych Stats seeks provide statistics training for psychology students (undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral) in a socially and culturally responsive way. All lessons use the open-source statistics program, R (and its associated packages). Each lesson includes a chapter and screencasted lesson, features a …

Popular Institutions

Featured Publications

Popular authors.

• Applied Behavior Analysis
• Biological Psychology
• Child Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Cognition and Perception
• Cognitive Psychology
• Community Psychology
• Comparative Psychology
• Counseling Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Experimental Analysis of Behavior
• Geropsychology
• Human Factors Psychology
• Industrial and Organizational Psychology
• Multicultural Psychology
• Other Psychology
• Pain Management
• Personality and Social Contexts
• Quantitative Psychology
• School Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Somatic Psychology
• Theory and Philosophy
• Transpersonal Psychology