Universidad de Jaén

Block I: Health psychology. History, conceptual approaches and methodology.

1. HISTORICAL APPROACH AND CONCEPTUAL DELIMITATION OF HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY. Historical approach to health psychology. Concepts of health and illness/disease. Sociocultural and economic factors in health/disease. Theoretical framework of health psychology and delimitation against related disciplines: behavioral medicine, behavior modification, clinical psychology, etc.

2. METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES IN HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY. Introduction to research designs and basic notions of epidemiology.

Block II: Health-related and illness-related behavior.

3. BEHAVIOR, HEALTH, AND ILLNESS: lifestyles, health relevant patterns of behavior, symptom and risk perception, adherence to medical prescriptions and treatment; social support, healthy and unhealthy habits (diet, physical activity, smoking, alcohol).

4. STRESS AND HEALTH. Stress, a conceptual analysis; coping; assessment; stress influences over disease; notions in psychoneuroimmunology; disease and the process of healing as stressors.

Block III: Health promotion, disease prevention, and psychological intervention.

5. ASSESSMENT AND INTERVENTION IN HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY. Assessment and measurement in health psychology; acquisition and potentiation of healthy behavior; prevention through change in risk-behaviors; prevention programs and contexts of application.

6. SMOKING CESSATION. Epidemiology of tobacco consumption and addiction; health related consequences of smoking; conceptual models of acquisition, maintenance and change in smoking behavior; psychological assessment and intervention in smoking cessation.

7. CHRONIC PAIN. Chronic pain: conceptual issues; psychological assessment and intervention in chronic pain.

8. CANCER. Risk factors and epidemiology in cancer. Social perception of cancer: stigmatization. Etiological hypotheses. Immune system. Coping with cancer diagnosis. Adjuvant psychological treatment with cancer patients.

9. CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES. Risk factors and epidemiology in cardiovascular diseases. Assessment and intervention.

10. DIABETES. Diabetes mellitus: types and clinical features. Components of diabetes treatment. Relevant psychological variables in diabetes. Psychological intervention with diabetes patients.

11. PALLIATIVE CARE. Palliative care: goals and features. Psychological intervention with near-death patients. Psychological intervention with family and caregivers.

The contents of this subject will be delivered mostly in the form of lectures. Attendance to lectures and other academic activities (seminars, practical exercises, etc.) is required. A list of mandatory readings will be presented through the course, the assessment of which will be conducted through exercises in the online course. Practical exercises will be assessed through reports and/or controls of attendance and class participation.

Students with special educational needs should contact the Student Attention Service (Servicio de Atención y Ayudas al Estudiante) in order to receive the appropriate academic support

Total qualification will be the result of summing exam qualifications, programmed coursework and class attendance and participation. In order to pass the subject, a minimum qualification of 5/10 is required in each part (theory and practice).

In case of failure to obtain a minimum qualification for pass, students will have to take a final exam covering all the matter (both theory and practice) in a later examination sitting period. No reports will be accepted after the programmed deadlines for coursework delivery.   

Voluntary participation in research experiments conducted by the course instructor will be compensated with an extra 0,25 points.