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PS52048: Health psychology approaches

[Page last updated: 15 August 2024]

Academic Year: 2024/25
Owning Department/School: Department of Psychology
Credits: 15 [equivalent to 30 CATS credits]
Notional Study Hours: 300
Level: Masters UG & PG (FHEQ level 7)
Period:
Academic Year
Assessment Summary: CWRA 10%, CWRI 90%
Assessment Detail:
  • Blog post (CWRA 10%)
  • Mini systematic review (CWRI 45%)
  • Organisation report (CWRI 45%)
Supplementary Assessment:
Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations)
Requisites:
Learning Outcomes: By the end of the unit, you should be able to:
  • Critically appraise the contributions of different disciplines to the study of health, well-being, and disease.
  • Understand how health changes across the lifespan and why it is important to adopt a lifespan perspective to health psychology.
  • Appreciate some of the key social processes that contribute to the experience and reporting of illness.
  • Critically reflect on the role of beliefs and cognitions in the context of health.
  • Understand and critically evaluate different health-related variables impacting on acute and long-term conditions.
  • Be able to demonstrate professional responsibility and development.



Synopsis: Gain a broad understanding of health psychology and health-related disciplines. You'll place many of the issues and concerns of health psychology in the wider health sciences research context and develop a critical understanding of different theories and approaches associated with health beliefs and health cognitions. You will also be introduced to the assessment of evidence relating to health and illness and be made aware of policy, strategy and legislation in health contexts.

Content: The unit provides a broad introduction to health psychology and related health disciplines. The unit will introduce different models of health care and consider a systematic appraisal of health across the lifespan from children to older adults including the social processes of becoming ill, including health beliefs and cognitions and their impact on health related behaviour. Understanding the physiological and psychosomatic disease process and their impact on long term conditions will be explored. A focus on individual and social and cultural differences in health and illness will also be considered. These factors will be applied to current priorities in long term conditions and health related diseases that are prevalent. Finally, the unit aims to provide students with an appreciation of the psychological processes involved in health communication. This will include discussion of the provision of treatment and its effect on subsequent behaviour, the impact of health care provision in different formats (including newer health technologies) and settings such as primary and secondary care. Beliefs and expectations about health, health risk perception, help seeking, help giving, and self-help will be explored. Communication between provider patient and family including breaking bad news and difficult conversations will also be considered.

Course availability:

PS52048 is a Must Pass Unit on the following courses:

Department of Psychology

Notes:

  • This unit catalogue is applicable for the 2024/25 academic year only. Students continuing their studies into 2025/26 and beyond should not assume that this unit will be available in future years in the format displayed here for 2024/25.
  • Courses and units are subject to change in accordance with normal University procedures.
  • Availability of units will be subject to constraints such as staff availability, minimum and maximum group sizes, and timetabling factors as well as a student's ability to meet any pre-requisite rules.
  • Find out more about these and other important University terms and conditions here.