Health Psychology Overview
Health psychology is the study of how psychology affects our overall health, including promoting our health and our recovery from illness. To accomplish their work, health psychologists will use different forms of studies, models, and experimentation to test theories concerning the correlation between the mind and body (Taylor, 2012).
Health Psychology Research
Since health psychology is concerned with the connection of mind and body, and the impact on overall health, it typically takes a more long-term view toward its subjects. Often the most effective means to gain an unbiased understanding is through experimentation. One form of experimentation used frequently by health psychologists is the randomized clinical trial. A randomized clinical trial typically compares two or more groups of patients as they receive treatment, in order to try to achieve an honest result concerning the effectiveness of that treatment (Taylor, 2012).
One example of a randomized clinical trial is the recently published study on the effectiveness of written exposure therapy (WET) for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) sufferers (Sloan, Marx, Bovin, Feinstein, & Gallagher, 2012). All of the participants were from the Boston, MA area and survivors of vehicular traffic accidents.
46 participants were randomized into two groups with 22 working with the WET and the other 24 being allocated to the wait list (Sloan et al., 2012). In order to maintain as unbiased of a study as possible, four different clinicians who did not fully know the purpose of the study did an initial assessment of all of the participants. Independent assessments were done at the beginning, at the 6-week mark, and again at 18 weeks. Additionally, the participants reported on their emotional response following their sessions (Sloan et al., 2012).
The treatment and trial consisted of five weekly therapy sessions helping the participants to use WET to dig into different aspects of their memory of the motor vehicle accident. Other than the initial assessment, all other assessments followed the therapy sessions in order to evaluate the longer-term effects of the treatment. The trial revealed that most of the participants found the treatment to be beneficial, and that they were able to maintain those benefits over time (Sloan et al., 2012).
The Biopsychosocial Health Psychology Model
The Biopsychosocial model of health psychology attempts to take a more comprehensive view toward health care when compared to the more traditional biomedical model. This approach recognizes the importance of understanding the biological, psychological, and social aspects of life, and how these components influence overall health. Often, simply by approaching health care from a more macro-level view, caregivers can have a greater, more lasting impact on their patients (Schiltenwolf, Buchner, Heindl, von Reumont, Müller, & Eich, 2006). The biopsychosocial model also recognizes the longer-term health benefits of complementary and alternative treatment options.
An example of both of these models was a randomized controlled trial that compared the effectiveness of biomedical therapy against biopsychosocial therapy. In this study, researchers attempted to review differences in treatment effectiveness for sufferers of low back pain. The study evaluated the success of the treatment in the short-term and long-term by working with sixty-four patients after they had requested sick leave for the first time due to low back pain. The researchers then assigned the participants to a biomedical therapy group (33) or to a biopsychosocial therapy group (31) (Schiltenwolf et al., 2006).
The biomedical group participated in a variety of physiotherapy, group therapy, and passive interventions. The biopsychosocial therapy group received much of the same care that the biomedical group received, but the caregivers’ added psychotherapy and relaxation therapy to the treatment plan (Schiltenwolf et al., 2006).
All of the participants received care for 3 weeks. The care was given in approximately 6-hour portions occurring over the course of 15 days spread out through the 3 weeks. At the end of the treatment, the researchers evaluated both groups. The initial results showed that both groups had significant improvement in their pain, depression, and back function. However, the result that is of most interest to the study of health psychology was discovered as they followed the participants over a longer length of time (Schiltenwolf et al., 2006).
At the six-month mark, the researchers found that for the majority of the biomedical therapy group their results had returned to the same levels of when they had began. However, for the biopsychosocial therapy group, their results continued to improve. When the researchers again reviewed results at the two-year mark, they found that 90% of the biomedical therapy group had again requested sick leave for lower back pain. Yet only 41% of the biopsychosocial therapy group had taken sick leave for lower back pain (Schiltenwolf et al., 2006).
Based on this study, it is clear that the biopsychosocial model can make a lasting impact on the long-term health of participants. At least in the context of lower back pain, the biopsychosocial model seems to help patients assimilate more of the practices that promote a greater application of healthful living (Schiltenwolf et al., 2006).
Conclusion
Although health psychology as an official medical study is fairly new, its’ goals are well practiced. Over the years, doctors from a number of different disciplines have understood the need to understand more about their patients in order to give them sound, and complete guidance for their health.
The macro-view of health promotion that health psychology brings to the medical community has already had a significant impact. Understanding the biological, psychological, and even social relevance to health and illness will continue to challenge researchers. However, the tools are now available to see continued growth and application in order to improve the quality of life.
References
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Sayer, N., Friedemann-Sanchez, G., Spoont, M., Murdoch, M., Parker, L., Chiros, C., &
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Schiltenwolf, M., Buchner, M., Heindl, B., von Reumont, J., Müller, A., & Eich, W. (2006).
Comparison of a biopsychosocial therapy (BT) with a conventional biomedical therapy (MT) of subacute low back pain in the first episode of sick leave: a randomized controlled trial. European Spine Journal: Official Publication of The European Spine Society, The European Spinal Deformity Society, And The European Section of The Cervical Spine Research Society,15(7), 1083-1092.
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Taylor, Shelley E. (2012). Health Psychology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
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