Lecture: 4 hours/week
This course will involve a number of instructional methods, such as the following:
- lectures
- audio visual materials
- small group discussions
- class discussions
- classroom exercises
- computer simulation exercises
- Introduction.
- Stress Physiology.
- Stress: Meaning, Impact, and Sources.
- Stress: Biopsychosocial Factors and Illness.
- Stress and Coping.
- Health-Related Behaviour and Health Promotion.
- Reducing Substance Use and Abuse.
- Nutrition and Weight Control.
- Physical Exercise and Safety.
- Behavioural Factors in Illness.
- Hospitalization: Setting and Impact.
- Pain and Pain Management.
- Chronic and Terminal Health Problems.
- Health Psychology: Future Directions.
At the conclusion of the course the successful student will be able to:
- Define Health Psychology.
- Explain the biopsychosocial model.
- Describe historical viewpoints on disease processes and the mind.
- Distinguish between mind-body dualism and a systems approach.
- Explain the research methods used in health psychology.
- Evaluate research ethics and responsibilities.
- Describe the structure and function of the human nervous system, endocrine system, digestive system, respiratory system, cardiovascular system, immune system, and reproductive system.
- Define human stress.
- Explain the transactional model of stress.
- Distinguish between physical stressors and cognitive stressors.
- Evaluate methods of measuring stress.
- Describe psychosocial modulators of stress.
- Explain coronary prone behaviour.
- Evaluate the relationship between behaviour and illness.
- Describe the psychopathology of stress-related diseases.
- Identify stress-related diseases and psychophysiological disorders.
- Define coping.
- Identify methods of coping.
- Evaluate self-regulation strategies, cognitive strategies, and ergonomics, as applied to stress reduction.
- Describe the research focus on health and lifestyle.
- Evaluate health-related behaviour and health promotion methods.
- Identify the types of health services in medical treatment.
- Describe compliance strategies related to adhering to medical advice.
- Identify the nature and symptoms of pain.
- Describe the theories of pain.
- Evaluate behavioural and cognitive methods for treating pain.
- Evaluate the impact of culture and other diversity factors on health and health behaviour.
The course evaluation will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy and Psychology Department Policy. Evaluations will be based on course objectives. Specific evaluation criteria will be provided by the instructor at the beginning of the semester.
Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in a course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation must be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline.
An example of a possible evaluation scheme would be:
Three tests (worth 15% each) 45%
Literature review paper/personal health project 30%
Final exam 25%
100%
This is a letter-graded course.
Example textbooks include:
Hadjistavropoulos, T., & Hadjistavropoulos, H.D. (Editors) (current edition). Fundamentals of Health Psychology. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.
Brannon, L., Updegraff, J. A., & Feist, J. (current edition). Health Psychology: An Introduction to Behavior and Health. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Poole, G., Matheson, D.H., & Cox, D.N., (current edition) The Psychology of Health and Health Care: A Canadian Perspective. Toronto, Canada: Pearson Publishing.
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