9 Health Psychology

Health psychology broadly covers all aspects of the intersections among psychological, social, behavioral, biological, and medical factors in health and illness, requiring researchers to use a diverse array of methodological approaches. This chapter provides an overview of commonly used methods in health psychology. We begin by briefly discussing major thematic areas of research in health psychology including the influence of psychosocial factors on health, the psychosocial impact of illness, health behaviors and risk reduction, delivery of health care, and prevention/intervention. We then describe the multiple levels of analysis that characterize health psychology research and differentiate it from other areas of psychology. Next, common issues in study design, such as selection of participants and control groups, third variable effects, effect sizes, and ethical considerations are outlined. Specific methods commonly used to understand health phenomena are discussed, including measurement of stress, health, biological markers, pain, and health behaviors. The chapter concludes by describing emerging methods that offer promise for advancing research on mind-body connections in health and illness. Keywords: biopsychosocial; stress; methods; health; mind-body