Health Psychology is a branch of psychology interested in the psychological processes that underlie health, illness, and healthcare. Health psychology is interested in:
- the promotion and maintenance of health
- the prevention of illness
- improving the management of chronic health conditions
- achieving better outcomes for those who are ill and those with disabilities
- improvements in healthcare systems
- the formulation of evidence-based health policy
The Health Psychology and Behaviour Change Group use a variety of research methods, that range from in-depth qualitative work with individuals and families through to large scale datasets. We work with individuals, families, professional groups, and large population-based datasets. We use a variety of psychological theories to understand a broad variety of health-related behaviours and psychological processes. We use psychological theory to design evidence-based interventions to change health related behaviours.
Research Interests of the Health Psychology and Behaviour Change Group
Currently the Group are involved in a wide range of projects. For example, we are working to understand, how:
- marginalised communities can be supported to promote smoking cessation
- working in critical care during the pandemic has affected the psychological wellbeing of nurses
- anxiety in students impacts their learning and academic performance
- cognitive abilities change with age and how these impact on physical and mental health
- lower limb amputation affects quality of life in young people
- behavioural science can be used to inform interventions to prevent the spread of infectious diseases
- loneliness affects cognitive performance and other health outcomes in older age
Who are we?
Diane Dixon: application of behavioural science to infection control and out of hospital cardiac arrest, stress in healthcare staff, modelling disability in people with limb amputations and modelling treatment burden in cancer.
Judith Okely: psychology of ageing and cognitive ageing, impact of cognitive decline on health and decision making, use of longitudinal datasets to identify predictors of cognitive decline
Joanna Milner: understanding addiction, particularly smoking in marginalised communities, design of behaviour change interventions for marginalised communities
Sergio Cruz Cantueso: impact of psychological wellbeing on academic performance, role of self-determination theory in student wellbeing.