Course Name: Determinants of Health
Instructor: Mr. Wendemagegn Degef (clinical Psychology)
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Brainstorming Questions
What is Psychology ?
What are the major/main goal of psychology?
Sub-felids of psychology
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What are the Meaning of psychology?
“Psychology"() is derived from two Greek words
'psyche' and ‘logos’.
Psyche - mind, soul or sprit while
Logos means study, knowledge or discourse.
"Psychology" simply refers to the study of the mind, soul, or sprit.
It is often represented by, the Greek letter psy (‘sy’)
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Con`t
• Psychology has been defined differently by different professionals in the
previous time.
• For example, psychology is defined as the study of:
Soul (as early as 400 B.C.)
Mind (1596-1650)
Consciousness (1832-1920)
Behavior
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Definition of Psychology
• Psychologists define psychology differently based on their intentions, research
findings, and background experiences.
• Most psychologists today would agree that:
• Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
• The Scientific study implies the use of systematic methods such as observation
and experimentation to gather information about human and animal behavior and
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cognition (mental processes).
Con`t
• This means psychologists do not study behavior with commonsense rather they
follow scientific procedures and use empirical data.
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Con`t
Behavior refers to actions that can be readily observed (such as physical
activities and speaking, Laughing, facial expressions, movement, shouting,
talking etc.).
Behavior: refers to all of our outward or overt actions and reactions.
Overt -behavior that is observable by others.
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Con`t
• Mental processes: refer to all the internal, covert activities of our minds that
each of us experiences privately, such as thought, thinking, feeling,
perceiving, remembering, Happy, angry, imaginations, etc.
• Covert - that is internal therefore not observable and cannot be seen.
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Goals of Psychology
• The study of psychology has four basic goals:
• These are:
• Description
• Explanation
• Prediction
• Control
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Con`t
Description: A process of accurate Explanation: It`s about trying to find
recording of event or behavior reasons for the observed behavior.
It answers the question: what kind of • It answers the question: why those
behavior or event occurred or what behaviors or events are occurred or
is happening? why is it happening?
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Con`t
Prediction: It refers that anticipating Control:.
or predicting behavior based on prior How can it be changed?
information. • Control or modify or change the
• It answers the question: what will behavior from undesirable one to a
happen in the future? desirable one.
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Sub-felid of psychology
• Abnormal psychology: that deals with psychopathology and abnormal behavior.
• Clinical Psychology: concerned with the study of assessment, diagnosis, and
treatment of abnormal behavior.
• Developmental psychology: are interested in how people change and grow
throughout the entire lifespan.
• Health Psychology: that applies psychological principles to the prevention and
treatment of physical illness.
• Comparative Psychology: the study of animal behavior.
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Con`t
• Educational psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the
scientific study of human learning.
• Social Psychology: that deals with social interactions, including their origins
and their effects on the individual.
• Forensic Psychology is the intersection between psychology and the justice
system.
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Determinants of Health
What is health psychology
What is health?
What is illness, disease and sickness?
What are the core determinant of health?
Models of health and illness
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What is health psychology?
• Health psychology is the study of how biological, environmental,
psychological and sociocultural factors influence health, healthcare and
illness.
• Its involves the contribution of psychology to problems associated with health
and illness.
• Concerned with social conditions, biological factors, personal traits and
lifestyle patterns.
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Con`t
• Health psychology: the study of how psychological factors such as beliefs,
values, thoughts, feelings and attitudes impact on health and illness and health-
related behaviors.
• HP is devoted to understanding psychological influences on how people stay
healthy, why they become ill, and how they respond when they get ill”.
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What is health?
• Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not
merely the absence of disease or infirmity ( WHO).
• The absence of disease, disorder and injury.
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Dimensions of health
• Physical health: involves implementing regular physical activity, maintaining
a healthy diet, and rejuvenating our bodies through rest and sleep,
responsible sexual choice, stress management, the responsible use of alcohol
and other drugs.
• All things that protect us from chronic diseases and improve our quality of life.
• Mental health: refers to the cognitive aspect of health.
• Emotional health: When we feel emotionally balanced, we are aware of and able
to manage our emotions, and we have a realistic and mostly positive view of
ourselves
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and others, and the circumstances in our lives.
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Con`t
• Spiritual health: creates meaning in life.
• Learn to forgive, be grateful, and compassionate, to be kinder and less
judgmental.
• Spiritual wellness includes acceptance of the concept of wholeness,
unity, diversity, individual uniqueness and the need of community.
• Social health: having smooth and meaningful social relationships, and this in
turn makes the person healthier, happier, and even live longer.
• The process of creating and maintaining healthy relationship through the
choice
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Health in Continuum
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Discussion
From your perspectives:
What are the difference between disease, illness, and sickness?
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Difference
• The disease, illness, and sickness has been applied to denote medical, personal,
and social aspects of human ailment.
• Diseases: is a diagnosable biological dysfunction or infection or cancer.
• Illness: is an individual a unique experiences of pain or suffering.
illness is an unhealthy condition of body or mind .
• What the patient brings to the doctor)
Example: stomach pain, headache
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Con`t
• Sickness is a social identity.
• It is the poor health or the health problem(s) of an individual defined by others
with reference to the social activity of that individual’’
• is the external and public mode of unhealthy.
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The Temporal Relationship Between Disease, Illness, and Sickness?
• The paradigm case is when a disease
leads to illness, which then results
in sickness.
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What are the core determinant of health?
• Many factors combine together to affect the health of individuals and
communities. Whether people are healthy or not, is determined by their
circumstances and environment.
• To a large extent, factors such as where we live, the state of our
environment, genetics, our income and education level, and our
relationships with friends and family all have considerable impacts on
healthy.
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Con`t
• Income and social status : higher • Genetics: inheritance plays a part in
determining lifespan, healthiness
income and social status are linked
to better health.
• Personal behavior and coping skills,
balanced eating, keeping active, smoking,
• Education: low education levels are drinking, and how we deal with life’s
stresses and challenges all affect health.
linked with poor health, more stress
and lower self-confidence.
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Con`t
• Physical environment: safe water and • Social support networks: greater
clean air, healthy workplaces, safe support from families, friends and
houses, communities and roads all communities is linked to better health.
contribute to good health.
• Health services: access and use of • Culture , customs and traditions,
services that prevent and treat disease and the beliefs of the family and
influences health. community all affect health.
• Gender: Men and women suffer from
different types of diseases at different ages.
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Group Discussion
What is the relationship between Mind and Body?
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The Mind-body Relationship
• The mind is about mental processes, thought, attitude, feeling and
consciousness.
• The body( brain) is about the physical aspects of the brain-neurons and how
the brain is structured.
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Two major views of the mind-body controversy
Monism Dualism
Monism : mind is a property of Dualism: mind and body
the physical nervous ( Brain) are separate but
system( body), they are unified interacting
entities. • Note: Mind and Brain are
different
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Con`t
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What are the aims of health psychology?
Health psychology emphasizes the role of psychological factors in the
cause, progression and consequences of health and illness.
The aims of health psychology can be divided into:
1. Understanding, explaining, developing and testing theory and
2. Putting this theory into practice.
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1. Health psychology aims to understand, explain, develop and test theory by:
A. Evaluating the role of behavior in the etiology of illness.
For example:
• Coronary heart disease is related to behaviors such as smoking, cholesterol
level, lack of exercise, high blood pressure and stress.
• Many cancers are related to behaviors such as diet, smoking, alcohol and
failure to attend for screening or health check-ups.
• A stroke is related to smoking, cholesterol and high blood pressure.
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Con`t
B. Predicting unhealthy behaviors.
For example:
Smoking, alcohol consumption and high fat diets are related to beliefs.
Beliefs about health and illness can be used to predict behavior
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Con`t
C. Understanding the role of psychology in the experience of illness.
For example:
Understanding the psychological consequences of illness could help to
alleviate physical symptoms such as pain, nausea and vomiting.
Understanding the psychological consequences of illness could help alleviate
psychological symptoms such as anxiety and depression.
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Con`t
D. Evaluating the role of psychology in the treatment of illness.
For example:
If psychological factors are important in the cause of illness they may also
have a role in its treatment.
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2. Health psychology also aims to put theory into practice.
This can be implemented by:
A. Promoting healthy behavior.
For example:
Understanding the role of behavior in illness can allow unhealthy behaviors to
be targeted.
Understanding the beliefs that predict behaviors can allow these beliefs to be
targeted.
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Con`t
B. Preventing illness.
For example:
Changing beliefs and behavior could prevent illness onset.
Behavioral interventions during illness (e.g. stopping smoking after a heart
attack) may prevent further illness.
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Discussions
What cause illness?
Who is responsible?
What should be the treatment? and who is responsible?
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Con`t
Models of health psychology
• Biomedical models
• Biopsychosocial model
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What is the Biomedical Model?
The biomedical model of medicine can be understood in terms of its answers to the
following questions:
What Causes Illness?
• According to the biomedical model of medicine, diseases either come from
outside the body, or originate as internal involuntary physical changes.
Diseases or illness may be caused by several factors such as chemical
imbalances, bacteria, viruses and genetic predisposition.
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Con`t
Who is Responsible for Illness?
• Illness is seen as arising from biological changes beyond their control, indiv
iduals are not seen as responsible for their illness.
How should Illness be Treated?
• The biomedical model regards treatment in terms of vaccination, surgery,
chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, all of which aim to change the physical
state of the body
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Con`t
Who is Responsible for Treatment?
• The responsibility for treatment rests with the medical profession.
What is the Relationship between Health and Illness?
Within the biomedical model, health and illness are seen as qualitatively
different you are either healthy or ill, there is no continuum between the two.
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Con`t
What is the Relationship between Mind and Body?
• According to the biomedical model, the mind and body are separate entities;
they function independently of each other.
• From this perspective, the mind is incapable of influencing physical matter.
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Con`t
The mind is seen as abstract and relating to feelings and thoughts, and
the Body is seen in terms of physical matter such as skin, muscles, bones,
brain and organs.
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Biopsychosocial model
• the Biopsychosocial model can be understood in terms of
the same questions that were asked of the biomedical model:
• What Causes Illness?
• Health psychology suggests that human beings should be seen as complex
systems and that illness is caused by a multitude of factors and not by
a single causal factor.
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Con`t
• Illness can be caused by a combination of biological (e.g., a
virus), psychological (e.g., behaviors, beliefs) and social
(e.g., employment) factors.
Is the individual responsible for his/her illness?
• Yes, people contribute for their own health & illness
How should illness be treated?
• the whole person should be treated; physical, emotional and social aspects
should be treated
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Con`t
Is the person responsible for his/her treatment?
• Yes, the individual him/her self is responsible for his/her treatment
What is the relationship between health and illness?
• Health and illness are not qualitatively different, but exist on a continuum
What is the relationship between the mind and body?
• The mind and body are separate structures that interact.
• our mental state and physical health are inexorably intertwined
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Con`t
What is the role of psychology in health and illness?
• Both a direct and indirect association between psychology and health.
• That these connections work in both directions, so our physical health can
influence our mental state.
• That all illnesses have psychological and emotional consequences as well as
causes.
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Con`t
Psychology and health: direct and indirect pathway
Psychological factors: Direct w
ay
I am feeling stressed
I value my health Health status
I am healthy
Ind
irec
tw
ay Smoking
Drinking
Eating
Exercise
sex
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Con` t
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Con`t
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Con`t
Bio: Psycho:
virus , Behavior Social
Beliefs Class
Bacteria
Coping Employment
Lesion
Stress Relationship
Genetic defects
pain
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