Health psychology - Applied approaches - Volume I - Eugen Avram

Health psychology is an extremely vast field of study, with profound implications in psychological practice in all areas of human and social life. This paper aims to provide those with additional training modern landmarks in this discipline. The set of volumes entitled “Health psychology - applied approaches - includes specialized studies, signed by Romanian authors, university teachers, practitioners from health organizations, but also young aspirants to a career in health. The objective of these publications is represented by the increase of the informative capital, the updating of the information within the university curriculum, the highlighting of some Romanian, international contributions, and, especially, of the personal contributions of the authors, capitalizing the current scientific interests and practical experience.

Both the studies in the volumes published in 2010 and those that will follow aim to cover general and specific topics in health psychology. In a review of the topics we mention the following topics: the need to study health psychology, models in health psychology (eg, biopsychosocial model), body systems (nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, etc.), diseases and psychology (in heart disease, diabetes, congestion, brain damage, arthritis, HIV, etc.), applications in specialized subfields (psychoendocrinology, psychoneuroimmunology, psychocardiology, etc.), promoting healthy behavior (eg, maintaining a healthy diet, weight control, sleep , smoking and alcoholism - psychological, social aspects, treatment strategies), patterns of behavior change, accident prevention, behavior and severe diagnoses, such as cancer, stress and determinants, illness, personality and coping, well-being, social and family support , couple, mental balance, the role of the psychologist in the therapy of sick people, answer emotional disorders in chronic diseases (denial, anxiety, depression), techniques for controlling thoughts, emotions or other maladaptive symptoms, pain and chronic disease management, pain psychotherapy (hypnosis, guided imagery, patient distraction, etc.), quality of life, psychological intervention in chronic disease, patient education, health promotion programs, methodological aspects (evaluation, measurement of health status and countless psycho-behavioral variables), challenges of research and applications of health psychology in certain existential settings (family, clinics, organizations , etc.), use of health services, interventions in hospitals or specialized units, hospitalization of children, preparation for medical interventions, characteristics of people working in the field of health, psychologist-patient communication, patient-doctor, analysis of costs necessary to run programs health etc.


To these topics are added modern contributions: the boundaries of psycho-behavioral normality, studies of healthy personality, positive personality, psychological aspects in brain pathologies, maladaptive phenomena, mental fragility in psychosomatic disorders, studies on family and partnership dynamics, activities and therapeutic relationships, current standards of practice in the field of health psychology, etc. The intention of the publisher, but also of the authors is to continue this editorial approach in the coming years, having the will to consolidate the training of applicants for employment in the field of health, but also of those who already work in these structures.