This version of the course guide is provisional until the period for editing the new course guides ends.

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Introduction to Health Psychology

Code: 106400 ECTS Credits: 6
2025/2026
Degree Type Year
Psychology OB 3

Contact

Name:
Dimitra Tatiana Anastasiadou
Email:
dimitra.anastasiadou@uab.cat

Teachers

Dimitra Tatiana Anastasiadou
Maria Valeria Lavín Gutiérrez
Adrián Pérez Aranda
Gema Peralta Perez
Albert Feliu Soler

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites.


Objectives and Contextualisation

  • To know and understand the conceptual delimitations of Health Psychology
  • To understand and apply the concepts of health and disease from a biopsychosocial perspective.
  • To learn to identify the different types of health determinants.
  • To acquire a ground knowledge of the different fields and professional profiles in Health Psychology.
  • To know the relationships between stress and health.
  • Become familiar with the problem of therapeutic adherence
  • Become familiar with some relevant specific fields in Health Psychology. 

Competences

  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  • Analyse scientific texts written in English.
  • Analyse the demands and needs of people, groups and organisations in different contexts.
  • Dominate the strategies and techniques to include in the intervention with recipients.
  • Make changes to methods and processes in the area of knowledge in order to provide innovative responses to society's needs and demands.
  • Obtain and organise relevant information for the service requested.
  • Recognise personal limitations and limitations of the discipline in the different areas of professional practice.
  • Recognise the determinants and risk factors for health and also the interaction between people and their physical and social environment.
  • Take account of social, economic and environmental impacts when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  • Use different ICTs for different purposes.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse scientific texts written in English.
  2. Apply diagnostic psychosocial health problems.
  3. Assess the impact of the difficulties, prejudices and discriminations that actions or projects may involve, in the short or long term, in relation to certain persons or groups.
  4. Assess the practical and ethical limitations in the applied field.
  5. Define the lexicon of the subject.
  6. Describe the models and contributions of biomedical and bio psychosocial perspectives to an understanding of health.
  7. Differentiate the psychosocial implications of major health problems, their determinants, epidemiological trends and forecasting.
  8. Distinguish between the different fields of applied psychological evaluation and intervention in health problems.
  9. Explain the explicit or implicit deontological code in your area of knowledge.
  10. Identify situations in which a change or improvement is needed.
  11. Identify the main psychological determinants affecting the development of health problems and ways of tackling them.
  12. Identify the need for intervention in health problems in different applied contexts.
  13. Identify the social, economic and/or environmental implications of academic and professional activities in the area of your knowledge.
  14. Propose viable projects and actions to boost social, economic and/or environmental benefits.
  15. Recognise personal limitations and limitations of the discipline in the different areas of professional practice.
  16. Recognise the main determinants that affect adherence to monitoring therapeutic requirements for different health problems
  17. Use different ICTs for different purposes.
  18. Use the main documentary sources in the field of health.

Content

Classes in large Groups 1/1

1. Introduction to the Health Psychology

  • Determinants of Health and basic epidemiological indicators. 
  • Models of health and disease.
  • The discipline of Health Psychology. Fields and related disciplines.
  • Documentary sources in health psychology. 

 2. Areas of action and professional development

  • Understanding the genesis and maintenance of health problems
  • Prevention and health promotion
  • Facilitation and enhancement of diagnosis and treatment
  • Assessment and psychological treatment of helath problems
  • Improvement of the Healthcare system

3. The patient in the treatment setting 

  • Illness behavior and searching of healthcare.
  • Therapeutic adherence.
  • Health communication.

4. Stress and and Health

  • Concept of stress. Cognitive, motor and physiological aspects.
  • Models.
  • Effects of stress on health and well-being.
  • Psychoneuroimmunology.
  • Styles and coping strategies.

5. Overweight and obesity

6. Approaches to chronicity and to end-of-life care.

  • Diabetes.
  • Chronic Pain.
  • Psyco-oncology.

Workshops Groups ¼ 

  1. Environmental determinants of health.
  2. Emotions and Health.
  3. Mindfulness. 
  4. Burnout in healthcare professionals.
  5. Adherence and chronic illness. 

Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Dynamic seminars for analysis, applications, simulations / role-playing and discussions 16 0.64
Lectures with support of ICTs and activities with the whole class group 21 0.84
Type: Supervised      
Support in repports´ elaboration 15 0.6
Type: Autonomous      
Elaboration of reports 22 0.88
Readings 22 0.88
To study 50 2

Teaching methodology primarily based on lectures (supported by ICTs and gamification elements) and seminars.

In seminars, activities will include:

  • Discussing related readings, using a previously developed discussion guide aimed at students presenting critical syntheses of scientific articles related to the subject matter.
  • Deepening understanding of topics covered in the course: analyzing literature on various health topics and their determinants. Additionally, students will be required to submit group assignments resulting from this analysis and subsequent reflection.
  • Participatory activities in small dynamic workgroups: Various methodologies will be employed, such as role-playing, campus exploratory route, experiential exercises (Mindfulness), and group debates involving physical positioning to express levels of agreement or disagreement.

Permitted Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) with Important Considerations:

In this course, the use of AI technologies is permitted as an integral part of the development of assignments and activities, provided that the final outcome reflects a significant contribution by the student in terms of analysis, reflection, and personal elaboration.

The student must clearly identify which parts of the work were generated with the support of AI tools, specify which tools were used, and include a critical reflection on how they influenced the process and final outcome of the activity. This use must be explicitly acknowledged in the references section.

For learning assessments that require bibliographic research, the use of AI is not permitted. The research must be conducted independently by the student, following rigorous academicstandards. Under no circumstances may AI be used to replace direct consultation of scientific databases such as PubMed, PsycINFO, or similar.

Lack of transparency in the use of AI will be considered a breach of academic integrity and may result in penalties in the activity’s grade or, in more serious cases, other disciplinary actions in accordance with current regulations.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Ev1. Exam 1. Multiple choice written test 35 2 0.08 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 16, 15, 18
Ev2. Seminar 1 Report: Environmental determinants of health 10 0 0 1, 2, 11, 13, 12, 10, 14, 15, 17, 4, 3
Ev3. Seminar 2 Report: Emotions and Health 5 0 0 1, 5, 7, 8, 11, 13, 17, 18, 3
Ev4. Seminar 4a and 4b Report: Burnout in healthcare professionals 10 0 0 2, 7, 9, 11, 13, 12, 10, 16, 15, 17, 4, 3
Ev5. Seminar 5a and 5b Report: Adherence and chronic illness 5 0 0 2, 9, 11, 12, 16, 15, 17, 4
Ev6. Exam 2. Multiple choice written test 35 2 0.08 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 16, 15, 18

Apart from the details provided below, the "2025-26 Assessment Guidelines of the Psychology Faculty", available at https://www.uab.cat/web/estudiar/graus/graus /evaluaciones-1345722525858.html, apply.

Learning Assessments and Grade of Continuous Assessment

There will be two mid-term exams, each worth 35% of the final grade. The marks obtained in the four seminar-related activity reports will be added (these will count for 5% or 10% of the total final grade depending on their complexity).

The average of the sum of the grades of the two mid-term exams (evidences 1 and 6) must be equal to or higher than 5 to pass the course (on a scale of 0 to 10).

In total, students are offered 6 learning evidences, which add up to 10 points:

  1. Evidence 1: Written exam on the first part of the syllabus: 3.5 points
  2. Evidence 2: Written report (group work) on activities related to Seminar 11 point
  3. Evidence 3: Written report (group work) on activities related to Seminar 20.5 points
  4. Evidence 4: Written report (group work) on activities related to Seminar 4a, and evaluation by the instructor and group peers of the role-playing activity corresponding to Seminar 4b1 point
  5. Evidence 5: Written report (group work) on activities related to Seminar 5a, and instructor’s evaluation of class participation in the activity corresponding to Seminar 5b0.5 points

N.B.: Seminar 3 ("Mindfulness") does not have any associated evidence (it isnot assessed on-site) although attendance is highly recommended and the contents of the seminar may constitute some of the questions that will appear in Ev1 and/or Ev6.

The reports for Ev3 and Ev5 (Seminars 5a and 5b) and the evaluation of the role-playing activity (Ev4: Seminar 4b) are submitted/presented during the same seminar session (approximately between weeks 5–6 and 12–18 of the course, respectively). The reports for Ev2 and Ev4 (Seminar 4a) are submitted via Moodle (approximately between weeks 3–6 and 11–14, respectively).

Given that an important part of the tasks to be assessed is carried out during the seminars and out of respect for the rest of the group, arriving late for the seminars will be penalised. Thus, arriving 30 minutes or more late without presenting justification for work, health or legal issues will imply a 20% penalty in the grade corresponding to that activity. Attendance at the seminar is compulsory if you wish to be assessed for that particular piece of evidence. If the evidence is not presented within the established deadline, the grade assigned (and not recoverable) will be 0. Students will have to carry out the work with classmates from the same seminar group.

Evidences 1 and 6 are face-to-face written tests (multiple-choice exams). EV1: During the first evaluation period of continuous assessment (the first block of the subject will be evaluated). EV6: During the second evaluation period of continuous assessment (the second and last block of the subject will be evaluated). These exams will mainly consist of questions on the theory of the subject, but also questions on the recommended readings and seminars.

Observations

Type of Feedback

EV AND TYPES

WEEK

Written

Ev1 and Ev6: multiple-choice written exam

4 (Ev1)

19 (Ev6)

Digital task

Ev2 and Ev4a: written essay (in group)

3-6 (Ev2)

11-14 (Ev4a)

In class

Ev3, Ev5a abd Ev5b: written essay (in group)

Ev4b: assessment of the role-playing (in group)

5-6 (Ev3)

12-14 (Ev4b)

15-16 (Ev5a)

16, 18 (Ev5b)

Tutorial

   

 

N.B.: The language used for the written tests will be Catalan.

The delivery of the translation of the face-to-face written tests will be carried out if the requirements established inarticle 263 are met and the request is made in week 4 online (e-form) (more information on the faculty's website).

The final mark is the sum of the evidences. There is no additional test to improve any of the evidence marks.

The subject is considered passed if 5 or more points are obtained in the sum of the evidences, provided that 3,5 or more points have been obtained in the sum of evidences 1 and 6 (i.e. a pass or more on the average of these two evidences). If these requirements are not met, the maximum mark to be recorded on the academic transcript will be 4.5 points.

Students who have submitted evidence of learning with a weight equal to or higher than 40% cannot be deemed “non-evaluable” on the official course-grade roster (“acta”).

In relation to plagiarism:

According to Art 266, point 10 UAB Regulations, in case of any irregularity (copying, plagiarism...) that may lead to a significant variation in the grade of an evaluation act, this evaluation act will be graded with 0. All work submitted will be checked using the Urkund anti-plagiarism programme. If a plagiarism rate of more than 30% is detected, this may be grounds for failing that specific piece of evidence. In the event of various irregularities in the learning evidence, the final grade for the course will be 0. The non-referenced use of artificial intelligence tools will also be considered plagiarism. To avoid plagiarism you can consult the following guide: https://cv.uab.cat/ajuda/ca/2018/03/16/alumne-citar-per-a-evitar-el-plagi/

Resit

All the following criteria must be met in order to take resit:

a) Have obtained between 3.5 and less than 5 points in the continuous assessment.

b) The weight of evidence to which the person has presented him/herself throughout the course shall be 66.7% or more.

Characteristics of the resit:

The resit will consist of redoing Ev1 and/or Ev6, with the same characteristics and grading criteria as in the continuous assessment.

The grades obtained for Ev2, Ev3, Ev4, and Ev5 will be retained, but they cannot be repeated or redone, as they are based on in-person seminar activities.

The resit will take place during the official resit period, on the date and time determined by the Faculty.

The grade obtained in the resit will replace the previously obtained grade for the same evidence.

Grade review process

After all grading activities have ended, students will be informed of the date and way in which the course grades will be published. Students will be also be informed of the procedure, place, date and time of grade review in line with University regulations.

 

SINGLE ASSESSMENT

The request for a single assessment implies the waiver of continuous assessment, and implies the delivery on a single date of the necessary number of evaluative evidences to accredit and guarantee the achievement of the objectives and learning outcomes established in the subject (Art 265, point 2).

Single assessment is requested online (e-form) during the specified period (more information on the faculty's website).

Students who choose the single assessment option waive the right to be assessed continuously and will be assessed on all the contents of the subject in a single assessment, which will take place on the same day and at the same time as the test of the second assessment period of the subject.

This evaluation act will consist of two multiple-choice exams corresponding to the first and second block of the subject (Ev1 and Ev2) which will follow the same format as the continuous assessment(corresponding to Ev1 and Ev6 of the continuous assessment, respectively). These exams will mainly consist of questions on the theory of the subject, but also questions on the recommended readings and seminars. In addition, there will be another exam (Ev3) where problems and cases derived from the different activities carried out in the context of the seminar throughout the course will be presented (corresponding to Ev2, Ev3, Ev4 and Ev5 of the continuous assessment). The total duration of this single evaluative face-to-face event will be approximately 3h30min (see the following table).

 

TABLE OF SINGLE ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES

Name and description of evidence

Weight

Duration in hours (of the face-to-face event)

Date of completion/delivery

Exam 1. Multiple-choice written test (1st block of the subject)

35%

3h30min

Second evaluation period

Ev2. Exam 2. Multiple-choice written test (2nd block of the subject).

35%

Ev3. Examination to solve problems/cases derived from the activities carried out in the seminars.

30%

 

The final mark is the sum of the evidences. There is no additional test to improve any of the evidence marks.

The subject is consideredpassed if 5 or more points are obtained in the sum of the evidences from single assessment.

Students who have submitted evidence of learning with a weight equal to or higher than 40% cannot be deemed “non-evaluable” on the official course-grade roster (“acta”).

 

Resit of the single assessment

All the following criteria must be met in order to take resit:

(a) Have obtained between 3,5 and less than 5 points in the single assessment

(b) The weight of evidence to which the person has submitted shall be 66,7 % or more.

Characteristics of the recovery test:

It will consist of retaking evidence Ev1 and/or Ev2. The mark for the evaluation of evidence Ev3 will be kept, but it cannot be repeated or retaken. In this way, the same recovery process will be applied as for continuous assessment.

The resit exam will be made in the period assigned for the re-assessment, the day and time being determined by the Faculty.

No unique final synthesis test for students who enroll for the second time or more is anticipated.

N.B.: Except in exceptional situations and previously agreed with a student, one week before the on-site exams (both continuous assessment and single assessment), and until the end of the ordinary revision, "content" questions will not be answered by e-mail or via Moodle. Students will have to attend the timetables established by the teachers.

 

 


Bibliography

Mandatory readings

Mokdad, A. H., Marks, J.S., Stroup, D.F., and Gerberding, J.I. (2004). Actual Causes of Death in the United States, 2000. Journal of the American Medical Association, 291, 1238-1245. (Disponible a l’aula Moodle)

Sánchez-Carracedo, David (2022). El estigma de la obesidad y su impacto en la salud: una revisión narrativa. Endocrinología, Diabetes y Nutrición, 69(10), 868-877. (Disponible a l’aula Moodle)

Taylor, Shelley E. and Stanton, Annette L. (2021). Health Psychology (11th edition). Madrid: McGraw-Hill (disponible a la biblioteca en format eBook i en paper). (Manual de referència)

Nota: Al final de cada tema del curs es facilitaran lectures especifiques de lectura obligatòria.

Other complementary readings

Amigo Váquez, I, Fernández Rodríguez, C. y Pérez Álvarez, M. (2020). Manual de Psicología de la Salud (4 ed.) Madrid: Pirámide.

Campillo, J. E. (2012). El mono estresado. Crítica.

Gil Roales-Nieto, J (2004). Psicología de la Salud. Aproximación histórica, conceptual y aplicaciones. Madrid: Pirámide. 

Forshaw, M. & Sheffield D. (2013). Health Psychology in Action. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. 

Lindström B., Eriksson M. (2011). Guía del autoestopista salutogénico: camino salutogénico hacia la promoción de la salud. Girona: Documenta Universitaria.

Marks, D.F., Murray, M., Evans, B. & Vida Estacio, E. (2015) Health Psychology. Theory, Research and Practice. 4th edition. London: Sage Publications, Inc.

Ogden, J. (2007). Essential readings in Health Psychology. Berkshire, UK: Open University Press

Ogden, J. (2007). Health psychology. A Textbook (4th edition).Berkshire, UK: Open UniversityPress

Sapolsky, R. M. (2008). ¿Por qué las cebras no tienen úlcera? La guía del estrés. Madrid: Alianza editorial.

Vazquez, C. y Hervás, G. (Coords.) (2009). La ciencia del bienestar. Fundamentos de psicología positiva. Madrid: Alianza Editorial 

Health Psychology scientific and clinical societies:

http://www.sepcys.es/

https://societyforhealthpsychology.org/

https://ehps.net/

https://www.sbm.org/

https://societyforhealthpsychology.org/

Some scientific Health Psychology journals:

https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/hea/index

https://journals.sagepub.com/home/hpq

https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/gpsh20/current

https://www.journals.elsevier.com/brain-behavior-and-immunity

https://www.journals.elsevier.com/psychoneuroendocrinology

https://journals.lww.com/psychosomaticmedicine/pages/default.aspx

https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rhpr20/current

https://link.springer.com/journal/12160/volumes-and-issues

 


Software

Basic Office.


Groups and Languages

Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(SEM) Seminars 111 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 112 Catalan/Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 113 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 114 Catalan/Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 211 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 212 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 213 Catalan/Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 214 Catalan/Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 311 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 312 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 313 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 314 Catalan/Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 411 Catalan/Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 412 Catalan/Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 413 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 2 Catalan/Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 3 Catalan/Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 4 Spanish second semester morning-mixed