Universitat Internacional de Catalunya

Psychology of Health and Well-Being

Psychology of Health and Well-Being
6
12760
3
First semester
OB
PSYCHOLOGY AREAS
PERSONALITY, MENTAL DISORDERS, ASSESSMENT AND PSYCHOLOGICAL TREATMENTS
Main language of instruction: Spanish

Other languages of instruction: Catalan

Teaching staff


Dra. ROSSY PARÉS, Clàudia - crossy@uic.es

crossy@uic.es

Introduction

Psychology has a very significant impact on both people's health and illness. Knowing what are the right lifestyle habits to maintain and enhance health, disease prevention and health promotion strategies, and the psychological interventions that are characterised by this multidisciplinary approach, will allow the psychologist to contribute, along with other professionals of health, in the care of people from different levels of action. 

Objectives

  1. Learn the theoretical foundations and key concepts related to health psychology.

  2. Understand the relationship between psychology and physical health across different stages of life: fertility, pregnancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood.

  3. Learn about hospital psychology and the role of the psychologist in the most prevalent health problems today.

  4. Learn how to develop a health prevention and promotion plan in collaboration with other health professionals.

Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme

  • CN01 - At the end of the Degree, the student will be able to describe psychological knowledge and developments in professional practice.
  • CN05 - At the end of the Degree, the student will be able to explain and identify the main stages of human development, their progression and identify the characteristic signs and symptoms of the most frequent psychological conditions in each stage of development.
  • CP04 - At the end of the Degree, the student will be able to adapt their work to the environment, task or context, generating transformation processes through different skills in interpersonal relationships and teamwork.
  • CP06 - At the end of the Degree, the student will be able to develop psychological intervention strategies based on the context or service, taking into account the knowledge, skills, defence of arguments, problem solving and self-evaluation of psychology.
  • HB07 - At the end of the Degree the student will be able to prepare actions or psychological interventions based on effective communication and a good relationship of help and support.
  • HB09 - At the end of the Degree the student will be able to experience the professional reality of a psychologist in a specialised field, through simulated situations and in specific practice centres.

Learning outcomes of the subject

After taking this course, the student is able to:

  • To identify theoretical models and processes involved in health and disease behaviours
  • To identify risk and health protection factors
  • To know different models that relate personality and health
  • To identify the biological, psychological and social factors involved in health and disease behaviours
  • To know the research designs of the discipline and design a research plan and interpret the results
  • To identify the needs of people in different contexts, and to know how to intervene in them

Syllabus

Unit 1. Introduction to Psychology of Health

Unit 2. Beliefs about health and behaviour change

Unit 3. Public health

Unit 4. Hospitalary psychology

  • Fertility, Infertility, and Sterility

  • Perinatal Mental Health

  • Asthma and Other Respiratory Diseases

  • Chronic Pain

  • Diabetes Mellitus

  • High Blood Pressure





  1. Fertility, infertility and sterility
  2. Mental health in perinatal stage and prematurity
  3. Health in children and adolescents
  4. Diabetes
  5. Renal disease
  6. Asthma and other respiratory diseases
  7. Chronic pain
  8. Cardiovascular health and high blood pressure

Teaching and learning activities

In person



CM -Master Class

EC -Case study

LC -Critical Reading

TA -Autonomous work of study and realization of exercises

Evaluation systems and criteria

In person



Final exam (80%)

Group project (20%)

 * You must pass the final exam with at least a 5 to pass the subject

Bibliography and resources

  • Osorio Guzmán, M. (2024). Generalidades de la psicología de la salud: Un enfoque biopsicosocial. Simbiosis, Revista de Educación y Psicología, 4(7), 73–86. https://doi.org/10.59993/simbiosis.v4i7.39
  • Mittelmark, M. B., Sagy, S., Eriksson, M., Bauer, G. F., Pelikan, J. M., Lindström, B., & Espnes, G. A. (Eds.). (2017). The Handbook of Salutogenesis. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-04600-6
  • Amigo Vázquez, I. (2017). Manual de psicología de la salud (3a ed.). Madrid: Pirámide.
  •  Amigo Vázquez, I. (2003). Manual de psicología de la salud (2a ed.). Madrid: Pirámide.
  •  Carrillo Notario, L., Fernández Pablos, MªN., Clariana Martín, S., De los Ríos Alfonso, P. (2017). Manual CEDE de preparación PIR. 04 Psicología de la salud (3a ed.). Madrid: CEDE
  •  Clariana Martín, S., De los Ríos Alfonso, P. (2012). Manual CEDE de preparación PIR. 04 Psicología de la salud (2a ed.). Madrid: CEDE
  •  Intervención en contextos de salud. Máster en Psicología General Sanitaria – Universidad Abat Oliba CEU (2017-18). Barcelona
  •  Guía docente Psicología de la Salud (2019-20)- Universidad Isabel I

 

Evaluation period

E: exam date | R: revision date | 1: first session | 2: second session:
  • E1 16/01/2026 I3 12:00h
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