Introduction to Bio-

psychosocial Model of
Health
Kate Tackie
 Objectives

• Define the focus and goals of the field of health

psychology
• Explain the Biopsychosocial model of health and
illness
 Introduction/Definition
• Health psychology is concerned with the psychology of a range of health-related
behaviors, including healthy eating, the doctor-patient relationship, a patient’s
understanding of health information, and beliefs about illness.
• The bio-psychosocial model views health and illness as the product of biological
characteristics (genes), behavioral factors (lifestyle, stress, health beliefs), and
social conditions (cultural influences, family relationships, social support).
• Clinical health psychology (CIHP) refers to the application of scientific
knowledge, derived from the field of health psychology, to clinical questions that
may arise across the spectrum of healthcare.
 Introduction/ Definition
• Public health psychology (PHP) is population oriented, investigating potential
causal links between psychosocial factors and health at the population level.
• Community health psychology (CoHP) investigates community factors that
contribute to the health and well-being of individuals in their communities.
• Critical health psychology (CrHP) is concerned with the distribution of power and
the impact of power differentials on health experience and behavior, healthcare
systems, and health policy.
 Public Health

• The science and practice of community hygiene;

includes preventive medicine, health education,
sanitation and environmental safety.
 Health Psychology

• This is a discipline concerned with understanding how

biological, psychological, environmental, and cultural
factors are involved in physical health and the
prevention of illness.
 Health Psychology
• Health psychology, often referred to as behavioral medicine or medical
psychology, is the application of psychological theory to health-related practices.
• The field of health psychology includes two sub-fields. Behavioral health focuses
on prevention of health problems and illnesses, while behavioral medicine focuses
on treatment.
• Health psychology is concerned with the psychology of a range of health-related
behaviors, including nutrition, exercise, healthcare utilization, and medical
decision-making.
 Biopsychosocial

• Having biological, psychological and social

characteristics
 The Bio-psychosocial Model
• The biopsychosocial model views health and illness
behaviors as products of biological characteristics (such as
genes), behavioral factors (such as lifestyle, stress, and
health beliefs), and social conditions (such as cultural
influences, family relationships, and social support).
• Health psychologists work with healthcare professionals and
patients to help people deal with the psychological and
emotional aspects of health and illness.
 The Bio-Psychosocial Model

•  This can include developing treatment protocols to

increase adherence to medical treatments, weight loss
programs, smoking cessation, etc.
• Their research often focuses on prevention and
intervention programs designed to promote healthier
lifestyles (e.g., exercise and nutrition programs).
 Goals of Health Psychology
• Understanding behavioral and contextual factors for health and illness
• Preventing illness
• Investigating the effects of disease
• Providing critical analyses of health policies
• Conducting research on prevention of and intervention in health problems
• Improving doctor-patient communication
• Improving adherence to medical advice
• Finding treatments to manage pain.
 Focuses of Health Psychology
• Health Psychology addresses individual and population-level
issues across four domains:
• Clinical,
• Public,
• Community, and
• Critical (social justice).
 Clinical Health Psychology
• Clinical health psychology refers to the application of
scientific knowledge to clinical questions that arise across the
spectrum of healthcare.
• Because it focuses on the prevention and treatment of health
problems, clinical health Psychology is a specialty practice
area for clinical Psychologists.
• Clinical practice includes education on mechanisms of
behavior change and Psychotherapy.
 Public Health Psychology

• Public health Psychology investigates potential causal links

between Psychosocial factors and health at the population
level.
• Public health Psychologists present research results on
epidemiological findings related to health behaviors to
educators, policy makers, and health care providers in order to
promote public health initiatives for at-risk groups .
 Community Health Psychology
• Community health psychology investigates community
factors that contribute to the health and well-being.
• Community health psychology also develops community-
level interventions that are designed to combat disease and
promote physical and mental health.
• Examples of community health initiatives might be efforts to
eliminate soft drinks from schools, diabetes awareness
events, etc.
 Clinical Health Psychology
• Critical health Psychology is concerned with the distribution of power
and the impact of power differentials on health behaviors, healthcare
systems, and health policy.
• Critical health Psychology prioritizes social justice and the universal
right to good health for people of all races, genders, ages, and
socioeconomic positions.
• A major concern is health inequality, and the critical health
Psychologist acts as an agent of change working to create equal access
to healthcare.
 The Bio-psychosocial of Health and
Illness
• The Bio-psychosocial model states that health and illness are
determined by a dynamic interaction between biological,
psychological, and social factors.
• The bio-psychosocial model of health and illness is a framework
developed by George L. Engel that states that interactions
between biological, psychological, and social factors determine
the cause, manifestation, and outcome of wellness and disease.
 The Biopsychosocial of Health and
Illness
• Historically, popular theories like the nature versus nurture debate posited
that any one of these factors was sufficient to change the course of
development.
• The biopsychosocial model argues that any one factor is not sufficient; it
is the interplay between people’s genetic makeup (biology), mental health
and behavior (psychology), and social and cultural context that determine
the course of their health-related outcomes
 Biological Influences on Health

Biopsychosocial model of health and illness: This diagram shows how biological, psychological, and sociological
factors overlap to determine overall health.
 Biological Influences on Health
• Biological influences on health include an individual’s genetic makeup and
history of physical trauma or infection.
• Many disorders have an inherited genetic vulnerability.
• The greatest single risk factor for developing schizophrenia, for example is
having a first-degree relative with the disease (risk is 6.5%); more than 40%
of monozygotic twins of those with schizophrenia are also affected.
• If one parent is affected the risk is about 13%; if both are affected the risk is
nearly 50%.
 Biological Influence on Health

• It is clear that genetics have an important role in the

development of schizophrenia, but equally clear is that
there must be other factors at play.
• Certain non-biological (i.e., environmental) factors
influence the expression of the disorder in those with a
pre-existing genetic risk.
 Psychological Influence on Health
• The psychological component of the bio-psychosocial model seeks to
find a psychological foundation for a particular symptom or array of
symptoms (e.g., impulsivity, irritability, overwhelming sadness, etc.).
• Individuals with a genetic vulnerability may be more likely to display
negative thinking that puts them at risk for depression; alternatively,
psychological factors may exacerbate a biological predisposition by
putting a genetically vulnerable person at risk for other risk behaviors.
 Psychological Influences on Health
• For example, depression on its own may not cause liver
problems, but a person with depression may be more likely
to abuse alcohol, and, therefore, develop liver damage.
• Increased risk-taking leads to an increased likelihood of
disease.
 Social Influences on Health
• Social factors include socioeconomic status, culture,
technology, and religion.
• For instance, losing one’s job or ending a romantic
relationship may place one at risk of stress and illness.
• Such life events may predispose an individual to developing
depression, which may, in turn, contribute to physical health
problems.
 Social Influences on Health
• The impact of social factors is widely recognized in mental
disorders like anorexia nervosa (a disorder characterized by
excessive and purposeful weight loss despite evidence of low
body weight).
• The fashion industry and the media promote an unhealthy
standard of beauty that emphasizes thinness over health.
• This exerts social pressure to attain this “ideal” body image
despite the obvious health risks.
 Cultural Factors

• Also included in the social domain are cultural factors.

• For instance, differences in the circumstances, expectations,
and belief systems of different cultural groups contribute to
different prevalence rates and symptom expression of
disorders.
• For example, anorexia is less common in non-western
cultures because they put less emphasis on thinness in
women.
 Cultural Factors
• Culture can vary across a small geographic range, such as from lower-income
to higher-income areas, and rates of disease and illness differ across these
communities accordingly.
• Culture can even change biology, as research on epigenetics is beginning to
show.
• Specifically, research on epigenetics suggests that the environment can actually
alter an individual’s genetic makeup.
• For instance, research shows that individuals exposed to over-crowding and
poverty are more at risk for developing depression with actual genetic
mutations forming over only a single generation.
 Application of the Bio-psychosocial
Model
• The bio-psychosocial model states that the workings of
the body, mind, and environment all affect each other.
• According to this model, none of these factors in
isolation is sufficient to lead definitively to health or
illness—it is the deep interrelation of all three
components that leads to a given outcome.
 Application of the Biopsychosocial
Model
• Health promotion must address all three factors, as a
growing body of empirical literature suggests that it is the
combination of health status, perceptions of health, and
sociocultural barriers to accessing health care that influence
the likelihood of a patient engaging in health-promoting
behaviors, like taking medication, proper diet or nutrition,
and engaging in physical activity.
 Key Points
• According to the biopsychosocial model, it is the deep interrelation of
all three factors (biological, psychological, social) that leads to a given
outcome—each component on its own is insufficient to lead definitively
to health or illness.
• The psychological component of the biopsychosocial model seeks to
find a psychological foundation for a particular symptom or array of
symptoms (e.g., impulsivity, irritability, overwhelming sadness, etc.).
• Social and cultural factors are conceptualized as a particular set of
stressful events (being laid off, for example) that may differently impact
the mental health of people from different social environments and
histories.