| CODE | PSY5643 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Stress, Health and Illness | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Psychology | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will build on issues and concepts surrounding the topics of stress, health and illness that were introduced at undergraduate level. Measures of stress will also be explored as well as limitations of these approaches. Furthermore, the psychophysiological response to acute and chronic stress will be described for healthy and chronically ill populations. Factors that may promote or moderate the stress response will also be explored, such as aging, coping. In additions, the study unit will look at the cognitive-behavioural approach to stress management. Thus the study-unit will explore: The biopsychosocial implications of stress on the individual - Causes/consequences of stress - Stress and depressive illness - Stress and anxiety disorders - Stress and physical illness - Stress and gender differences - Stress & addictive disordersg Models of stress, appraisal and copingh. Stress management - Resiliencee. Biological Mechanisms - Psychoneuroimmunology - Hormonal changes and neurotransmitter processes in stress - Circadian rhythms Study-unit Aims: This study-unit aims to increase students’ critical understanding on concepts and issues related to stress, health and illness. This study-unit further aims: - To acknowledge the controversies and issues in stress, health and illness research; - To encourage a critical understanding of biological, psychological, social and cognitive influences on stress, health and illness. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Evaluate theory and research on the biopsychosocial aspect and interaction of stress, health and illness; - Critically review the validity of stress, health and illness models and frameworks in health psychology; - Describe and evaluate factors promoting and moderating stress and illness in various settings; - Describe and examine the models of coping; - Critically discuss the conceptual and measurement issues affecting coping research; - Critically the theoretical framework of the cognitive-behavioural approach to stress management. 2. Skills : By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Demonstrate the ability to make adequate decisions regarding the validity of models and frameworks pertaining to stress, health, coping and illness; - Interpret and report findings on stress, health and illness; - Search appropriately, evaluate and critically decide on evidence-based practice; - Integrate relevant psychological theory and research with their professional work with clients suffering from psychological stress due to illness; - Integrate a variety of psychological approaches that may be relevant to their problem solving with clients under stress. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main texts: - Anisman, H. (2014). An Introduction to Stress and Health. SAGE Publications Inc. Supplementary Readings - Hamilton-West, K. (2010). Psychobiological Processes in Health and Illness. SAGE Publications Inc. - Locallo, W.R. (2004). Stress & Health: Biological and Psychological Interactions. SAGE Publications Inc. - Schabracq, M.J., Cooper, C.L., Travers, C. & Van Maanen, D. (2002). Occupational Health Psychology: The Challenge of Workplace Stress. Wiley-Blackwell. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-Requisite qualifications: BPsy (Hons) | |||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Tutorial | |||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Carmel Cefai Anna Grech Pamela Portelli (Co-ord.) Ventura Stephanie Savona |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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