| CODE | PSY5647 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Understanding the Role of Individual Differences, Developmental and Cultural Factors in Health | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Psychology | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will build on knowledge (pertaining to individual differences, lifespan development, and cultural differences) already gained at undergraduate level to discuss how these individual, development and cultural differences affect health behaviours, quality of care and treatment outcomes. The following are the topics that will be explored: The following are the topics that will be explored: 1. Individual and Cultural Differences a. Individual Differences in Health – An Overview and Introduction to Study-unit. Understanding Social Factors and Inequalities in Health b. Sex differences and health c. Social Determinants of Health – Poverty d. Social Determinants of Health – Childhood Adversity and Domestic Violence e. Race, Ethnicity, and Health – Race as a Social Construct and Its Impact on Health f. Cultural Factors in Health Perceptions, Behaviours, and Access to Care 2. Lifespan Development and Health a. The Role of Family in Health and Illness b. Health Behaviours in Adolescence and Youth c. Children’s perception of illness d. Death dying and bereavement 3. Personality factors in health and illness a. Dispositional optimism/pessimism b. Locus of control c. Self-efficacy d. Negative affectivity e. Health literacy 4. Psychosocial and critical models of mental illness and disability a. Pain – an overview of individual and cross-cultural differences b. Men’s health and psychosocial implications c. The role of the family in health and illness d. Death, dying and bereavement Study-unit Aims: This study-unit aims to: a. provide students with a developmental and lifespan framework within which to locate the psychology of health and health care; b. enable students to understand the different influences on individuals at different stages of a person’s life; c. enable students to understand the effect of gender, ethnicity, culture and class on the psychology of health and health care. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: a. Critically evaluate developmental concepts and theories in relation to lifespan changes in health and psychological well-being; b. Describe and critically evaluate the effects of gender, ethnicity, culture and class on the psychology of health and health care; c. Critically examine the contribution of other approaches to health apart from psychology (e.g. medical sociology, medical anthropology, epidemiology); d. Critically evaluate the medical decision-making process in relation to gender and culture. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: a. Critically assess and comment on both published and unpublished sources with regards to individual and cultural differences; b. Critically weigh up the contributions and limitations of health psychology in addressing various problems and issues of human development. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main texts: - Rohleder, P. (2012). Critical Issues in Clinical and Health Psychology. SAGE Publications Inc. (To read: Chapters 1-6). - Chamorro-Premuzic, T., von Stumm, S. & Furnham, A. (2011). The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Individual Differences. Wiley-Blackwell. (To read: Parts 2-5). Supplementary readings (optional readings): - Helman, C.G. (2007). Culture, Health and Illness (5th edition). New York: OUP. - Laungani, P.D. (2007). Understanding Cross-Cultural Psychology: Eastern and Western Perspectives. SAGE Publications Inc. - Radley, A. (1994). Making Sense of Illness. Buckingham: Open University Press. Book suggestions: - Bartley, M. (2016). Health Inequality: An Introduction to Concepts, Theories, and Methods. 2nd edition. - Marmot, M. (2015). The Health Gap: Challenges of an Unequal World. Bloomsbury press. |
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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 | Elena Felice 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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