Health Psychology Cheat Sheet

The core ideas of Health Psychology distilled into a single, scannable reference — perfect for review or quick lookup.

PiqCue — piqcue.com/health-psychology/cheatsheet

Quick Reference

Biopsychosocial Model

A model proposed by George Engel (1977) that views health and illness as the product of biological, psychological, and social factors interacting together, rather than biology alone.

Health Belief Model

A cognitive model predicting health behavior based on an individual's perceived susceptibility to a disease, perceived severity of consequences, perceived benefits of action, perceived barriers to action, cues to action, and self-efficacy.

Stress and Coping

The study of how individuals perceive and respond to stressors, drawing on Lazarus and Folkman's transactional model, which distinguishes between problem-focused coping (addressing the source of stress) and emotion-focused coping (managing emotional distress).

Self-Efficacy

Albert Bandura's concept referring to an individual's belief in their capacity to execute behaviors necessary to produce specific outcomes. In health psychology, it is a strong predictor of behavior change and maintenance.

Transtheoretical Model (Stages of Change)

A model developed by Prochaska and DiClemente describing behavior change as a process that unfolds through five stages: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance.

Psychoneuroimmunology

The study of the interactions among psychological processes, the nervous system, and the immune system, demonstrating that psychological states such as stress and depression can directly affect immune functioning.

Treatment Adherence

The extent to which patients follow medical recommendations, including taking prescribed medications, following dietary guidelines, and attending follow-up appointments. Non-adherence is a major obstacle in managing chronic illness.

Health Locus of Control

A concept describing the degree to which individuals believe their health is controlled by internal factors (their own behavior), powerful others (doctors, family), or chance and luck.

Social Support and Health

The protective role that social relationships play in health, operating through emotional support, informational support, tangible assistance, and a sense of belonging. Strong social support is associated with lower mortality and better recovery from illness.

Theory of Planned Behavior

Ajzen's model proposing that behavioral intention is the strongest predictor of behavior and is determined by three factors: attitude toward the behavior, subjective norms (perceived social pressure), and perceived behavioral control.

Key Terms at a Glance

Allostatic Load:The cumulative physiological burden on the body from chronic stress and repeated activation of stress response systems.

Behavioral Medicine:An interdisciplinary field integrating behavioral and biomedical science to understand and improve health and illness.

Biofeedback:A technique that uses electronic monitoring to train individuals to control physiological processes such as heart rate, muscle tension, and blood pressure.

Biopsychosocial Model:A framework recognizing that biological, psychological, and social factors interact to determine health and illness.

Chronic Illness:A long-lasting health condition that can be managed but typically not cured, such as diabetes, heart disease, or asthma.

Coping:Cognitive and behavioral efforts to manage, reduce, or tolerate internal or external demands appraised as stressful.

Cortisol:A glucocorticoid hormone released by the adrenal cortex in response to stress, regulating metabolism, immune response, and inflammation.

Gate Control Theory:A theory proposing that neural mechanisms in the spinal cord can amplify or inhibit pain signals based on psychological and physiological factors.

General Adaptation Syndrome:Selye's model describing the body's three-stage physiological response to prolonged stress: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.

Health Behavior:Any activity undertaken by individuals to maintain or improve their health, or to prevent disease.

Health Belief Model:A psychological model that predicts health behaviors based on perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers, cues to action, and self-efficacy.

Health Locus of Control:The degree to which people believe their health is determined by their own actions, powerful others, or chance.

Health Literacy:The capacity of individuals to obtain, process, and understand basic health information needed to make appropriate health decisions.

HPA Axis:The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, a neuroendocrine pathway that regulates the stress response through cortisol release.

Illness Cognition:A patient's personal beliefs and mental representations about their illness, including its cause, timeline, consequences, and controllability.

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