Health psychology
The health psychology programme aims to investigate the adoption of health enhancing and the avoidance of health-compromising behaviors in healthy and diseased populations from a self-regulation perspective.
Ford's motivational system
The health psychology programme aims to investigate the adoption of health enhancing and the avoidance of health-compromising behaviors in healthy and diseased populations from a self-regulation perspective. Ford’s motivational systems theory (Ford, 1992) is used as the main theoretical framework for ongoing research in this area.
Demand-Control-Sociale Support Model
As a consequence, in contrast to more classical social cognition models, research at Leiden focuses on the role of motivated cognitions involving personal goals in the adoption of health behaviors. Moreover, in several projects an extended model for coping with chronic disease (Maes, Leventhal & De Ridder, 1996) is used, which focuses on personal goals or values as determinants of coping behavior. Also, in the extended Demand-Control-Social Support Model (Karasek & Theorell, 1990; Pomaki & Maes, 2002) the concept of goals and values is incorporated. Finally, self-regulation theory is used as a theoretical basis of research projects on stress, worry and health parameters, including physiology (Pieper & Brosschot, 2005).
Aim
The primary aim of the subprogram is to develop theory based empirical knowledge, which can enhance the effectiveness of psychological interventions in health and illness.
More information can be found at the section Health Psychology