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Unit of Study PSYC1009 - Introducing Health Psychology (2025)

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Unit Snapshot

  • Unit type

    UG Coursework Unit

  • Credit points

    12

  • Faculty/College

    Faculty of Health

  • Placement

    No

  • Enrolment information

Unit description

Provides students with basic principles, theories and application of health psychology. This covers various issues including: adaptation to and management of illness and symptoms, pain perception, and adherence to medicines/treatment recommendations.

Through collaborative tutorial learning in using scenarios with different characters, and the use of online discussion forums, students will consider the meaning of health and illness in differing contexts and apply health psychology theory.  Students will also record a podcast on a health behaviour change intervention.

Unit content

  1. Defining health and illness – psychological models of health
  2. Pain and symptom perception
  3. Adherence to medicines/treatment
  4. Emotions and health
  5. Basics of health behaviour change 1
  6. Basics of health behaviour change 2

Availabilities

Location Domestic International
Coffs Harbour
Term2,4
Term2,4
Gold Coast
Term2,4
Term2,4
Online
Term2,3,4
Term2,3,4

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

compare multiple definitions of health and subsequent implications for engagement with health services

align influences on pain/symptom experience with adherence to treatment

describe alignments between personality traits, emotions and health behaviours

discuss primary, secondary and tertiary health behaviour change alongside relevant psychological models of health

Prescribed learning resources

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Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.