Utilizing a psychoneuroimmunological lens, health psychologists can reconceptualize healthcare through integrative treatment approaches and advocacy for comprehensive policy-level reform at both the individual level of care as well as community-wide prevention approaches.

Pepperdine University

For more than thirty years, researchers have investigated the influence of stress and negative emotions on immune function. The discoveries from this research, largely within the field of psychoneuroimmunology, have profoundly reshaped the field of health psychology.

Impact of Psychoneuroimmunology on Health Psychology

Alessi, M. G., & Bennett, J. M. (2020). Mental health is the health of the whole body: How psychoneuroimmunology & health psychology can inform & improve treatment. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 26(5), 1539-1547.

Mental health is the health of the whole body: How psychoneuroimmunology & health psychology can inform & improve treatment.

Health Psychologists' Role in a Psychoneuroimmunological Framework

- Immunoprotective
- Immunoregulatory/inhibitory
- Immunopathological

3 Types of Stress Effects on Immunity 

Historically, health psychology often emphasized the role of lifestyle behaviors (like diet and exercise) in physical well-being. However, a major shift occurred with the growing scientific evidence demonstrating a direct link between psychological factors, such as chronic stress, and the functioning of the body's immune system. Analyze how this discovery of a mind-body immune connection has fundamentally reshaped the scope and intervention strategies within health psychology. Contrast the older, more limited perspective with the modern, more integrated approach.

Learn Before

Related