Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to examine the research literature in Health Psychology and how this is applied to chronic health issues. Choose a chronic health issue individuals experience (e.g. diabetes, fibromyalgia, asthma, addiction) that is often seen by health psychologists.

Write a 1,250-1,500-word essay that addresses the following:

a) What problems are often experienced by individuals and their families as a result of this illness (e.g. anxiety, depression, stigma, stress, non-adherence)?

b) How can psychological theory be applied to describe the source of the problem and to treat the issue for the individual? i) You may choose the psychological theory/theories you wish to apply (e.g. stress theories, adherence theories, health promotion theories, and social norms theories, as long as they are discussed in the literature).

c) What issues are discussed in the literature regarding this health issue? What research is currently being examined on the topic?

d) How can health psychology/health psychologists aid individuals, families, and/or communities in coping with the illness?

Utilize a minimum of six outside scholarly sources (peer-reviewed journal articles obtained from the GCU library). Certain websites (e.g. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Psychological Association) may be used in addition to the six peer-reviewed journal articles.

Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required. This assignment uses a rubric.

Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion. You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin.

Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center. In Class Activity: Walking in their Shoes Each student will be assigned a Chronic Illness or Terminal Diagnosis You will create these things once you have been assigned:

• 2-4 journal entries discussing the diagnosis and feelings before, during and after

• Find information related to the diagnosis including but not limited to treatment centers, available retreats, brochures, support groups, online forums

• Conduct an interview either via phone, in person or via email with a person related to the diagnosis, this means someone running a support group, head of a treatment center, currently dealing with a similar/same diagnosis o

Ask questions to find out more, make sure to keep a log or some type of recorded document of this experience for future reference Await further instructions from your professor regarding specifics. This is a great supplemental activity to add credibility to your assignment, you are not required to match your assigned topic with your final research paper but feel free to do so if you wish. Any questions please reach out to me and we can discuss them together. We will be starting and concluding the Walking in Their Shoes Assignment in class.