HOW HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY MAKES A DIFFERENCE

Health psychology is the study of psychological and behavioural proces ses in health, illness and health care. As a relatively young discipli ne, the challenge for health psychology is to demonstrate that it can and does make a difference to the investigation of the health of the p opulation. The tenth annual European Health Psychology Society Confere nce, held in Dublin in September 1996, focused on health psychology in chronic disease. The challenge was whether health psychology makes a difference to the science of the prevention and management of our majo r chronic diseases. Conference presentations illustrated that health p sychology makes a difference by using all methods of investigation [in cluding description, measurement, prediction, explanation and interven tion] and by studying a wide range of chronic diseases.