The progress and prospects of health psychology: tasks of a maturing discipline.
Substantial research advances and professional articulation have brought the field of health psychology to a certain level of maturity. From a research standpoint, we are ready to meet the challenge of the biopsychosocial model. Professionally, the field must continue to demonstrate treatment effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, integrate basic science with applications, consider how best to market health psychology research, develop criteria for intervention, and agree on training standards for researchers and professionals in the field. Current trends toward complex, multidisciplinary programs of research, and lengthy training programs may, however, conspire to drive away talented young investigators. The field can anticipate and potentially solve some of these problems by drawing on the cooperative scientific vision that has characterized our field to date.
D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D011591:Psychology, Medical / Q000193:education / Q000639:trends*; D012106:Research; D014481:United States