Health psychology: what will the future bring?
This commentary highlights several important themes and trends in this series of articles focusing on the future of health psychology. First, the challenges posed by changes in populations will only be met if health psychologists can develop a contextual competency. Second, with increasing evidence for the efficacy of health psychology interventions comes heightened interest in testing the effectiveness of these interventions. Third, issues of cost-effectiveness of health psychology will become increasingly important. Fourth, the growing integration of technological advances (e.g., telehealth, the Internet) into health psychology has major implications. Finally, the numerous changes outlined in this series of articles will demand that health psychologists extend and refine their theoretical models including the biopsychosocial model.
Pain Prevention and Treatment Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA. keefe003@mc.duke.edu
Francis J
FJ
Keefe
James A
JA
Blumenthal
D001524:Behavioral Medicine / Q000639:trends*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D011157:Population Dynamics; D035503:Sociobiology; D018511:Systems Integration; D014481:United States