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About Study Course

ECTS:3
Course supervisor:Zane Gulbe
Study type:Full time
Course level:Master's
Target audience:Biology; Clinical Pharmacy; Communication Science; Dentistry; Health Management; Information and Communication Science; Juridical Science; Life Science; Medical Services; Medicine; Midwifery; Nursing Science; Pharmacy; Political Science; Public Health
Language:Latvian
Study course description Full description, Full time
Branch of science:Psychology

Objective

Develop the students’ understanding of health psychology, focusing on health behaviour of an individual and its change, stress management, perception and representation of the disease, communication in the healthcare environment, as well as to develop students’ skills to link and relate the knowledge of health psychology to health behavior promotion in various target groups.

Prerequisites

Not required.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge

1.• Names and describes the goals, tasks, methodological principles of health psychology.
• Describes the relationship between stress and personality factors with health and health behavior.
• Names and describes the dimensions and levels of disease perception, the factors that shape the interpretation of symptoms.
• Names and describes the factors that influence health behavior for various target groups, including patients with chronic diseases and approaches to promoting behavioral changes.
• Names the factors that shape health behavior models.
• Describes the communication of individuals in the healthcare environment.

Skills

1.• Identifies the influence of stress and personality factors, health beliefs, illness perceptions, and various factors included in health behavior models, discussing public health promotion, adherence/nonadherence, patient activation and empowerment, and individual communication in the health care environment.
• Compares different health behavior models and reviews the conditions for health behavior change.
• Interprets problem situations described in the media in relation to research conducted in health psychology on communication in the health care environment.

Competence

1.Apply health psychology concepts in judgments and assessments of current public health issues and future professional activities.

Study course planning

Planning period:Year 2024, Autumn semester
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Planning period:Year 2026, Spring semester
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Planning period:Year 2025, Autumn semester
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