Assignment: Health Psychology

Several trends have shaped healthcare today, including the rise of chronic disease as the leading cause of death for adults in industrialized nations. Behavioral and lifestyle choices, as well as psychological well-being, became a focus of treatment along with the medical regimen for adults with chronic disease. Similarly, children and adolescents also may have to alter their behaviors and incorporate new medication and medical procedures into their lifestyles when diagnosed with chronic diseases. Yet, children and adolescents are less likely than adults to comply with their new behaviors, lifestyles, and medical regimens. There are multiple interventions to handle noncompliance in children and adolescents. According to the behavioral theory of adherence, both positive and negative reinforcement can strengthen the behavior (adherence) in the desired direction in children and adolescents, but punishment can decrease the behavior (noncompliance) (Brannon & Feist, 2007).

Submit your Assignment by Day 7. For this Assignment, review the media in this week’s Learning Resources. Select an illness experienced by an adolescent in the media piece. Consider similarities and differences between child and adolescent health psychology and adult health psychology. Also, consider why noncompliance is a concern for children and adolescents. FILLER TEXT

ReferencesFILLER TEXTFILLER TEXTBrannon, L. & Feist, J. (2007). Adhering to medical advice. In M. Sordi & J. Alexander (Eds.), Health Psychology: An Introduction to Behavior and Health Sixth Edition (pp. 71–96).  Belmont, CA: Thomson.