Handbook of Behavioral Medicine—Methods and Applications

Behavioral medicine emerged in the 1970s as the interdisciplinary field concerned with the integration of behavioral, psychosocial, and biomedical science knowledge relevant to the understanding of health and illness, and the application of this knowledge to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. Recent years have witnessed an enormous diversification of behavioral medicine, with new sciences (such as genetics, life course epidemiology) and new technologies (such as neuroimaging) coming into play. This book brings together such new developments by providing an up-to-date compendium of methods and applications drawn from the broad range of behavioral medicine research and practice. The book is divided into 10 sections that address key fields in behavioral medicine. Each section begins with one or two methodological or conceptual chapters, followed by contributions that address substantive topics within that field. Major health problems such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, HIV/AIDs, and obesity are explored from multiple perspectives. The aim is to present behavioral medicine as an integrative discipline, involving diverse methodologies and paradigms that converge on health and well being.

Andrew Steptoe is professor of psychology in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London. He has worked in behavioral medicine throughout his professional life and is a Past-President of both the International Society of Behavioral Medicine and the Society for Psychosomatic Research. He is a member of Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research and Fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine. He was founding co-editor of the British Journal of Health Psychology. He is author and editor of 16 books including Health Care and Human Behaviour (1984), Stress, Personal Control and Health (1989), Psychosocial Processes and Health (1994) and Depression and Physical Illness (2006). He has published more than 400 journal articles and book chapters.