Entry requirements
The course Psychological Assessment and Interventions in Patients with Chronic Diseases is only open to master’s students in Psychology of the specialisation Health and Medical Psychology.
Description
This course consists of a theoretical and a practical part. The theoretical part consists of lectures on the epidemiology of, and specific psychosocial problems associated with a variety of chronic somatic conditions (e.g. coronary heart disease, pain conditions, cancer, diabetes). Commonly used psychological assessment instruments measuring these psychosocial problems and related concepts are discussed such as illness cognitions, pain, coping, social support, self-management, stress, and health-related quality of life. Finally, disease-specific psychological intervention strategies for the enhancement of quality of life and/or self-management in patients with chronic disease are discussed.
The practical part of the course consists of workgroups focusing on the use of different psychological assessment instruments and the evaluation of specific intervention strategies in patients with chronic diseases.
Course objectives
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
- understand clinical characteristics and psychosocial consequences of various chronic diseases.
- understand the aim, content, and applicability of various psychosocial measurement instruments used for patients with chronic somatic diseases.
- evaluate the effectiveness of psychological interventions for patients with chronic somatic diseases as a preparation to the professional setting.
The course objectives will be assessed by a written exam and a presentation (two to three students working together).
Timetable
For the timetable of this course please refer to MyTimetable
Registration
Education
Students must register themselves for all course components (lectures, tutorials and practicals) they wish to follow. You can register up to 5 days prior to the start of the course.
Exams
You must register for each exam in My Studymap at least 10 days before the exam date. You cannot take an exam without a valid registration in My Studymap. Carefully read all information about the procedures and deadlines for registering for courses and exams.
Exchange students and external guest students will be informed by the education administration about the current registration procedure.
Mode of instruction
7 2-hour lectures
7 2-hour work groups.
Attendance at the workgroup sessions is mandatory. See Brightspace for more information.
Assessment method
The final grade is based on a grade for the written exam (70%) and a work group grade (30%).
The exam will be in English. Also, the exam questions have to be answered in English. The study material for the exam can be found under Reading list.
The work group grade will be determined on the basis of the presentation. The presentation needs to be given in English.
In case a student fails for the workgroup (i.e. grade < 5.5), a maximum grade of 6.0 can be obtained for the resit, since the assignment is identical to the original assignment.
Students need to have a sufficient exam grade and a sufficient work group grade to pass the course.
You will be informed about the method of inspection and feedback of the examination via Brightspace in due course.
The Institute of Psychology follows the policy of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences to systematically check student papers for plagiarism with the help of software. All students are required to take and pass the Scientific Integrity Test with a score of 100% in order to learn about the practice of integrity in scientific writing. Students are given access to the quiz via a module on Brightspace. Disciplinary measures will be taken when fraud is detected. Students are expected to be familiar with and understand the implications of this fraud policy.
Reading list
Boyer, B.A. & Paharia, M.I. (Eds.) (2008). Comprehensive Handbook of Clinical Health Psychology. Hoboken, J. Wiley & Sons.
Additional selected reading material will be posted on Brightspace.
The lecture slides posted on Brightspace.
Contact information
Dr. Véronique De Gucht and Dr. Antoinette van Laarhoven (coordinators of the course)
degucht@fsw.leidenuniv.nl and a.vanlaarhoven@fsw.leidenuniv.nl