Prospectus

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Evaluating Interventions in Patients with Chronic Disease

Course
2014-2015

Admission requirements

MSc Psychology (research) students.

Description

In this course the clinical characteristics and epidemiology of a variety of chronic diseases (e.g. coronary heart disease, pain syndromes, diabetes) will be addressed. The assessment of psychosocial problems associated with these diseases as well as frequently used psychological assessment instruments measuring these psychosocial problems will be discussed, both from a conceptual and methodological perspective. In addition, the theoretical concepts related to determinants/predictors of psychosocial problems (e.g. illness perceptions, stress, coping) will be addressed.
Finally, the evaluation of generic as well as disease-specific psychosocial interventions that focus on improving health-related quality of life and/or self-management in patients with chronic disease will be discussed.
In the interactive seminars the psychometric aspects of different assessment instruments and the methodology and effectiveness of specific intervention techniques and strategies in patients with chronic disease will be discussed. The principles underlying cognitive-behaviour therapy and self-regulation theory will serve as a theoretical framework.

Course objectives

  • Students acquire knowledge about a variety of chronic diseases, including clinical characteristics, epidemiology, psychosocial consequences and interventions.

  • Students learn to reflect on the assessment of psychosocial consequences of chronic diseases, including psychometric issues.

  • Students learn to reflect and comment on the relevance and effectiveness of psychological interventions in chronic patients.

  • Students discuss a meta-analysis on the effect of psychological interventions in chronic disease.

Timetable

Registration

Course

Students need to enroll for lectures and work group sessions. Please consult the Instructions registration

Examination

Students are not automatically enrolled for an examination. They can register via uSis from 100 to 10 calendar days before the date; students who are not registered will not be permitted to take the examination. Registering for exams

Mode of instruction

  • Seven two hour review-type lectures

  • Seven three hour seminars/work groups.
    Full attendance is mandatory.

Assessment method

There will be a written exam, in which students get four A4 pages to answer a general question, such as: What are the most important consequences of (specific disease or health problem covered by a handbook chapter), how can this (disease, health problem) be assessed and what are the most effective interventions for this (disease, health problem)?
In addition, there will be a paper:
Students are requested to select a meta-analysis on the effects of psychological interventions in a specific chronic disease, and write a paper (1500 words), discussing the meta-analysis. The optional book, mentioned in the reading list (Fink, 2014) can be useful in this respect. During the last seminar students present this paper to the whole group.
Final mark for the course
You must pass for the exam and the paper. The final mark for the course will be calculated as follows: (mark exam + mark paper)/2.
The Faculty of Social Sciences has instituted that instructors use a software programme for the systematic detection of plagiarism in students’ written work. In case of fraud disciplinary actions will be taken. Please see the information concerning fraud

Paper

Students are requested to select a meta-analysis on the effects of psychological interventions in a specific chronic disease, and write a paper (1500 words), discussing the meta-analysis. During the last seminar students present this paper to the whole group.

Final mark for the course

You must pass for the exam and the paper. The final mark for the course will be calculated as follows: (mark exam + mark paper)/2.

The Faculty of Social Sciences has instituted that instructors use a software programme for the systematic detection of plagiarism in students’ written work. In case of fraud disciplinary actions will be taken. Please see the information concerning fraud

Blackboard

Information on blackboard.leidenuniv.nl

Reading list

Compulsory:

  • Boyer, B. A., & M. I. Paharia (Eds.) (2008). Comprehensive handbook of clinical health psychology. Hoboken, New Jersey (USA): John Wiley & Sons.

  • Power point presentations of the lectures posted on blackboard
    Optional:

  • Fink, A. (2014). Conducting research literature reviews. From the internet to paper. (Fourth Edition). Thousand Oaks, California (USA): Sage.

Contact information

Dr. V. De Gucht (Coordinator)
Room 2A05a
Tel.: 071 527 3863
E-mail: degucht@fsw.leidenuniv.nl