Medical Psychology: Contributions to Behavioral Medicine discusses the relationship between medical psychology and behavioral medicine and includes critical reviews of the status of diagnostic, treatment, and preventive approaches to a wide variety of medical disorders such as hypertension, cancer, and chronic pain. A quantitative and qualitative approach to neuropsychological evaluation is also presented.Comprised of 26 chapters, this book begins by tracing the history of the relationship between psychology and medicine and assessing the status of psychology's role in the medical center. The second and third sections deal with approaches to the assessment, treatment, and prevention of various medical disorders including hypertension, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. The third section also examines several special problems within the provinces of medical psychology and behavioral medicine. The fourth section presents reviews of clinical and research topics of particular interest to all medical psychologists and behavioral medicine specialists, including adherence to health care regimens and professional services evaluation in a medical setting. This monograph will be of value to research investigators and practitioners within the behavioral sciences and medicine.

List of ContributorsPreface 1 The Relationship between Medical Psychology and Behavioral Medicine Definition of Behavioral Medicine Definition of Medical Psychology Medical Psychology's Relationship to Behavioral Medicine References 2 Medical Psychology: Three Decades of Growth and Development Growth Trends in Medical Psychology Training in Medical Psychology Medical Psychology and Related Concepts Future Directions Reference Notes ReferencesAssessment of Medical Disorders 3 Type A Behavior: Assessment and Intervention Assessment of Type A Behavior Modification of Type A Behavior Future Directions Reference Notes References 4 Assessment of Hypertension Assessing the Hypertensives' Reactions to Stressful Stimuli Psychological Assessment of Hypertensives Summary and Conclusions Reference Notes References 5 Issues and Approaches to the Psychosocial Assessment of the Cancer Patient Models of Psychosocial Assessment Summary Reference Notes References 6 A Quantitative and Qualitative Approach to Neuropsychological Evaluation The Complexity of Brain-Behavior Relationships Neurological Assessment Multiple Inferential Methods to Enhance Qualitative and Quantitative Interpretative Analysis Issues of Validity Conclusion References 7 Functional Analysis of Alcohol Problems A Functional Analysis Model of Drinking Decisions Using the Model Conclusion References 8 Assessment of Chronic Pain Measurement Issues Measurement of Objects Measurement of Events Subjective Estimations Conclusions References 9 The Psychosocial Assessment of the Chronically III Geriatric Patient The Assessment Process The Geriatric Patient Assessment of the Geriatric Patient from an Organismic Perspective Analysis of the Geriatric Patient from an Ecological Perspective The Function of the Psychologist in the Geriatric Health Care Delivery System Reference Notes ReferencesTreatment and Prevention of Medical Disorders 10 Treatment of Cardiovascular Disorders Assessing Cardiovascular Disease Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease Conclusions References 11 Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Children and Adolescents Cardiovascular Disease May Be Preventable Prevalence and Natural History of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Youth Variables Associated with Major Risk Factors in Children The Coronary-Prone Behavior Pattern Promising Trends for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Conclusion Reference Notes References 12 Psychological Preparation for Stressful Medical Procedures Psychological Support Information Provision Skills Training Hypnosis Relaxation Training Filmed Modeling Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions Psychological Preparation: Suggestions for Research and Clinical Practice Reference Notes References 13 Intervention with the Cancer Patient Individual Therapy Intervention with the Adult Cancer Patient Individual Therapy Intervention with the Child and Adolescent Cancer Patient Group Therapy with Cancer Patients Intervention with Staff Intervention with the Family Less Conventional Interventions Conclusions Reference Notes References 14 Rehabilitation and Treatment of Central Nervous System Dysfunction: A Behavioral Medicine Perspective Terminology Neuroanatomy Neuropathology Brain-Behavior Relationships Assessment Recovery Treatment and Rehabilitation Techniques Concluding Remarks Reference Notes References 15 Behavioral Treatment of Alcohol Problems Treatment Approaches Utilization and Application Issues Reference Notes References 16 Behavioral Approaches to the Treatment of Chronic Pain Therapeutic Modalities Experimental and Clinical Suggestions Reference Notes References 17 Treatment of the Chronically III Geriatric Patient Framework for Viewing the Geriatric Patient in a Context: A Dialectical Perspective Treatment of the Geriatric Patient: Excess Disabilities and Reversible Dementia Humanizing Dying: The Hospice Movement and Palliative Care Major Research Controversies: What to Measure and How Reference Notes References 18 Therapeutic Options in the Management of Obesity Selection of Studies Review of Results Treatment Recommendations Conclusions Appendix: Criteria of Obesity and Weight Change Reference Notes References 19 Behavioral Treatment of Smoking Behavior Smoking Behavior Outcome Research on Smoking Current Trends in Smoking Research Future Directions Conclusion Reference Notes References 20 Behavioral Approaches in the Treatment of Bronchial Asthma The Nature of Bronchial Asthma Behavioral Methods in Asthma Treatment Conclusions Reference Notes References 21 EMG Biofeedback in the Treatment of Stress-Related Disorders Definition and Measurement of Stress and Coping Assumptions in the Use of EMG Biofeedback for Coping with Stress Clinical Research Conclusions and Implications Reference Notes References 22 The Use of Biofeedback for Treating Patients with Migraine Headaches, Raynaud's Disease, and Hypertension: A Critical Evaluation Some Initial Comments on Methodology Biofeedback and the Treatment of Migraine Headaches Biofeedback and the Treatment of Raynaud's Disease Biofeedback and the Treatment of Hypertension Conclusions ReferencesSpecial Topics in Medical Psychology and Behavioral Medicine 23 Adherence to Health Care Regimens Nonadherence: The Extent of the Problem Variables Influencing Compliance Improving Compliance Conclusions and Future Directions References 24 Professional Services Evaluation in a Medical Setting Historical Perspective Program Evaluation: Theory and Procedures Peer Review: Standards for the Health Care Professional Summary Appendix: Glossary of Terms Reference Notes References 25 Methodological Issues in Medical Psychology and Behavioral Medicine Research Methodological Issues Statistical Issues Conclusion and Suggestions for Further Research Reference Notes References 26 Medical Psychology and Behavioral Medicine: Summary and Future Concerns Current Concerns Future Concerns for Medical Psychologists Conclusion ReferencesAuthor IndexSubject Index