School of Mental Health & Psychological Sciences

Health Psychology & Behavioural Medicine

The Health Psychology & Behavioural Medicine research theme consists of a group of clinical and non-clinical academics, researchers, and students with diverse interests across the field. Mostly housed in the Health Psychology Section on the Guy’s Hospital campus, our group has been key in establishing Health Psychology as a discipline. We are recognised as a world leading research centre for clinical health psychology. We also have expertise in the related multidisciplinary field of Behavioural Medicine. Our overarching goal is to improve health by better understanding the complex interplay between biopsychosocial processes, mental and physical health, in order to develop evidenced based interventions designed to help people better manage and live with their conditions. A key feature of this works considers implementation and equity of access to health care and treatment.

Our research interests and impact:

Establishing biopsychosocial processes underlying adaptation and symptom management in long-term conditions
Developing, evaluating, and implementing psychological therapies to improve depression and anxiety in those with long-term conditions
To understand and improve symptom management and adherence in those with long-term conditions
To understand psychosocial factors related to symptom perception and experience (e.g. pain), informing the development of interventions to reduce the severity and impact of problematic symptoms
To use large data resources to understand the role of individual differences and psychosocial factors in health and illness in both community and patient settings
To use our research findings to influence public health policy and practice

We utilise both quantitative (e.g., conducting clinical trials, utilizing large existing datasets) and qualitative methodologies (e.g., interviews, focus groups). We have particular experience in evidence based digital intervention development and evaluation. We are committed to involving people with lived experience and other key stakeholders throughout the research process to ensure the work we do is relevant and impactful.