Health Psychology of Women

Catherine Niven · Doug Carroll

dhj 2013 · Psychology Press

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First Published in 1993. Since health psychology is concerned with the universal values of life and death, well­being and suffering, it might be expected that its researchers would be keen to examine both male and female experiences of these phenomena. In practice, however, health psychology has followed health research in adopting a largely male perspective, both in its general approach and selection of topics. Women are different from men, not only in terms of anatomy, but in terms of the socialization processes to which they have been exposed and the social and economic positions they occupy. These differences have a significant impact on women's health, predisposing them to some disorders and protecting them from others. While it is true that male mortality exceeds female mortality from conception to old age, women's survival has the price of increased mental and physical illness. Men die, but women suffer. Despite a growing awareness of these differences there continues to be a distinct bias towards using male subjects for research and studying those diseases which affect more men than women. The Health Psychology of Women is a response to this imbalance and a challenge to the attitude which explores the behavior of half the population in order to draw conclusions about the experience of the whole. It is essential reading for students and researchers of psychology and health, and health professionals in training and practice.

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Catherine A. Niven trained as a nurse before obtaining her first and higher degrees at the University of Stirling. She currently lectures at Glasgow Polytechnic in Scotland. Her research interests include childbirth, prematurity, pain, and stress in carers. Douglas Carroll is currently a professor of psychology and head of the Department of Psychology at Glasgow Polytechnic. He has written widely on health psychology issues, in particular the role of psychological stress and behavior in cardiovascular disease.