Handbook of Health Psychology and Aging

Carolyn M. Aldwin, PhD, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences at Oregon State University. She received a FIRST award from the National Institute on Aging for her study of psychosocial factors affecting health in aging early in her career, and has published over 60 articles and chapters in this area. She is a fellow of both Divisions 20 (Adult Development and Aging) and 38 (Health Psychology) of the American Psychological Association, as well as the Gerontological Society of America. She is the author of Stress, Coping, and Development, Second Edition: An Integrative Perspective. Crystal L. Park, PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Connecticut. Her research and publications focus on stress, coping, and adaptation, particularly on how people’s beliefs, goals, and values affect their ways of perceiving and dealing with stressful events. She is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Clinical and Consulting Psychology and Psychology and Health, and is coeditor of Handbook of the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality and Positive Life Changes in the Context of Medical Illness.Avron Spiro III, PhD, is a Senior Research Scientist at the Normative Aging Study, part of the Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center, at the Department of Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System. He is also Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the Boston University School of Public Health as well as Associate Professor of Health Policy and Health Services Research at the Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine.

• I. Theoretical and Methodological Issues1. Health Psychology and Aging: An Introduction, Carolyn M. Aldwin, Crystal L. Park, and Avron Spiro III2. Challenging Assumptions about Adult Development: Implications for the Health of Older Adults, Sarit A. Golub and EllenJ. Langer3. A Developmental Approach to Psychosocial Risk Factors and Successful Aging, Cynthia A. Berg, Timothy W. Smith, Nancy J. M. Henry, and Gale E. Pearce4. Methods in Health Psychology: Relevance to Aging, Heather Young and Peter Vitaliano5. The Relevance of a Lifespan Developmental Approach to Health, Avron Spiro IIIII. Biological Issues6. Psychoneuroimmunological Processes in Aging and Health, Tara L. Gruenewald and Margaret E. Kemeny7. The Psychoneuroendocrinology of Aging: Anabolic and Catabolic Hormones, Elissa S. Epel, Heather M. Burke, and Owen M. Wolkowitz8. Cardiovascular Reactivity in Older Adults, Denise C. Cooper, Leslie I. Katzel, and Shari R. WaldsteinIII. Psychosocial Issues9. A Lifespan Approach to Personality and Longevity: The Case of Conscientiousness, Howard S. Friedman and Leslie R. Martin10. Sense of Control and Health: A Dynamic Duo in the Aging Process, Marilyn McKean Skaff11. Coping, Health, and Aging, Carolyn M. Aldwin, Loriena A. Yancura, and Daria K. Boeninger12. Health and Psychological Consequences of Caregiving, Richard H. Fortinsky, Howard Tennen, Natalie Frank, and Glenn Affleck13. Psychosocial Stress, Emotion Regulation, and Resilience among Older Adults, Mary C. Davis, Alex J. Zautra, Lisa M. Johnson, Kate E. Murray, and Heather A. Okvat14. Optimizing Social Relationships as a Resource for Health and Well-Being in Later Life, Karen S. Rook, Shahrzad Mavandadi, Dara H. Sorkin, and Laura A. Zettel15. Issues of Diversity in Health Psychology and Aging, Barbara W. K. Yee and David A. Chiriboga16. Religious and Spiritual Issues in Health and Aging, Crystal L. ParkIV. Clinical Issues17. Self-Regulation of Health Threats, Affect, and the Self: Lessons from Older Adults, Howard Leventhal, Rachel Forster, and Elaine Leventhal18. The Role of Clinical Health Geropsychology in the Health Care of Older Adults, Sara Honn Qualls and Charles C. Benight19. Effects of Changes in Diagnostic Thresholds on Health Care for Older Adults, Robert M. Kaplan20. Health Psychology and Aging: Moving to the Next Generation of Research, Carolyn M. Aldwin, Crystal L. Park, and Avron Spiro III

Excellent up-to-date information and data. Excellent topics! A wonderful blend of the biological and psychosocial aspects.--Grant D. Chikazawa-Nelson, PhD, Assistant Professor, MFT Program, Argosy University This is a much-needed, state-of-the-art resource. It is a 'must read' for students and professionals interested in the basics of health psychology and aging. Key theoretical and methodological issues are discussed, along with biological, psychosocial, and clinical issues central to an understanding of aging and health. This book provides a strong foundation for anyone interested in pursuing a career in one of the most important and rapidly growing research areas within such diverse disciplines as psychology, sociology, public health, nursing, and medicine.--Richard Schulz, PhD, University of PittsburghThis valuable book is the perfect antidote to the biological reductionism that characterizes much of contemporary medical research. It provides a sweeping perspective on the interface of physical and psychosocial risk factors for diseases associated with old age, as well as sources of resiliency and opportunities for prevention and intervention. A distinguished group of authors addresses the most current and exciting ideas about health, behavior, and aging. The chapters are informative, engaging, and highly readable. This book is an essential resource for health researchers and for students from any discipline concerned with aging and health.--Steven H. Zarit, PhD, Penn State UniversityThis book comes just in time, as the first wave of the baby boomer generation is finishing its sixth decade of life. It is an impressive volume that provides a comprehensive overview of critical issues related to aging. It will be a major resource for those who are concerned about the social, psychological, and health issues facing our aging population, including researchers, graduate students, and practitioners. The editors are to be congratulated for their vision and for bringing together such a distinguished and thoughtful group of contributors.--Nancy E. Adler, PhD, University of California, San Francisco The fields of health psychology and psychology of aging have considerable overlap in content and in the populations studied, yet books that directly address their commonality are rare. This volume is likely to become a landmark in the development of a truly shared theoretical and empirical approach to common questions--a lifespan perspective on the transactional relationships between developmental aging and the chronic illnesses of later life. Covering a broad range of topics, this is one of those rare books that left me thinking, 'I'll want to read many of these chapters again.' This is a valuable reference for psychologists and other health professionals working with older and chronically ill adults. It is a great text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in health psychology, and an important resource for courses in psychology and aging.--Bob G. Knight, PhD, University of Southern California - Each chapter reads as a review paper in its own right, contributing to the whole but standing alone too. Handbook is truly accurate—you can dip in and read and re-read as preferred....Whatever your background and work focus, if you're interested in work with older people there is something in here for you. --International Psychogeriatrics, 1/28/2007ƒƒ An authoritative reference text examining how biological, psychological, and social factors influence health in later life. Contributors are leading researchers in the fields of health psychology and gerontology. This work has a broad scope, aiming at health professionals who work with older adults and their caregivers. It can also be used as a text for courses on aging and health. --American Reference Books Annual, 1/28/2007ƒƒ It is well organized, it flows well, and it forms a cohesive whole. Chapters are well researched....Chapters provide a rich blend of theory and empirical data, presenting well-documented support for a perspective of health, well-being, and aging as multiply determined by the complex interaction of biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors, and encouraging the reader to take a life-span perspective on adult development. --PsycCRITIQUES, 1/28/2007ƒƒ Highly recommended to professionals who would like to better understand the aging process and to examine issues and barriers to healthier living for older adults. --Australasian Journal on Ageing, 1/31/2010