The advent of complex and powerful computer-generated statistical models has greatly eroded the former prominence of social theory in data analysis, replacing it with an emphasis on statistical technique. To correct this trend, Carol S. Aneshensel presents a method for bringing data analysis and statistical technique into line with theory. She approaches this task by first providing an overview that explains the connection between data analysis, statistical technique, and theory. This section includes a description of the elaboration model for analyzing the empirical association between two variables by adding a "third variable" to the analysis. Aneshensel then introduces a new concept into this model, the focal relationship. This concept is the one cause-and-effect type of relationship of primary significance that is indispensable to the entire theory. Building upon the focal relationship as the cornerstone for all subsequent analysis, two analytic strategies are developed to establish its internal validity: *An exclusionary strategy to eliminate alternative explanations for the focal relationship using control and other independent variables to rule out spuriousness and redundancy, respectively; and, *An inclusive strategy to demonstrate that the focal relationship fits within an interconnected set of relationships predicted by theory using antecedent, intervening and consequent variables. Using real examples of social research, the author demonstrates the use of this approach for two common forms of analysis, multiple linear regression and logistic regression. Whether learning data analysis for the first time or adding new techniques to your repertoire, this book provides an excellent basis for theory-based data analysis.
David F. Marks is a psychologist specializing in Health Psychology, Mental Imagery and Consciousness research.
PART ONE: HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY'S DEVELOPMENT, DEFINITION AND CONTEX Behavioral Health's Challenge to Academic, Scientific and Professional Psychology - Joseph D Matarazzo Redefining Health Psychology - Mark McDermott Matarazzo Revisited The Need for a New Medical Model - George L Engel A Challenge for Biomedicine Theoretical Tensions in Biopsychosocial Medicine - David Armstrong The Rhetoric and Reality of Psychosocial Theories of Health - Jane Ogden A Challenge to Biomedicine PART TWO: THEORIES IN HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY Social Foundations of Thought and Action - Albert Bandura A Social Cognitive Theory Emotion Narratives - Richard S Lazarus A Radical New Research Approach The Role of Theory in HIV Prevention - Martin Fishbein Unravelling the Mystery of Health - Aaron Antonovsky How People Manage Stress and Stay Well Some Observations on Health and Socio-Economic Status - Douglas Carroll, George Davey Smith and Paul Bennett PART THREE: HEALTH BEHAVIOUR AND EXPERIENCE Context and Coping - Rudolf H Moos Toward a Unifying Conceptual Framework An Ecological Approach to the Obesity Pandemic - Garry Egger and Boyd Swinburn Moving towards Active Living - Susan Drew Understanding the Contextual Nature of Barriers to Physical Activity Conditional Versus Unconditional Risk Behaviour Estimates in Models of AIDS-related Risk Behaviour - Frank W van der Velde, Christa Hoojkaas and Joop van der Pligt Health and Romance - Paul Flowers et al Understanding Unprotected Sex in Relationships Between Gay Men PART FOUR: HEALTH BELIEFS, EXPLANATIONS, COMMUNICATIONS, EDUCATION AND PROMOTION Cultural Diversity in Causal Attributions for Illness - Hope Landrine and Elizabeth A Klonoff The Role of the Supernatural Illness Perceptions - John Weinman and Keith J Petrie A New Paradigm for Psychosomatics? Consumer/Provider Communication Research - Gary L Kreps A Personal Plea to Address Issues of Ecological Validity, Relational Development, Message Diversity and Situational Constraints From Analysis to Synthesis - Jeff French and Lee Adams Theories of Health Education A New Evidence Framework for Health Promotion - Gordon Macdonald PART FIVE: CRITICAL HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY Critical Approaches to Health Psychology - Wendy Stainton-Rogers Theorizing Health and Illness - Henderikus J Stam Functionalism, Subjectivity and Reflexivity A Discourse-Dynamic Approach to the Study of Subjectivity in Health Psychology - Carla Willig Health Psychology, Embodiment and the Question of Vulnerability - Alan Radley Possible Contributions of a Psychology of Liberation - M Brinton Lykes Whither Health and Human Rights?
`This book was an absolute joy to read and offers a comprehensive review of health psychology.... This book should become a classic - necessary reading for students in all branches of health. Nursing students will find it invaluable, but other students - and their teachers - will also find it very useful. SAGE have added a valuable and important text to their already impressive list, and Marks can be complimented on his scholarly organisation of complex topics into an accessible and readable whole. No library should be without it and serious students should invest in a copy of their own' - Health Matters
