The handbook of stress science : biology, psychology, and health

The fields of health psychology and behavioural medicine attempt to understand the non-biological factors that in some way influence our physical health. Chief among these factors is stress: a psychological construct that has real, physical effects on the immune and nervous systems, and has been implicated in a wide variety of illnesses. Drs. Baum and Contrada, two of the leading health psychologists in the US, present in this edited volume state-of-the-art overviews of key topics in stress and health psychology. With chapters contributed by leading scholars from such fields as health psychology, neurobiology, neuroscience, genetics, medicine, and public health, this book discusses the most important issues and conflicts that contribute to stress, and offers insight on the management of different types of stress. As the only comprehensive, cross-disciplinary handbook on stress and health, this book provides expanded coverage of areas such as tress biology, environmental and social contributors to stress, stress research methods, and theoretical advances.