Health Psychology

Top Research Topics at Health Psychology?

Clinical psychology, Developmental psychology, Psychological intervention, Social psychology and PsycINFO are among the topics commonly tackled in Health Psychology. The research on Clinical psychology featured in the journal combines topics in other fields like Psychosocial, Psychiatry, Anxiety and Social support. The journal is focused mainly on Psychiatry, particularly Depression (differential diagnoses).

The Social support study tackled is a key component of adjacent topics in the area of Coping (psychology). Mental health, Cognition, Social environment and Affect (psychology) are some topics wherein Developmental psychology research discussed in Health Psychology have an impact. The close relationship between Gerontology and Demography is one of the points of interest dissected in Mental health research.

Social environment and Public health are closely related fields of research discussed in the journal. The studies in Psychological intervention featured incorporate elements of Intervention (counseling), Physical therapy, Randomized controlled trial and Behavior change. The featured PsycINFO study falls within the wider topic of MEDLINE.

• Clinical psychology (30.69%)
• Developmental psychology (19.52%)
• Psychological intervention (14.15%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

• Optimism, coping, and health: Assessment and implications of generalized outcome expectancies. (4655 citations)
• Stages of change and decisional balance for 12 problem behaviors (2130 citations)
• Relationship of subjective and objective social status with psychological and physiological functioning: preliminary data in healthy white women. (1996 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Health Psychology:

The most cited papers mainly deal with areas of study such as Clinical psychology, Developmental psychology, Social psychology, Social support and Psychological intervention. The studies on Clinical psychology discussed at the published articles can also contribute to research in the domains of Psychosocial, Mental health and Psychiatry. The Developmental psychology research presented in the most cited articles focuses mostly on Behavior change and, on occasion, topics in Health promotion and Smoking cessation.

What topics the last edition of the journal is best known for?

• Internal medicine
• Social psychology
• Disease

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

The journal generally zeroes in on subjects such as PsycINFO, Clinical psychology, Demography, Psychological intervention and Intervention (counseling). The studies on PsycINFO discussed can also contribute to research in the domains of Meta-analysis, Spouse, Disease and Behavior change. Health Psychology facilitates discussions on Behavior change that incorporate concepts from other fields like Developmental psychology and Smoking cessation.

Clinical psychology research presented in the journal encompasses a variety of subjects, including Psychosocial, Young adult, Affect (psychology) and Anxiety. The featured Demography research encompasses issues not only in the field but also those in the adjacent area of disciplines such as

• Socioeconomic status that intertwine with fields like Body mass index,
• Longitudinal study that intertwine with fields like Optimism.. The study of Physical therapy and how it intertwines with concepts under Publication bias were explored in the presented Psychological intervention research.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

• Decreasing vaccine hesitancy with extended health knowledge: Evidence from a longitudinal randomized controlled trial. (3 citations)
• Associations of depression and diabetes distress with self-management behavior and glycemic control. (3 citations)
• Daily stressors and diurnal cortisol among sexual and gender minority young adults. (3 citations)

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

Top authors and change over time

The top authors publishing in Health Psychology (based on the number of publications) are:

• Karen A. Matthews (55 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Timothy W. Smith (32 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
• Paschal Sheeran (28 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Leonard H. Epstein (27 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition, 1 less than at the previous edition,
• Frederick X. Gibbons (25 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Top affiliations and change over time

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in Health Psychology (based on the number of publications) are:

• University of Pittsburgh (106 papers) absent at the last edition,
• University of California, Los Angeles (99 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition, 1 less than at the previous edition,
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (81 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition, 5 less than at the previous edition,
• University of Michigan (76 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 2 less than at the previous edition,
• Harvard University (70 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition, 2 less than at the previous edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 36.11% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 19.57% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 13.04% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 19.57% of all publications and 47.83% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

• Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
• Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
• Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
• Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
• Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

Where to Get an Education in Health Psychology

If you're interested in pursuing health psychology at an educational level, gaining a thorough understanding of these research topics during your studies is crucial. Many quality programs offer a foundation in these areas. One can consider enrolling in a related course in some of the best psychology schools in Delaware. These schools not only give a deep insight into these topics but also provide the research opportunities necessary to deepen the understanding and application of health psychology. Thus, choosing the right educational institution will contribute significantly towards preparing for your career in this field.