Bio-Psycho-Social Perspective
A.Y. 2025/2026
Learning objectives
The course falls within the foundational courses of the first year and aims and aims to achieve the following learning objectives:
- Understanding the Bio-Psycho-Social Approach: Acquiring an in-depth understanding of the bio-psycho-social approach in understanding illness.
- Understanding how health and illness are influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors.
- Understanding Psychological Dimensions: Analyzing the impact of psychological aspects on the manifestation, management, and prognosis of illnesses, and exploring psychological adaptation models and coping strategies.
- Understanding Social Dimensions: Examining the influence of social factors on health, including socioeconomic conditions and social environment, as well as the role of social support networks in managing illnesses.
- Providing theoretical knowledge on health-related behaviors and choices;
- Providing knowledge of how cognitive and personality factors and health-related behaviors might influence the development and maintenance of organic diseases.
- Understanding the Bio-Psycho-Social Approach: Acquiring an in-depth understanding of the bio-psycho-social approach in understanding illness.
- Understanding how health and illness are influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors.
- Understanding Psychological Dimensions: Analyzing the impact of psychological aspects on the manifestation, management, and prognosis of illnesses, and exploring psychological adaptation models and coping strategies.
- Understanding Social Dimensions: Examining the influence of social factors on health, including socioeconomic conditions and social environment, as well as the role of social support networks in managing illnesses.
- Providing theoretical knowledge on health-related behaviors and choices;
- Providing knowledge of how cognitive and personality factors and health-related behaviors might influence the development and maintenance of organic diseases.
Expected learning outcomes
At the end of the course the student:
- Will have acquired knowledge about the main theoretical models of the Bio-Psycho-Social Approach;
- Will have developed the ability to reason about theoretical models and their implications for having or maintaining healthy behaviors;
- Will have acquired the ability to interpret experimental data on predictive factors and disease maintenance in relation to theoretical reference frameworks.
- Will have acquired knowledge about the main theoretical models of the Bio-Psycho-Social Approach;
- Will have developed the ability to reason about theoretical models and their implications for having or maintaining healthy behaviors;
- Will have acquired the ability to interpret experimental data on predictive factors and disease maintenance in relation to theoretical reference frameworks.
Lesson period: Second semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Course syllabus
The first part of the course will be dedicated to the study of the Bio-Psycho-Social Model: how it emerges historically, what instances it accommodates, what characteristics distinguish it. The topic of how health and disease are influenced by biological, psychological and social factors will then be addressed. Finally, the psychological aspects in the manifestation and prognosis of diseases, in coping strategies for the disease, and finally in decisions regarding health-related behaviors will be covered.
Prerequisites for admission
None
Teaching methods
The course is divided into a series of lectures with slide shows in Power Point. The lectures slides are uploaded to the Ariel website
Teaching Resources
La bibliografia per l'esame sarà indicata a lezione e caricata sul sito MyAriel dell'insegnamento.
Assessment methods and Criteria
Assessment takes place through a written final test, composed of both open-ended and multiple-choice questions. Open-ended questions allow to verify the understanding and knowledge of specific areas of the discipline, and the ability to reason upon the learned models (autonomy of judgment); furthermore, they allow to verify the correct learning and use of the specific terminology (communication skills). Multiple-choice questions, instead, allow to verify learning of specific theoretical models in a more fine-grained way. The booking on the UNIMIA portal, within the dates established for each appeal, is mandatory for the examination
Professor(s)