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Illness cognition assessment

from Psychology, health and illness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2014

By
Ad Kaptein  and
Elizabeth Broadbent
Edited by
Susan Ayers ,
Andrew Baum ,
Chris McManus ,
Stanton Newman ,
Kenneth Wallston ,
John Weinman  and
Robert West
Ad Kaptein
Affiliation:
Leiden University Medical Center
Elizabeth Broadbent
Affiliation:
The University of Auckland
Susan Ayers
Affiliation:
University of Sussex
Andrew Baum
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh
Chris McManus
Affiliation:
St Mary's Hospital Medical School
Stanton Newman
Affiliation:
University College and Middlesex School of Medicine
Kenneth Wallston
Affiliation:
Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
John Weinman
Affiliation:
United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas's
Robert West
Affiliation:
St George's Hospital Medical School, University of London
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Summary

Introduction

Illness cognitions refer to ‘individuals’ common-sense definition of health threats' (Leventhal et al., 1998, p. 719), and ‘the patient's perception and understanding of the disease and treatment’ (Leventhal et al., 1986, p. 176). Concepts used as synonyms are illness beliefs, illness perceptions, illness representations, illness schemata and lay beliefs about illness (Scharloo & Kaptein, 1997). An elaborate and formal definition is proposed by Lacroix (1991): ‘a distinct, meaningfully integrated cognitive structure that encompasses (1) a belief in the relatedness of a variety of physiological and psychological functions, which may or may not be objectively accurate; (2) a cluster of sensations, symptoms, emotions and physical limitations in keeping with that belief; (3) a naïve theory about the mechanisms that underlie the relatedness of the elements identified in (2); and (4) implicit or explicit prescriptions for corrective action’ (p. 197).

Social cognitive models propose that individuals develop their own mental representation of health threats and these cognitions guide coping responses and set the criteria for appraisal of outcomes. Individuals' responses to stimuli, such as physical symptoms and signs, are partly determined by individuals' cognitions (or ideas, thoughts, views) about those stimuli. Social cognition models aim to shed light on these cognitions in order to describe, understand and change responses of individuals to these stimuli (Conner & Norman, 1996). The concept of ‘lay illness models’ is related to the illness cognition concept (Schober & Lacroix, 1991) (see ‘Lay beliefs of health and illness’).

Type
Chapter
Information
Cambridge Handbook of Psychology, Health and Medicine , pp. 268 - 273
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2007

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