Health psychology is the scientific contribution of psychology to:

• Promotion and maintenance of health
• Prevention and treatment of diseases
• Promotion of rehabilitation
• Identification of psychological factors that contribute to the development of diseases
• Identification of determinants of coping disease and recovery processes
• Influence of the interplay between health care system and patient on individual health behavior

Health psychology deals with personal, social and structural factors that influence health. Health psychology assumes that health is more than the absence of disease and advocates a positive understanding of health. Health psychology develops theories and models for the development and maintenance of health-damaging and health-promoting attitudes and behaviors and develop methods for their diagnosis. Health psychology develop and evaluates intervention programs that are used for primary, secondary and tertiary prevention as well as to support coping with diseases both on an individual and structural level.