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| NATIONAL DELEGATE
Anna Alexandrova
Health Psychology Research Center
21 Nikolay Kopernik str., entrance A, floor 3, apt. 6
1113 Sofia (Bulgaria)
e-mail: annaalexandrova@yahoo.com
web: www.healthpsychologycenter.org
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Health psychology appeared in Bulgaria in the very beginning of 21st century. It was recognized as a separate discipline when in 2000 a course in health psychology was introduced in the curriculum (at bachelor’s level) in the biggest university in the country Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.
Also in 2000 the Health Psychology Research Center (HPRC), an independent research organization, was founded and started research in the area of health psychology, as well as health promotion activities (www.healthpsychologycenter.org).
Health psychology’s institutionalization at a national level took place at the triennial National Congress of Bulgarian Psychologists in 2008, when for the first time a separate scientific session (with 9 presentations) was devoted to health psychology. A separate health psychology session is also scheduled for the forthcoming National Congress of Bulgarian Psychologists in November, 2011.
In 2010, the Department of Psychology at the reorganized Institute for Population and Human Studies – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, also recognized health psychology as a main area of its studies by forming a Section “Developmental and Health Psychology”. Meanwhile at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” a doctoral program in health psychology was established.
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National associations
The national psychological association is the Bulgarian Psychological Society (BPS), member of EFPA. Several sections exist with the BPS, but currently not a section in health psychology. In July 2011 an interest group in health psychology - composed mostly of EHPS members and organized by the Health Psychology Research Center - met and discussed the possibility of forming a health psychology section within the Bulgarian Psychological Society.
Link to webpage: http://www.psychology-bg.org |
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Education, training & professionalisation
A specialized course in health psychology is included in the curriculum of psychology students at the bachelor and master level in Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” (within the “Clinical and Counseling Psychology” Master’s Program). A doctoral program has been established in the last few years. Master’s programs in health psychology at this time are not offered in Bulgaria. Some other courses in the domain of health psychology are usually offered within the Master’s Programs of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, of Plovdiv University “Paisii Hilendarski”, of New Bulgarian University (Sofia), of Varna Free University “Chernorizets Hrabar”, of South-West University “Neofit Rilski” (Blagoevgrad).
The title “Health Psychologist” is quite new and there is no formal licensure procedure. Health issues and work within the healthcare system have for a long time been in the realm of clinical psychologists. |
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Research
Health psychology research from Bulgaria is published in international and national journals; in Bulgaria – in the two main psychological journals Bulgarian Journal of Psychology (published by the Bulgarian Psychological Society, since 1973) and Psychological Investigations (published by the Institute for Population and Human Studies – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, since 1987). A new journal Clinical and Counseling Psychology appeared in 2009, which publishes research in clinical, counseling and health psychology. Health psychology research is published also in conference proceedings and universities’ yearbooks.
The only research institute in health psychology is the Health Psychology Research Center (HPRC), based in Sofia. The Center is currently involved in the international projects:
- Improving quality and safety in the hospital: The link between organizational culture, burnout and quality of care (ORCAB) - Seventh Framework Programme Project, http://orcab.web.auth.gr;
- Preventing Depression and Improving Awareness through Networking in the EU (PREDI-NU) – EU Second Health Programme (2008-2013) Project;
- Psychosocial, Political and Gendered Dimensions of Preventive Technologies in Bulgaria and Romania: HPV Vaccine Implementation;
- European Cancer Health Indicator Project 3 (EUROCHIP 3): http://www.tumori.net/eurochip/.
HPRC, together with colleagues from the Institute for Population and Human Studies – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, are the national team that conducts the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children: WHO Collaborative Cross-National Study (HBSC, www.hbsc.org) in Bulgaria. (Occupational) stress is one of the traditional research topics of the Institute for Population and Human Studies – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences; they are also studying psychological adaptation to chronic illness and well-being, happiness and life satisfaction.
At Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, within the Department of General, Experimental and Genetic Psychology since 1997 operates the Laboratory for Intercultural Studies of Human Development and Mental Health, which conducts research in mental health and coping with stress. Members of the Laboratory are supervisors of doctoral students, who study the role of personality resources in patients’ recovery after cardio-vascular interventions and the role of attachment styles in risk sexual behaviour. Members of the Department of Social, Work and Educational Psychology are participating in the “Student Life Cohort in Europe – SliCE” - cross-national longitudinal study, assessing health and health behaviours among university students, conducted at universities in 13 European countries.
The National Center of Public Health and Analyses at the Ministry of Health works in the areas of public health protection, evaluation of environmental health risks factors, behaviour and lifestyle risk factors, health promotion and illness prevention. |
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Report 2010/2011
Upcoming conferences:
The National Congress of Bulgarian Psychologists will take place on 18-20 November in Sofia; a separate health psychology session is included in the program.
Recent conferences, including presentations in the area of health psychology:
10th International Scientific Conference “Applied psychology in Bulgaria: Opportunities and perspectives ‘2011”, 24-26 June 2011, Varna, organized by Varna Free University “Chernorizets Hrabar”.
4th National School for PhD Students and Young Researchers “Social Sciences Supporting Practice”, 12-13 May 2011, Sofia, organized by the Institute for Population and Human Studies – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Department of Psychology.
Scientific Conference with International Participants “Psychology - Traditions and Perspectives” 29-31 October 2010, Blagoevgrad, organized by South-West University “Neofit Rilski”, Department of Psychology.
16th Scientific Conference “Personality. Motivation. Sport”, 22 October 2010, Sofia, organized by the Department of Psychology, Pedagogy and Sociology at the National Sports Academy “V. Levski”.
9th International Scientific Conference “Applied psychology in Bulgaria: Opportunities and perspectives ‘2010”, 18-20 June 2010, Varna, organized by Varna Free University “Chernorizets Hrabar”.
Researchers from Bulgaria (from the Health Psychology Research Center, the Institute for Population and Human Studies, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Medical University of Plovdiv, University Hospital – Plovdiv, & Praktiker EOOD) participated in the 24th EHPS Conference in Cluj “Health in Context”, Romania, September 1-4, 2011, with 6 presentations
Other recent activities:
The conference papers from the South-East European Regional Conference of Psychology “Southeastern Europe Looking Ahead: Paradigms, Schools, Needs and Achievements of Psychology in the Region”, held in Sofia on 31.10.-01.11.2009, recently came off the press. They were published in the Bulgarian Journal of Psychology, issue 3-4, 2009, and issue 1-4, 2010.
In 2010 the former Institute of Psychology and Center for Population Studies at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences were joined in the new Institute for Population and Human Studies – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (http://www.iphs.eu/), which has two departments – Department of Psychology and Department of Demography. One of the reorganized sections of the Department of Psychology became the Section “Developmental and health psychology”. Three researchers from the Department of Psychology and two from the Department of Demography are EHPS members.
In May 2011 the National Center of Public Health Protection at the Ministry of Health and the National Center of Health Informatics were joined in the new National Center of Public Health and Analyses (http://ncphp.government.bg/).
In July 2011 an interest group in health psychology meeting was held. Fourteen researchers, working in the field of health psychology (most of them EHPS members) discussed health psychology in Bulgaria, future collaboration between health psychology research groups in the country, the EHPS conferences and activities, and the possibility of forming a health psychology section within the Bulgarian Psychological Society. |
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