Sallay, V.; Martos, T.; Lucza, L.; Papp-Zipernovszky, O.; Csabai, M. Health Psychology Services for People in Disadvantaged Regions of Hungary: Experiences from the Primary Health Care Development Model Program. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health2023, 20, 3900.
Sallay, V.; Martos, T.; Lucza, L.; Papp-Zipernovszky, O.; Csabai, M. Health Psychology Services for People in Disadvantaged Regions of Hungary: Experiences from the Primary Health Care Development Model Program. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 3900.
Sallay, V.; Martos, T.; Lucza, L.; Papp-Zipernovszky, O.; Csabai, M. Health Psychology Services for People in Disadvantaged Regions of Hungary: Experiences from the Primary Health Care Development Model Program. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health2023, 20, 3900.
Sallay, V.; Martos, T.; Lucza, L.; Papp-Zipernovszky, O.; Csabai, M. Health Psychology Services for People in Disadvantaged Regions of Hungary: Experiences from the Primary Health Care Development Model Program. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 3900.
Abstract
Background: The importance of community health psychology in providing complex bio-psycho-social care is well-documented. We present a mixed-method study monitoring the efficacy of health psychology services in the Public Health Focused Model Program for Primary Care Development (2012-2017) in four disadvantaged micro-regions in North-East Hungary. Methods: Study 1 assessed the availability of the services using a sample of 17003 respondents. Study 2 applied a follow-up design to measure the efficacy of the health psychology services in a sample of 132 clients. In Study 3, we conducted focus group interviews to assess clients’ lived experiences. Results: More mental health issues and higher education predicted a higher probability of service use. Follow-up showed that individual and group-based psychological interventions resulted in lower depression and (marginally) higher well-being. Thematic analysis of the focus group interviews indicated that participants deemed topics like psychoeducation, a greater acceptance of psychological support, and heightened awareness of individual and community support important. Conclusions: The results of the monitoring studies demonstrate the important role health psychology services can play in primary health care in disadvantaged regions. Community health psychology can improve well-being, reduce inequality, support the population’s health awareness, and address unmet social needs in disadvantaged regions in Hungary.
Keywords
community health psychology; primary care; disadvantaged populations; well-being; integrated care
Subject
Social Sciences, Psychology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
