Description

INTRODUCTION Background of the study Appreciation of relationship between psychological factors and physical disease is not very new. Thomas Sydenham and William Harvey emphasized the role of psychological factors in physical diseases in the 17th century (Taylor, 1980). It would be relevant to discuss in what way how psychological factors mediate in the causation of physical diseases. Psychological-oriented explanations have been forwarded to explain why and how psychological factors play an important role in physical disease. Psychological factors are important in the initiation and promotion of cancer. Although the role of psychological factors in the development of physical diseases have been highlighted for a long time but real attention has been paid in recent times. Medical practitioners are accepting and appreciating the role of psychological and emotional factors that play a vital role in the manifestation of what was earlier considered a purely somatic disease. The area of health psychology integrates the psychological and organic viewpoints to the study of physical diseases. Thus, more research work on psychological correlates of diseases like cancer needs to be conducted. The interdisciplinary approach to the treatment of physical disorders thought to have psychological factors as a major aspect of their causal patterns, broadly known as behavioral medicine (Gentry, 1984) is fast gaining popularity. The field of psychooncology includes professionals from many disciplines including medicine, radiotherapy, psychology, sociology and social work - who seek to incorporate biological, psychological and socio-cultural factors into the domain of causation. Its emphasis however is essentially on the role which psychological factors play in the occurrence, maintenance and prevention of physical illness. Therefore, it is only natural that psychologists have found this an area of major interest and as a consequence, an area referred as Health psychology has emerged. Health psychology is a sub-specialty within the behavioral medicine approach. Since the 1970s,