The Role of Psychological Constructs in Chronic Disease Prevention and Management: A Public Health Perspective

From a public health perspective, psychological constructs play a critical role in the prevention and management of chronic conditions. Constructs such as motivation, self-efficacy, resilience, health beliefs, health literacy, and self-care translate into health behaviors and significantly influence how individuals understand, respond to, and manage their health over time. Effective chronic disease management often requires sustained lifestyle modifications, long-term adherence to treatment plans, and active engagement in health-related decision-making. Psychological factors shape individuals’ capacity to undertake these tasks effectively.

Assessing and addressing psychological constructs, especially at the community level, can promote positive health behaviors such as medication adherence, physical activity, healthy eating, and stress management. For example, individuals with strong beliefs in their ability to manage their health (high self-efficacy) are more likely to engage in consistent and beneficial health behaviors. Similarly, motivation and goal-setting influence the initiation and maintenance of behavior changes necessary for chronic disease control.

Public health strategies that integrate psychological insights can improve individual and population-level outcomes. Programs designed to support behavior change, strengthen coping skills, and foster supportive social environments help reduce the burden of chronic conditions. These approaches can be particularly effective in reaching underserved or at-risk populations, where behavioral and social barriers to health are more prevalent.

Moreover, psychological constructs are essential for designing effective health interventions and communication strategies. Tailoring public health messages and programs to align with individuals’ beliefs, attitudes, and readiness for change increases impact and sustainability. By acknowledging the role of psychological factors, public health can move beyond a purely biomedical model to a more holistic, person-centered approach.

The primary goal of this Research Topic is to explore how psychological constructs can be leveraged to improve chronic disease prevention and management from a public health perspective. Chronic conditions often require individuals to make sustained behavioral changes and to actively engage in their own care—tasks that are heavily influenced by factors such as motivation, self-efficacy, resilience, health beliefs, and health literacy.

This Research Topic seeks to highlight the importance of these psychological dimensions in enabling individuals and communities to adopt and maintain healthier lifestyles. By integrating psychological insights into public health strategies, interventions can become more effective, especially in underserved populations, where behavioral and social determinants often hinder optimal health outcomes. Ultimately, this collection aims to bridge the gap between psychological science and public health practice, fostering innovative strategies to improve chronic disease outcomes.

We invite contributions that examine the intersection of psychological constructs and chronic disease management, particularly within community and public health settings.

Key areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

- Self-Efficacy and Treatment Adherence: Examining how individuals’ confidence in their ability to manage disease affects medication adherence and self-care behaviors.

- Health Beliefs and Behavior Change: Investigating the underlying beliefs that drive health-related decision-making and lifestyle modification.

- Health Literacy and Outcomes: Assessing the impact of patients’ understanding of health information on disease outcomes.

- Motivation and Resilience: Exploring approaches to foster adaptive coping and sustained motivation in chronic disease care.



We welcome a variety of manuscript types, including original research articles, systematic reviews, conceptual analyses, case studies, and practice-based insights. Submissions describing innovative public health interventions, culturally tailored communication strategies, or novel approaches to training healthcare professionals in psychological assessment are especially encouraged.