Introduction to Psychology
Fields

Back to the directoryFind in the history view

Occupational health psychology

The study of psychological factors in worker health, safety and well-being, as its main society describes it. The area developed through United States agencies, APA and a professional society.

Also called: OHP

Interdisciplinary fieldWork and technology

Type of entry
Interdisciplinary fieldAn area that draws on psychology together with other disciplines. Types are editorial labels, not an official classification.
Cluster
Work, technology, and performanceOrganizations, design, markets, media, sport and the military.
Sources opened
2 of 21 read as a full page, 1 as selected text or an abstract, 0 not verified.
Independent review
Admitted after correctionsClaude Code reviewer agent, separate from the writer, 2026-10-21. 7 claims checked against 2 sources opened by the reviewer.

What it studies

The Society for Occupational Health Psychology describes itself as a nonprofit concerned with psychological factors in worker health, safety and well-being. Its members include students, professors, researchers and practitioners from a range of fields. The pages opened here give no formal definition of the area, so this profile relies on the society's description of its own concerns.

History and people

The society's history page lists steps rather than one origin. In 1966 the U.S. Public Health Service recognized work organization and stress as developing occupational safety and health concerns, and in 1970 the OSHA Act assigned NIOSH to study behavioral factors and stress in occupational disease and injury. APA and NIOSH began a partnership in 1990, and the field was formally acknowledged in American Psychologist in 1991. The Journal of Occupational Health Psychology was founded in 1994, and the society formed in 2004.

People and documented roles

  • Irvin Schonfeld. Founder of the SOHP Newsletter
    • Founded the SOHP Newsletter in 2006; the first issue appeared in 2007. [1]

The society's history page names a few authors of early literature without describing their contributions, and this profile does not list them. The sources opened do not document the work of individual researchers, women or scholars outside the United States.

Dated milestones

  • 1966Recognition decision. Year.U.S. Public Health Service recognized work organization and stress as developing occupational safety and health concerns. [1]
  • 1970Event. Year.The OSHA Act assigned NIOSH to study behavioral factors and stress in occupational disease and injury. [1]
  • 1990Society or organization formed. Year.APA and NIOSH began a partnership to promote the field. [1]
  • 1991Recognition decision. Year.The field was formally acknowledged in American Psychologist, per the society's history page. [1]
  • 1994Publication. Year.Journal of Occupational Health Psychology founded. [1]
  • 2004Society or organization formed. Year.Society for Occupational Health Psychology formed, per its own history page; a society event, not the start of the area. [1]

Methods

The pages opened do not describe the research methods of the area, so no designs or measures are named here. The society publishes Occupational Health Science with Springer, which it calls an outlet for OHP research, and it runs the Work, Stress and Health conference every two years. Methods would need to be taken from those publications or a textbook chapter.

Training and applications

The society offers resources for students, instructors, researchers and practitioners, including graduate training, career, research and teaching materials, and it lists a newsletter, awards and a listserv. The pages opened do not state degree routes or credentials. Any title or license in the United States or elsewhere is set by regulators, not by this guide.

Boundaries and limits

The dates come from the society's own history page and the society's formation year has not been checked against a second source. Several events involve United States agencies and APA, so the record is centered on the United States. The society's formation is an institutional event, not the start of the area. This guide opened no independent definition, and the overlap with industrial and organizational psychology and health psychology is not documented here.

Evidence behind the claims

  • The Society for Occupational Health Psychology describes itself as a nonprofit organization concerned with psychological factors in worker health, safety and well-being, with members including students, professors, researchers and practitioners from a range of fields.

    What it studiesThe organization's own descriptionSource: [2]Where: Opening description on the society home page

  • In 1966 the U.S. Public Health Service recognized work organization and stress as developing occupational safety and health concerns, and in 1970 the OSHA Act assigned NIOSH to study behavioral factors and stress as causes of occupational disease and injury.

    History and peopleThe organization's own descriptionSource: [1]Where: Dated entries for 1966 and 1970

  • APA and NIOSH began a partnership to promote the field in 1990, and the field was formally acknowledged in American Psychologist in 1991.

    History and peopleThe organization's own descriptionSource: [1]Where: Dated entries for 1990 and 1991

  • The Journal of Occupational Health Psychology was founded in 1994, an International Coordinating Group for OHP was established in 2000, and the Society for Occupational Health Psychology formed in 2004, according to the society's history page.

    History and peopleThe organization's own descriptionSource: [1]Where: Dated entries for 1994, 2000 and 2004

  • The society publishes the peer-reviewed journal Occupational Health Science with Springer and runs the Work, Stress and Health conference every two years.

    MethodsThe organization's own descriptionSource: [2]Where: Activities listing on the society home page

  • The society offers resources for students, instructors, researchers and practitioners, including graduate training, career, research and teaching materials, and its site lists a newsletter, awards and a listserv.

    Training and applicationsThe organization's own descriptionSource: [2]Where: Resources and community listings on the home page

  • Irvin Schonfeld founded the SOHP Newsletter in 2006, and its first issue appeared in 2007.

    History and peopleThe organization's own descriptionSource: [1]Where: Dated entry for 2006

Where it appears

Professional contexts

Examples show documented structures. They are not a ranking, a census, or a statement about admission or licensing.

In the Psy101 course

This is course relevance only. It is not evidence for the historical or practice claims on this page.See the full course map.

Sources and inspection

2 of 2 sources were opened and read at the level shown. A source marked as not verified supports no claim on this page by itself.

  1. [1]
    History of OHPSociety for Occupational Health Psychology, undated. Society history. Supports the history.Full page readRead the full dated list of events and organizations from 1966 to 2016; the page gives no formal definition.
  2. [2]
    Society for Occupational Health PsychologySociety for Occupational Health Psychology, undated. Professional association. Supports the definition of the area.Selected text readRead the society's self-description, conference, journal and resources listings; no history or training detail beyond those lines.

Independent source review: Claude Code reviewer agent, separate from the writer, 2026-10-21. Verdict: Admitted after corrections. Of 7 claims checked, 7 were supported as written, 0 were reworded and 0 were removed.