Commentary: Reintegrating psychology into an expanded biopsychosocial model of severe acute respiratory syndrome

The Special Issue highlights the importance of psychology in the research agenda on severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The five articles examined relevant theories on social cognition and coping in the ecological context of the SARS outbreak. They provide preliminary tests to current psychological principles of coping and health psychology in a real crisis. The limitations of the studies are recognized. Other areas of psychological research on SARS are suggested. It is proposed that the biopsychosocial model of behavioral medicine could be expanded as a paradigm in public health to study and prepare for future emerging epidemics.