The Role of Psychosocial Factors in Determining the Health and Well-Being
Assignment title:
“Critically discuss the role of psychosocial factors in determining the health and well-being of ‘Alex’ from a lifespan perspective”
Case study: ‘Alex’
A few months ago, Alex came home from his job as a primary school teacher and started to feel strange. He thought to begin with that he was just tired after a busy day at work, but his arms felt strange. When his partner came home, they noticed that Alex’s face looked a bit strange and he had a droopy eye. His partner had heard that this could be a symptom of a stroke and dialled 999 immediately. At the hospital it was confirmed that Alex had a stroke and he was treated quickly. He has been taking medication regularly and has had some physiotherapy to help with regaining movement in his legs.
His parents were both out at work a lot and his brother was always having a go at him. He felt lonely a lot of the time and started to hang out behind the local off-licence with some kids from school. They;d get the older kids to buy them beer and cigarettes. That was until Alex got into playing football. On the football pitch, he was like a different person. He felt fit, confident, and happy. His football team are like family and he feels frustrated and upset that he can’t play now. Having a pie and a beer on the way to watch a match with his mates was a real highlight of his week.
Alex has been feeling really flat and his partner has really tried their best to cheer him up, cooking his favourite foods and getting in take out as a treat a few times a week. He’s getting fed up with all the medical appointments and treatments. He’s finding it hard to relax and is drinking a bit more beer than usual. The highlight of his week is when the kids and grandkids pop in. He’d love to get fit enough to get out and about so he can go and watch the grandkids play for the youth team on the weekends.
Your task:
Using the case study described above, identify the psychosocial factors that may have contributed to Alex’s current health status over the course of their lifespan.
This will require you to provide evidence from the literature to show how these factors can impact on health and well-being, and also to consider alternative explanations and counter-arguments so that you are demonstrating your critical thinking skills.
Consider also how these psychosocial factors could influence Alex’s health and well-being going forward, for example, how likely Alex is to engage with changes in lifestyle and treatments that could influence their recovery and what might motivate him to engage with treatment? Ensure that you provide evidence for your arguments.
Word count (or equivalent): 2000
This a reflection of the effort required for the assessment. Word counts will normally include any text, tables, calculations, figures, subtitles and citations. Reference lists and contents of appendices are excluded from the word count. Contents of appendices are not usually considered when determining your final assessment grade.
Academic or technical terms explained:
• Case study: a process of research or a record of the development of a person, group, or situation over a period of time
• Psychosocial factors: Pscyhological and social factors that can be protective or increase risk to health and well-being
• Lifespan: The length of time for which a person lives
• Stroke: A serious and potentially life-threatening medical condition where the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off, most commonly caused by a blood clot or burst blood vessel.
Submission Details
Submission Deadline: Estimated Feedback
Return Date This will normally be 20 working days after initial submission.
Submission
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Your assessment should be titled with your:
student ID number, module code and assessment ID,
e.g. st12345678 BHL5007 WRIT1
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All marks are provisional and are subject to quality assurance processes and confirmation at the programme Examination Board.
Assessment Criteria
Learning outcomes assessed
Ability to:
1. Critically discuss the role of psychosocial factors in determining health and well-being
2. Recognise the developmental aspects of health and health needs
3. Critically appraise how individual differences can influence health, well-being, and health behaviour
4. Recognise how an understanding of individual differences and developmental stages can be used to improve practice in an inter-professional context
Other skills/attributes developed
This includes elements of the EDGE (Ethical, Digital, Global and Entrepreneurial skills) and other attributes developed in students through the completion of the module and assessment. These will also be highlighted in the module guidance, which should be read by all students completing the module. Assessments are not just a way of auditing student knowledge. They are a process which provides additional learning and development through the preparation for and completion of the assessment.
• Understanding of how beliefs and values in relation to health and well-being differ in different cultures and regions
• Awareness of the direct and indirect impact of stigma and unconscious bias on health and well-being
Marking/Assessment Criteria
Your assignment will be graded using the Generic Band Descriptors. A rubric is provided for this assignment (see next page).
We will be specifically assessing whether you have:
1. Correctly identified relevant psycholocical and social factors that are present in the case study
2. Explain how these factors can influence health and well-being in theory
3. Critically evaluate the evidence relating to the impact that these factors can have on relevant health outcomes
4. Form coherent arguments relating to how understanding the determinants of health and well-being can be used to improve outcomes for the individual, i.e. how can this knowledge be used to improve Alex’s health and well-being
The Role of Psychosocial Factors in Determining the Health and Well-Being
Student Name
Institutional Affiliation
Date
The Role of Psychosocial Factors in Determining the Health and Well-Being The nature of human development is characteristic of biological, psychosocial, and cognitive changes occurring throughout life. Such changes often affect an individual’s perception of different life aspects, including health and well-being. The diverse perspectives on life aspects, such as health and well-being, informed by the outlined lifelong changes, form the lifespan perspective theoretical model for understanding human development (Linden, 2017). The lifespan perspective approach embraces a multidimensional approach to explaining the responses and reactions of individuals to equally diverse life situations or circumstances. For instance, a person diagnosed with a chronic disease may develop unique perspectives of their condition informed by the interaction of psychosocial, emotional, physical, and cultural factors. The response and reaction of such an individual to treatment and subsequent continuum of care activities will be influenced by the overall effect of the interaction of the outlined factors in shaping his perception of their health and well-being. The case study, ‘Alex,’ presents an excellent platform for applying the lifespan perspective approach in analyzing the role of some of the factors characterizing human development in determining the health and well-being of an individual diagnosed with a chronic disease. Provided herein is a critical analysis and evaluation of the role of psychosocial factors in determining the health and well-being of a person diagnosed with a stroke, as presented in the case study, using the lifespan perspective approach. Case Study The case study presents a primary school teacher, Alex, who gets a stroke attack after a busy day at work. He does not know that he is having a stroke until his partner arrives home and notices Alex’s droopy eye and the strangeness of his face. The partner appears knowledgeable on the signs and symptoms of stroke and calls for help, taking Alex to the hospital where he is diagnosed with stroke and put on treatment immediately. Alex is placed under medication and physiotherapy to help regain movement in his legs, but he appears to have lost his happiness. Frustrations and anger from his inability to do the things he enjoyed take a toll on him, and nothing seems to cheer him up. He even develops a negative attitude towards medical appointments and treatment, suffers anxiety and restlessness, and resorts to drinking more than usual. The only thing that cheers him up and prompts him to get fit enough is when his children and grandchildren are around. Psychosocial Factors Contributing to Alex’s Current Condition The psychosocial well-being of an individual is a function of diverse aspects of the psychological and social factors defining changes and experiences across the different stages of life development from childhood to adulthood (Kirkevold, 2018). These psychosocial factors shape individuals’ perspectives on essential life matters, such as health and well-being. Psychosocial factors may influence a person’s response, reaction, and attitude towards matters affecting their health and well-being. For instance, Alex’s current health status is a function of the interaction of different psychosocial factors characterizing his life development from childhood to his current old age as a grandfather. The main psychological factor that may have contributed to his current health status is stress from work in his old age. According to the case study, Alex is a grandfather and probably belongs to the elderly population susceptible to stroke development. He is still receiving treatment for his medical condition to regain movement in his legs but faces psychosocial difficulties leading to a negative response to treatment that affects his recovery. One of the psychological factors affecting his psychosocial well-being is the loneliness he experienced while growing up due to a lack of attention from both his parents and his brother. The loneliness developed a sense of independence at a very young age, making him uncomfortable depending on his partner for his activities of daily life (ADL). Alex’s childhood loneliness further exposed him to other psychological risk factors of stroke, such as anxiety and depressive symptoms. The negative emotional feelings of anger and frustration may also contribute to the deterioration of his condition, limiting the effectiveness of the rehabilitation services (Kirkevold, 2018). The fact that he is currently finding it hard to relax is a sign of anxiety that negatively affects his response and reaction to treatment, increasing the risk of his condition deterioration. The negative attitude towards medical appointments and therapy further exposes him to adverse patient outcomes that may lead to poor quality of life. However, he appears to have a confident personality and firmly believes he will get fit enough to watch football games with his children and grandchildren. Such a strong personality trait would positively impact the rehabilitation services and thus lead to a better quality of life. Among the social factors that may have contributed to his current condition is his early engagement in unhealthy lifestyle habits of smoking and drinking, which are risk factors for stroke. The fact that he currently engages in excessive drinking further jeopardizes the effect of medication and treatment services on the quality of his life post-stroke. However, Alex enjoys good family support from his partner, children, and grandchildren, who positively affect his social well-being. Support from family contributes to the positive effects of rehabilitation services. Effects of Psychosocial Factors on the Condition Stroke is a chronic illness that exposes patients to chronic disability, with a prevalence rate of 1.5 to 2.8% across the United States and European populations (Norlander, 2018). A stroke diagnosis often affects the patient’s quality of life and that of their family care providers. According to Kirkevold (2018), stroke affects a patient's psychosocial well-being, leading to equally significant implications on their long-term functioning and quality of life. The adverse effects of stroke on psychosocial well-being may also lead to fatal outcomes such as higher mortality rates and reduced effects of rehabilitation services (Kirkevold, 2018). Kirkevold (2018) further states that approximately 20% of individuals who suffer from stroke report developing depressive symptoms. Anxiety, general psychological distress, and social isolation, coupled with depressive symptoms, characterize the psychosocial challenges leading to adverse effects on long-term functioning and quality of life for stroke survivors. The psychosocial difficulties may have adverse implications on a stroke survivor's overall health and well-being to their negative influences on the patient’s response and reaction to post-stroke pharmacological treatment and rehabilitation services (Kirkevold, 2018). As a stroke survivor, Alex displays the outlined negative implications of stroke on his psychosocial well-being. The psychological and social factors defining his psychosocial well-being inform his negative attitude toward medical appointment...