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
Time:
Moodle/Turnitin: Any assessments submitted after the deadline will not be marked and will be recorded as a non-attempt unless you have had an extension request agreed or have approved mitigating circumstances. See the School Moodle pages for more information on extensions and mitigating circumstances.
File Format: The assessment must be submitted as a pdf document (save the document as a pdf in your software) and submit through the Turnitin submission point in Moodle.
Your assessment should be titled with your:
student ID number, module code and assessment ID,
e.g. st12345678 BHL5007 WRIT1
Feedback Feedback for the assessment will be provided electronically via Moodle. Feedback will be provided with comments on your strengths and the areas which you can improve. View the guidance on how to access your feedback.
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