Health Psychology for Health and Social Care - BTEC: Level 4 Higher National in Health and Social Care

Assessment - Psychology for Health and Social Care

Learning Outcome 1: Understand theories of lifespan development

Compare different psychological theories of lifespan development
Explain how psychological theories and concepts are related to specific life stages

Learning Outcome 2: Understand social and biological determinants of human behaviour displayed in health and social care contexts

Explain social and biological factors that influence human behaviour
Analyse the importance of social roles in the context of health and social care settings

Learning Outcome 3: Understand how psychological theories are applied to health and social care practice
Analyse the application of psychological theories to individuals experiencing elevated levels of stress
Analyse how psychological theories relate to behaviour disturbance
Analyse how psychological theory informs understanding of mental health disorders
Evaluate the application of psychological principles to affecting behaviour change in health and social care settings
Analyse how psychological theories can enhance understanding of relationships in health and social care.

Compare different psychological theories of lifespan development (lifespan development is concerned with age-related changes that occur from birth, throughout a persons' life, into and during old age. The six stages of lifespan development are: infancy, childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, middle and old age).

What is psychology and its relevance for health and social care?
What are the main issues in life-span development (e.g. nature versus nurture)?
How useful are various psychological theories of life-span development. Do they enhance our understanding of human development?
Theories of lifespan development: stage versus open-ended theories; continuity versus discontinuity; static versus dynamic theories; idiographic (of or relating to the study of individuals) versus nomothetic pertaining to or involving the study or formulation of general or universal laws (opposed to idiographic) perspectives on personality.

1.2 Explain how psychological theories and concepts are related to specific life stages
(e.g. Freud; Piaget; Erikson; Maslow; Rogers; Beck).

Include the following areas:
Freud (psychosexual stages of development), Erikson (psychosocial factors), Piaget (cognitive development) and Rogers (humanistic approach). You might find it useful to include diagrams to illustrate these theories.
How do these stage-wise approaches differ and why are they important in understanding early human development? Are they predictive of later development in terms of personality, behaviour, educational attainment?

2.1 Explain social and biological factors that influence human behaviour

This part of your report should address the following areas:
How does lack of early attachment impact on later behaviour (refer to Bowlby research)?
How does lack of education, discrimination, culture and social exclusion negatively influence health, quality of life and human behaviour (see Marmot's report 2010)?
Explain conformity and obedience (compliance) and state how they operate in health and social care settings. Consider these factors in your own work setting. Can they have a good or poor effect on behaviour?
Explain why it is vital for healthcare professionals to understand cultural diversity in terms of behavioural differences (norms, beliefs, religion, verbal and non-verbal communication) Consider problems you may have encountered in dealing with people from different cultures.
Does genetic endowment predispose individuals to certain neurological disorders (e.g. Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease)? Why is it essential to compare identical versus non-identical twins regarding biological influences on human behaviour? Include concordance rates.

2.2 Analyse the importance of social roles in the context of health and social care settings
(e.g. sick-role behaviour; health belief model (HBM); use/misuse of health and social care services;
compliance (a special form of obedience) with treatments; institutionalisation).

Your part of your report should address the following areas:
What is a social role?
Has the health belief model (HBM) been useful to healthcare professionals in predicting behaviour?
Why is it necessary to understand sick-role behaviour in healthcare settings (see Parson's, 1951)?
How does lack of compliance to medical instructions effect the National Health Service, and patients and/or clients health and well-being? Consider this within your own care setting.
Discuss why healthcare professionals must understand life-span development of self-image and self-esteem (e.g. those with a poor self-concept are likely to suffer from mental health problems, including eating disorders and addiction)? How do you encourage patients and/or clients to make decisions regarding their own health and well-being?

3.1 Analyse the application of psychological theories to individuals experiencing
elevated levels of stress.
Case study: Stress REMEMBER TO INCLUDE IN YOUR REPORT
David Game College has secured you an internship in a care setting, working alongside with nurses and other care professionals. You and your colleagues often have to work long hours which often result in fatigue and elevated levels of stress. As part of your training you have to look at the nature of stress, its negative effects on health and disease, and come up with some strategies to manage it.

Etiology of stress (e.g. work pressure, illness, bereavement, loss, environmental noise) in terms of psychological theories (general adaption syndrome, transactional model, flee/fight response, cognitive appraisal model) and symptoms.
Statistics on stress (Office of National Statistics; World Health Organisation).
How stress impacts financially on the National Health Service (e.g. negative outcomes, namely, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, diabetes type II). This links to your Public Health Course.
Strategies to manage stress (e.g. cognitive behavioural therapy and other psychological interventions).
Note: Stress was discussed on your Significant Life Events course. Remember to mention the research of Selye (1950) and offer some critical analysis.

3.2 Analyse how psychological theories relate to behaviour disturbance (e.g. attention
deficit disorders (ADHD); autistic spectrum disorders; addiction). Include theory of Mind (ToM).

Include the following areas in your report:
What is the etiology of behavioural disturbance - include the influence of genetics; Baron-Cohen's theory of mind (ToM) regarding autism, and other influences.
How are psychological theories applied to these disorders?
How do psychologists measure autism?
Include your work experience with autistics and/or those with ADHD

3.3 Analyse how psychological theory informs understanding of mental health disorders

Include the following: REMEMBER TO INCLUDE IN YOUR REPORT
Mental Case study: Freda
Fifty-year-old Freda was a high-flying journalist on a national newspaper. Her work enabled her to travel extensively reporting news stories. However, in recent months she began to feel demotivated about travelling abroad on assignments. Furthermore, she started to avoid early morning news conferences at the newspaper. Gradually she withdrew from socialising with her fellow journalists and other friends. Freda also paid less attention to her polished appearance and tended to be more casual in her attire at work. After work she lacked energy and consequently went straight home. At times she was too tired to eat, and would often end up watching television and falling asleep on her sofa.

Friends and fellow journalists became concerned about Freda's lack of motivation at work. Eventually, the news editor told her to see the newspaper's clinical psychologist. Freda explained that her lack of enthusiasm was probably the result of menopause and the death of her cat. Apart from this, Freda had no financial or physical health problems, she had a good relationship with her boyfriend. However, she was now seeing less of him because of tiredness.

The clinical psychologist suggested that Freda should have cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to change her faulty cognitions and to develop various strategies to motivate her, and to take up exercise classes to generally relax her. She thought that the pressure of work on the newspaper, menopause and loss of her cat were responsible for her lack of motivation and tiredness. Nonetheless, she advised to have a medical check-up with her doctor to lift her mood with serotonin.

In order to address 3.3 consider the above scenario together with other mental health disorders (e.g. schizophrenia, depression, eating disorders).

DSM (2013) criteria for mental disorders
What role does genetics, environmental factors, personality, stress, and family play in mental health disorders?
How effective is treatment?

3.4 Evaluate the application of psychological principles to affecting behaviour change in health and social care settings (e.g. health promotion, cognitive dissonance, coping strategies)

Include the following:
Has ABC model of attitude change and cognitive dissonance offered effective strategies in behaviour change?
How effective is health promotion (e.g. contraception and the prevention of AIDS)?
How have learning and cognitive theories played an effective role in health promotion and health behaviour change?
Attitude change in a care setting.
3.5 Analyse how psychological theories can enhance understanding of relationships in
Health and social care (e.g. user of service/families and friends; user of service/care worker;
between care workers; between users of services

Include the following:
Has knowledge of poor self-concept and self-esteem given healthcare professionals a better understanding of co-workers, families, patients, and/or clients? How have you empowered individuals with low-self-esteem to be part of the decision-making process in care settings?
Consider how social psychologists have offered explanations of behaviour and relationships in terms of conformity and obedience (e.g. Hofling et. al. 1966).
What role have learning theories played?
Consider the above areas in your own work setting.
Consider information you have gained in a work setting and on such courses as:
Communication, Principles of Practice, Supporting Significant Life Events, Working in Partnership,
and Safeguarding - all of which can be combined with what you have learned on Psychology for Health and Social Care.