Unit 8 Health Psychology Case Study Concepts Essay

Unit 8 Health Psychology Case Study Concepts Essay

Health Psychology Models

The biopsychosocial model is highly applicable in the case of Juanita. This model acknowledges that sociocultural, psychological, and biological forces are collectively responsible for an individual’s health and vulnerability to disease (Straub, 2012). Every behavior, including illness and health, is said to occur in the biological context (Straub, 2012). Such factors as genetic makeup, endocrine, and nervous systems play a role in individuals’ disease and health. Alcohol dependency, for example, is partly attributed to one’s genes. In this context, given that research by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (2020) shows that Hispanics have high alcohol abstinence rates, it is possible that Juanita’s alcohol use could be genetically linked. However, other factors or stressors have definitely contributed to it.

Psychological factors greatly influence illness and health. How individuals appraise certain events determines how they will cope with stress. Events considered beyond one’s control, pervasive and overwhelming, tend to take a greater toll on an individual’s psychological and physical aspects. In Juanita’s case, the departure of her child and the job insecurity seems to have overwhelmed her to the extent that she feels depressed, and her coping mechanism was an indulgence in alcohol. Furthermore, Juanita’s condition has been influenced by certain sociocultural factors. Lumen (2020) claims that ending a romantic relationship or losing one’s job predisposes an individual to depression, which may lead to physical health issues. According to Stockman, Hayashi, and Campbell (2015), intimate partner violence is common among minority women and is linked to adverse mental and physical health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, as well as neurological issues such as hearing problems and headaches. Juanita has a history of domestic violence, a factor that has contributed to her ruptured eardrum and constant dizziness and balance problems.

The systemic process that contributes to Juanita’s unhealthy habits is as follows. Juanita has been faced with some significant life events, such as the shaky nature of her job as well as the departure of her child. Juanita must have found some comfort in the presence of her child and in her job, given that she constantly undergoes domestic abuse from her partner. The fear of losing these both must have caused depression, anxiety, panic problems, and relapse. Furthermore, the physical abuse has resulted in a ruptured eardrum that has caused her balance problems and could also partly explain the chest pain and frequent and severe headaches.

Emotional and physical health are closely related in what is referred to as the mind-body connection. Individuals’ biology and chemistry majorly influence emotions, moods, beliefs, and thoughts. All these factors act together to impact one’s physical health and stress. Various things in life can disrupt one’s emotional health and result in strong feelings of anxiety, stress, or sadness. The probability of being laid off, coupled with the domestic violence and the departure of her child, are some of the major stressors that have triggered such responses as panic, depression, anxiety, and heart racing in Juanita. Consequently, her body responded with loss of weight, severe and constant headaches, chest pains, and the drive to go back to drinking as a coping mechanism.

Juanita’s Needs

The biopsychosocial model emphasizes how the mind, body, and environment all impact each other, hence the need to treat all these factors holistically to result in a definitive state of health. The first need that should be addressed is medication and treatment of the physical issues such as chest pain, ear problems, and severe headaches. The second step should address emotional and psychological problems like anxiety, panic, and depression. The third step should involve addressing alcohol abuse or relapse. The fourth should be the issue of domestic violence. Fifthly, it would be important to address her body care since she has lost much weight. Sixthly, addressing her work-related needs should also be done to help her keep her job. Lastly, it would be important to address the issue of acceptance in relation to the departure of her child.

It would be important to collaborate with various bodies and professionals to meet these needs. This would mean having psychologists, a general physician, a social worker, and officials at the Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center all working together to ensure holistic treatment for Juanita. Some of the culturally based aspects that can be identified in the case of Juanita are those involving the use and abuse of alcohol, domestic violence, and the failure to speak about it. Among the biggest health disparities affecting the US Hispanic population in the contemporary world are those related to intimate partner violence and the associated mental and behavioral health conditions (Gonzalez-Guarda et al., 2013). There are mixed results as to whether or not domestic violence is more common among Hispanics as compared to other population groups, but most studies claim that IPV female Hispanic victims tend to experience poorer mental health outcomes like depression as well as suicidal ideation compared to non-Hispanic women (Cummings, Gonzalez-Guarda & Sandoval, 2013; Gonzalez-Guarda et al., 2013). In this regard, it would be important to address the issue of domestic violence by understanding individual, societal and cultural risk factors for domestic violence and advocating for culture-specific policies to address the problem. In Juanita’s case, the treatment could entail individual and couple therapy as well as social and familial support. However, leaving the relationship and reporting the case should be encouraged.

Another problem involves alcoholism. Among Hispanics, the acculturation influence of the US society on the use of alcohol is common. Research shows that Hispanic women who have undergone acculturation into the US society tend to indulge more in drinking behaviors (Castañeda et al., 2019). Socioeconomic status and depression could play a role in the use of alcohol among Hispanics. Given that alcohol use among Hispanic women is rare, some other factors must have contributed to Juanita’s drinking problem. It would also be important to address this problem through policies that address problems faced by Hispanics, such as poverty, and also use health promotion programs to educate on the use of alcohol.

Treatment Plan

Diagnosis

Based on Juanita’s history, the client is diagnosed with depression, alcohol use disorder, and domestic abuse.

Treatment Goals

The long-term goal is that Juanita will show significantly reduced symptoms of depression and her well-being will be restored fully. Another goal is that Juanita will have a normal relationship that does not involve domestic abuse, but separation or divorce is expected if this does not happen. Lastly, it is expected that Juanita will successfully and continuously attend therapy sessions for alcohol use and develop better-coping mechanisms to avoid relapse in the future. These goals are expected to be achieved in one year. Achievement of these goals will be dependent on the achievement of the short-term goals but, more importantly, a routine self-care in which Juanita works out regularly attends therapy sessions, eats a healthy and balanced diet to maintain healthy and normal weight, and pursues her interests even if this means walking out of her marriage are expected.

The short-term goals will be illustrated in the table below.

Short Term Goals	Time Frame	Steps to Achieve Goals
Juanita is expected to fully recover from the physical manifestations of the abuse and depression, such as headaches, heart racing, ruptured eardrum, and chest pain.	Less than 2 weeks	Medication recommended by a general physician, such as antibiotics for the ruptured eardrum, will be administered.
Juanita is expected to quit drinking.	4 months	Relapse prevention programs have been considered effective in helping a person deal with situations that trigger relapse (Straub, 2012). By attending therapy sessions for drug and alcohol use and making use of support groups, Juanita is expected to resume her sobriety efforts. Mindfulness and meditation have also proven effective in relapse prevention (Edenfield & Saeed, 2012).
Juanita is expected to attend therapy sessions for trauma and depression linked to physical abuse in her relationship.	This therapy should commence immediately and take at least 3 months.	Given the value placed on families by Hispanics, it would be important for Juanita to seek help and support from family and friends to be able to attend therapy sessions.
Juanita is expected to report domestic abuse incidents to the relevant authorities.	Less than 1 week	With the help of a social worker and physician, Juanita should make reports of domestic abuse.
Juanita is expected to show reduced symptoms of depression.	3 months	Cognitive behavioral therapy is highly effective in dealing with depression (Gautam et al., 2020). Juanita is expected to attend CBT sessions to help manage her emotions and be able to control her behavior. Finding activities such as sports, exercise or religious groups that she considers interesting can help Juanita deal with depression. Lastly, meditation and mindfulness have also proven effective in depression and anxiety treatment and can help one to become more optimistic, positive and enhance general physical, mental and spiritual well-being (Edenfield & Saeed, 2012).
Juanita is also expected to resume a normal and healthy weight.	2 months	Regular exercise and eating a healthy diet can help Juanita resume her normal weight. By incorporating positive psychology aspects to enhance optimism, joy, and happiness, Juanita’s well-being can be improved. This could be done by savoring positive and unforgettable experiences and finding other activities that make her happy.
It is expected that Juanita will learn coping and social skills to manage stress and other high-risk scenarios.	3 months	With the help of CBT, exercise, mindfulness, and meditation therapies, Juanita is expected to have better-coping mechanisms to stress.

The Rationale for Treatment Recommendations

The treatment recommendations in the treatment plan are a combination of medication, therapy, and complementary and alternative medication. Holistic treatment of Juanita will require addressing all the factors affecting her emotional, physical, social, and mental needs. The medication should be incorporated to tackle such factors as headaches, chest pain, and the ruptured eardrum, which will consequently help regain her balance. Therapy sessions such as cognitive and behavioral therapy are very important in dealing with issues of depression, alcoholism, and trauma related to abuse. According to Gautam et al. (2020), depression is commonly linked to hypertension, substance use, and anxiety disorders. Given the efficacy associated with CBT, it will be important to help Juanita deal with the stressors in her life. Lastly, the use of meditation and mindfulness, as well as exercise as treatment recommendations for Juanita, is highly based on the efficacy of this method in enhancing general well-being. Besides its efficacy in pain reduction, particularly for patients with chronic illnesses, meditation and mindfulness have been linked with the reduction of depressive symptoms, stress reduction, improvement of quality of life and emotional well-being, and also relapse prevention (Straub, 2012; Edenfield & Saeed, 2012). Exercise also helps release feel-good endorphins as well as natural brain chemicals that can improve one’s well-being and facilitate their mental, physical and emotional well-being (Mayo Clinic, 2020). Exercise also helps one to embrace positive coping mechanisms, gain confidence and help boost their mood while lessening anxiety. Combining all these strategies will ensure holistic treatment for Juanita.

References

Castañeda, S. F., Garcia, M. L., Lopez-Gurrola, M., Stoutenberg, M., Emory, K., Daviglus, M. L., & Talavera, G. A. (2019). Alcohol use, acculturation and socioeconomic status among Hispanic/Latino men and women: The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. PloS one, 14(4), e0214906.

Cummings, A. M., Gonzalez-Guarda, R. M., & Sandoval, M. F. (2013). Intimate partner violence among Hispanics: A review of the literature. Journal of family violence, 28(2), 153-171.

Edenfield, T. M., & Saeed, S. A. (2012). An update on mindfulness meditation as a self-help treatment for anxiety and depression. Psychology research and behavior management, 5, 131.

Gautam, M., Tripathi, A., Deshmukh, D., & Gaur, M. (2020). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression. Indian journal of psychiatry, 62(Suppl 2), S223.

Gonzalez-Guarda, R. M., Cummings, A. M., Becerra, M., Fernandez, M. C., & Mesa, I. (2013). Needs and preferences for the prevention of intimate partner violence among Hispanics: A community’s perspective. The journal of primary prevention, 34(4), 221-235.

Lumen. (2020). Introduction to Health Psychology. Boundless Psychology. Retrieved from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-psychology/chapter/introduction-to-health-psychology/

Mayo Clinic. (2020). Depression and anxiety: Exercise eases symptoms. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/depression-and-exercise/art-20046495

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2020). Alcohol and the Hispanic Community. Retrieved from https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/alcohol-and-hispanic-community

Stockman, J. K., Hayashi, H., & Campbell, J. C. (2015). Intimate partner violence and its health impact on ethnic minority women. Journal of Women’s Health, 24(1), 62-79.

Straub, R. O. (2012). Health psychology: A Biopsychosocial Approach, 4th Edition. Worth Publishers, Macmillan.

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Unit 8 Health Psychology Case Study Concepts Essay

Your Assignment will be a 6–8 page paper providing you an opportunity to integrate several of the concepts covered in this class. As you read the text and respond to the assignment questions, keep these concepts in mind.

Case Study for Unit 8 Assignment

Read the case study. Begin your paper with a brief overview of at least three of the concepts covered in the course. Include these concepts as you address the following: