Sociology of health and illness Flashcards
What do sociologist do in regards to health and illness
Systematic study of social life - how can we understand and explain the social world?
Examines interactions between individuals and groups, and interactions between groups.
Locates health, patients, health professionals, and medical knowledge in a social context and wider history.
Encourages us to move away from seeing health in individualistic terms.
Examines how imbalances in power and social inequalities affect health.
From a sociological perspective, society deeply shapes and affects our health and well-being and the practice of medicine.
What are some macro things that relate to health ?
Social inequalities and health - education, income and occupation.
Deprivation – Limited or no access to social goods
Relative deprivation – Deprivation in comparison to other individuals or groups.
Behavioural/Cultural Explanation – smoking, alcohol, fast food
Material explanation – housing, employement, income, poverty.
Psychosocial explanation – Moves beyong material factors, focuses on experiences of inequality eg sense of self and value.
What is biological disruption ?
The experience of chronic illness and the way in which a life-threatening illness breaks an individual’s social and cultural experience by threatening his or her self-identity.
- Disruption of daily activies
- Self identity
- Shame and Blame.
What is stigma and chronic illness
Stigma refers to an attribute that ‘discredits’, or prevents someone’s full acceptance in a particular situation.
Some conditions carry a social stigma – this is when the illness is connected to states or practices that society sees as undesirable.
Enacted stigma – discrimination against people on grounds of their perceived inferiority.
Felt stigma – feeling of shame associated with fear of enacted stigma.
What is sociology ?
Systematic study of social life - how can we understand and explain the social world?
Examines interactions between individuals and groups, and interactions between groups
From a sociological perspective, society deeply shapes and affects our health and wellbeing, and the practice of medicine.
What is the large scale ( macro) approach to sociology ?
Macro approach
Structures – the large-scale external factors that establish and shape our beliefs, opportunities, actions, etc.
For example: Law, social class, health care system, government, health policy.
What is the micro approach to sociology ?
Micro approach
Agency – refers to the way individuals respond to and interpret the wider external factors (micro approach).
For example: doctor-patient interactions, individual responses to and experiences of illness, influence of peers or co-workers.
What measurements are including in socio-economic status ?
SES - often measured as a combination of education, income and occupation
What is deprivation ?
Limited or no access to social goods
Being without
What is relative deprivation ?
Deprivation in comparison to other individuals or groups
What is IoD – Indices of Deprivation
‘a unique measure of relative deprivation at small local area level’
Covers 7 domains of deprivation
Broad measurement helps encompass many aspects of a person’s living condition
What is IMD ? -
IMD – Index of Multiple Deprivation
Official measure of relative deprivation
Ranks all areas of England from most to least
deprived
What is the behavioural/cultural explanation to class and health ?
Emphasise differences in behaviours between socioeconomic groups
eg bad habbits, smoking ect
What is the materal explaination to class and health ?
Emphasise material factors, such as:
Housing
Employment
Income
Poverty
How might material factors put your patient at risk, worsen the condition, or make management difficult?
What is the psychosocial explaination to health and class ?
Moves beyond material factors
Focuses on experiences of inequality.
We might ask: how does social inequality affect people’s sense of self and value and, by extension, their health?
