The Biopsychosocial Model Flashcards
What is the ‘biomedical model’? What does this tend to neglect?
The ‘biomedical model’ refers to western medicine that understands disease in terms of biological function, with treatment involving physical interventions (drugs, surgery) - this model however tends to neglect social and psychological aspects of a patient
How has the death rate changed in Englamd and Wales over the last 150 years?
It has halved
What is the difference between the life expectancy of the a average male and female?
Female live on average 2 years longer
How many the death rate related to a certain disease improve with no physical biological intervention?
Improved social conditions
What can you say about the biggest causes of death at the start of the 20th century and the biggest killers at the end of the 20th century?
The biggest killers at the start of the 20th century were all bacterial/viral infections (pneumonia, diphtheria) while at the end of the 20th century the biggest killers were all related to lifestyle (heart disease, respiratory disease)
What 3 factors does the biopsychosocial model suggest influence health?
- biological factors (genetics, pathogens)
- psychological factors (emotion, behaviour)
- social factors (social class, employment, social support)
How may you measure an individual’s socioeconomic status based on an individual’s occupation?
The NS-SEC (National Statistics Socioeconomic Classificiation)
How does the NS-SEC rate an individual’s occupation?
The higher scores (1-2) entail higher managerial and professional occupations (lawyers, architects, doctors) - the lower scores represent routine jobs (bar workers, cleaners, labourers, bus/Larry drivers)
How may you use to measure an individual’s socioeconomic status based on their geographical residence? What would you use to conduct this?
An index of multiple deprivation - census data would be used to ascertain this
What pattern would you expect to see when comparing the health of people in different socioeconomic positions?
People in higher socioeconomic positions are less likely to report poor health, while individual’s in lower socioeconomic positions are more likely to report poor health
How does the life expectancy and disability-free life expectancy compare in people of different socioeconomic status?
Both life expectancy and disability-free life expectancy are lower in individual’s considered to have low socioeconomic status
What can you say about the relationship between health and deprivation?
The more deprived a person is, the larger the proportion of their life will be spent in ill health, and the more likely they will die at a younger age
What 4 points does the Black Report list? Briefly describe each.
- artefact - health inequalities are present due to the way they are collected
- social selection - an individual’s health status gives rise to their social position (as opposed to the other way round)
- behavioural - ill health is due to people’s decisions/knowledge - people from disadvantaged backgrounds tend to engage in more damaging behaviours
- materialist - inequalities in health rise from differential access to material resources
Which theory from the Black Report is seen as most plausible? What does it suggest?
The materialist explanation - this suggests that inequalities in health arise from differential access to material resources - there is often a lack of choice involved in exposure to hazards and adverse conditions (poor housing conditions, work conditions etc)
What does the behavioural-cultural explanation of the Black Report suggest? List some of its limitations.
The behavioural-social explanation suggests that people from disadvantaged backgrounds tend to engage in more health damaging behaviours - limitations include the fact that ‘choices’ may be limited in adverse conditions, and that behaviours are usually outcomes of social processes, not merely just decisions
