The Collective Dynamics of Smoking in a Large Social Network - Case Study Example

Institution : xxxxxxxxxxx Title : xxxxxxxxxxx Tutor : xxxxxxxxxxx Course : xxxxxxxxxxx @2013 Introduction An individual’s health is quite fundamental as it directly translates to quality life. Due to this, psychological testing/assessment employing a combination of techniques, including observation, interviews, testing and consultation has been considered quite crucial in evaluating thinking, learning and behavior hence arriving at some hypothesis about individuals and their behavior, personality and capabilities(Clifford et. al, 2008, p 79, 98). According to Nasir et al (2010, P 274) therefore, Psychological testing/assessment focuses on a persons total response to health including physical, mental, emotional, social and spirit health, where physical dimension includes behavior and genetical factors in an individual while mental assessment entails rational thinking judgment and reasoning. On the other hand, the emotion aspect entails the emotions of an individual (which is often subjective), social assessment entails social structures and relationship, and the spiritual dimension of the assessment entails the beliefs, values, and purpose of ones life. Psychological assessment is thus used to gain a comprehensive knowledge and picture of an individual hence promoting treatment goals or health promotion measures (Clifford et. al, 2008, p, 980. While using SNAPEO acronym (Smoking, Nutrition, Alcohol, Physical exercise, Emotional/ mental health, Occupational history), this paper intends to present a case study evaluating and analyzing the psychological status of Wallace gorge aged 40 years old. He is a father to one teenage daughter. Further the paper will incorporate Wallace’s psychological signs and will also identify appropriate health promotion measures and improve his psychological health. Smoking Wallace, who is a truck driver, is both a heavy and a passive smoker, smoking at least one packet on a busy day while less than a packet on normal days. Usually he is exposed to passive smoking from his co- driver who is equally a heavy smoker and smoking close to two packets a day. Wallace started smoking 25 years ago while he was in high school after admiring his father who was a mild smoker then. Additionally, during leisure time, Wallace together with his friends also chewed tobacco but he stopped after strong persuasion from his wife. In some instances Wallace tries to quit smoking unsuccessfully where he finds himself craving for cigarettes after some times. At times, Wallace confesses that he usually gets in heated argument with his wife about his excessive smoking behavior. Cigarette smocking is a preventable cause of motility which is responsible for increased death rates across the world. A wide range of health problems originate from both tobacco and cigarette starting from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (Glanz et al, 2008 pp 13). Cigarettes indeed contain chemicals which cause addiction in smokers, where the chemicals (nicotine, carbon monoxide) stimulate the mind causing it to be active while equally having several harmful effects on the cardiovascular system including coronary vasoconstriction, increased hypercoagulability dyslipidemia and dysfunction. Smocking has recently been closely associated with hypertension is highlighted as capable of causing chronic kidney diseases (Christakis & Fowler, 2008, P 2252). Smokers aren’t the only ones affected by tobacco smoke. Secondary smoking is equally a health hazard especially to children. Individuals who have high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol similarly stand at a greater risk of developing heart disease when they are exposed to secondary smoking. On the other hand, smoking cessation which refers to the act of quitting smoking has profound benefit to the ex-smoker. In fact, it has been observed that ex-smokers with health complication recover at a higher rate far much better than the smoking patients. While smoking brings stimulant effect to the mind, it is apparent that it is hazardous to the health of an individual and more so to Wallace who is a heavy smoker. Likewise, it leads to healthy complications to the smoker and more so Wallace’s family who are exposed to passive smoking. Due to the argument Wallace always had with the wife, their psychological health was affected including that of their teenage daughter whose development might have been affected. So as to be successful in smoking cessation Wallace needs to seek the help from physician who will adequately advise him on the measures to take. He as well needs to practice restraint to the smoking behavior (Christakis & Fowler, 2008, P 2256). Nutrition Given that Wallace is a truck driver and that he is usually not at home during working days, he frequently takes meals from a restaurant except on weekends when he is at home together with his family. He also takes three meals a day including break fast, lunch and dinner in the working days. He fancies Briton dishes, American dishes and occasionally African dishes. Wallace has a tendency of sharing food with friends and family members. On the other hand his meals contain dishes with high cholesterol. Although he is healthy the doctor has advised him to avoid foods with high cholesterol since he is at risk of being obese. He actually answered “I really need to reduce my weight. My family usually complains about my weight” when I asked him some reason why he visits the gym, though not regularly. As a soccer fanatic, Wallace likes watching soccer matches while having tea or coffee served with a snack when at home during weekends. He may also take a drink either a soft drink or alcohol when he is out with friends though not regularly nowadays since he decided to be close to his family. Good nutrition plays a tremendous role in the human body (Simopoulos 2008, p, 183). Healthy eating is therefore fundamental to ones health as the food nutrients provide energy for the metabolic and physical activities of the body. At the same time, food nutrients boost immunity as well as structural function of the body. Such nutrients include carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, proteins as well as lipids. While common sense dictates that moderation is the virtue that any human being should embrace, nutrition also advocate for moderation in food intake. In this regard, nutritionists advice people to take food according to their energy requirement as excess or under feeding leads to malnutrition disorders which translates to health risk (Glanz et al, 2008, p 13). Too much food leads to excess energy within an individual’s body in the form of blood sugar/glucose where the energy is stored in the body as glycogen and if more as fats in the adipose tissues. moderate blood cholesterol is equally healthy for the body as it function to produce hormone, bile and vitamin D. Excess blood cholesterol which emanates from malnutrition is hazardous to the body as it increases body index number through fats hence risking the body to cardiovascular diseases such as arteriosclerosis where fatty plagues (lipoproteins) build up in arteries and can graduate to hypertension. Excess cholesterol is argued to cause obesity as well as coronary thrombosis leading to heart attack. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD), as many scholars discovered, have close relationship with chronic renal diseases hence has to be avoided (Griffin et al, 2008, p 3). Sedentary lifestyle even worsens the situation as it leads to formation of fats and cholesterol. On the basis of all this knowledge of nutrition Wallace is advised to avoid sedentary life style and to adopt an active lifestyle as it is healthy and facilitates the reduction of cholesterol by utilizing the excess energy from food. As a victim of excess cholesterol Wallace should visit a gym regularly and also exercise the body so as to reduce the weight which is reducing the mass index number. While Wallace works hard to reduce the body cholesterol he should also seek help from a nutritionist who will do nutrition assessment on him and advice him accordingly apart from equipping him with the necessary information about nutritional health. While giving Wallace education about health nutrition, the dietician/nutritionist should have in mind Wallace’s life style and his family members. As such, this will motivate him to make informed decisions regarding his activities and nutrition. Alcohol Though Wallace is not an alcohol addict he does drink one glasses of wine every day as part of dinner. Additionally, he does take at most two bottles of beer in at least three days of the week. Occasionally during weekends Wallace can drink with friends to the level of becoming tipsy. Although he is a nuisance to some point while drunk, his wife and daughter love him and they encourage him to stop drinking. He has never developed trouble with the police on the basis of drinking and equally does not cause troubles to the employer. Research indicates that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol can protect adults from developing coronary heart diseases, while equally cautioning non-drinkers against alcoholism (Griffin et. al, 2008, p 5). This is because moderate alcohol drinking leads to addiction gradually such that one cannot go without, while Alcoholism is known to cause social, health and physical problems. Drinking too much on a single occasion or overtime can take a serious toll on an individual’s health. For instance, alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways and can severely affect the way the brain works hence facilitating the change in mood and behavior while making it harder to think clearly and move with coordination (Griffin et. al, 2008, p 5). Additionally, prolonged intake of too much alcohol or drinking too much on single occasions has the capacity to damage the heart thus causing cardiovascular disorders such as cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, stroke as well as hypertension(Gordon et. al, 2013 pp 107, 109). Heavy drinking also takes a toll on the liver hence leading to variety of problems such as steatosis or fatty liver, alcohol hepatitis, fibrosis and cirrhosis. Additionally, Alcohol increases the risks of cancer in different parts of the body as well as affecting pancrease thus disrupting its functions. On the other hand, alcohol can weaken the immune system of an individual thus making the body susceptible to diseases such as pneumonia and tuberculosis. Socially alcohol can lead to disruption and breakages of relationships and more recently it has been observed that alcohol can facilitate the transmission of HIV aids and STIs (Gordon et. al, 2013 pp 107, 109). Following the drinking behavior of Wallace, it is clearly apparent that Wallace enjoys while hurting his family unconsciously as they care about him and fear he might become addicted to alcohol. While taking alcohol, his relationship with his family members is obviously at stake. Therefore, in regard to this, Wallace should avoid alcohol as much as possible with the help of a counselor. This will not only be healthy for him but also for his family who love and care for him. Physical exercise Physical exercise to Wallace is equated to the daily activities he does which includes driving, shopping with his daughter, watching TV, chatting with friends and using his phone. Occasionally he visits the gym only for one hour session in a week. The family has a tendency of taking a short distance walk every Saturday evening after which Wallace vanishes in a club amidst strong persuasion not by his lovely wife and daughter but by friends. Doing regular physical exercise can improves an individual’s self-esteem and as well has far reaching health benefits. In fact it tremendously reduces blood cholesterol which would have been detrimental to ones health (Mozaffarian et. al, 2008, p 3033). Equally, physical activity builds social life thus making life to be worth living. Indeed, physical exercise helps to control weight and to some percentage may help to reduce or relieve stress (Mozaffarian et. al, 2008, p 3033). In this case, Wallace who is void of physical exercise should first get education on the benefits of physical exercise as opposed to sedentary lifestyle that he leads. He should also increase the number of times he visits the gym and involve himself in more active life like playing a game of his choice during leisure. Moderate intensive exercise is healthy for Wallace as it will facilitate reduction of fats as well as regulation of body mass index (Rosemann et. al, 2008, p 4). It will also improve the relationship between his daughter and wife. Social life, which generally translates to psychological health, will also improve (Rosemann et. al, 2008, p 4). Emotional mental health While Wallace is both a smoker and an alcoholic, he is an affectionate husband to his wife and daughter. He married his wife twenty years ago where the two of them have had fairly a good marriage. Except for his bothering weight, Wallace usually does not have a lot of stress and in case they surface he turns to his affectionate and caring wife and teenage daughter as well as relatives and friends who act as a stress relievers/comforters. Usually he drives his family to the church mass every Sunday and goes for them after the mass. He does not go to church but he does respect the decision of the wife and the teenage daughter. Usually he holds long discussions and celebration with his workmates and friends. At times he even celebrates birthdays of children with relatives and friends. Relatively, Wallace has had health emotions and peace of mind but the issue of obesity and complains from his family gets the better part of his mind causing unstable sleep and mild stress. All the same he also feels he wants to be with his family more and to give them affection they need. Psychologists help individuals to achieve psychological health which, according to them and many scholars worldwide, is the backbone of an individual’s life. Indeed they emphasize that it is the source of self esteem and self efficacy in individuals (Gellert et. al, 2013, p 7). Psychologists further claim that people who are in emotional and mental health are always in control of their emotions and behaviors. They are able to handle life’s inevitable challenges and build strong relationship as well as leading productive and fulfilling lives. Emotional and mental health motivates an individual to be resilient in life hence facing challenges without falling apart. Just as health, an individual’s emotional health is not as solid as one would like it to be but can only be improved for the better. It takes time and commitment to build emotional health but there is a huge payoff (Gellert et. al, 2013, p 7). Wallace’s emotions are stable although he needs to share what he is going through with the family so that he can gain more emotion support/security. The more Wallace makes healthy choices the more he strengthens his emotions and the better he feels. Occupational history Wallace worked in a ranch as a sales manager before he married podia. After their marriage he continued to work in the same firm until his now teenage daughter was born. He later joined another ranch, where he works up to date, and was employed as a truck driver. He believes he is a good husband and now wants to give his family more love and affection he might have not given them in the past. This can be justified through Erickson’s theory of development stage seven (generativity and stagnation) where he highlighted that during adulthood one continues to build his or her life giving great emphasis on the career and the family (Lerner, 2013, pp 428). “I feel more satisfaction when serving and helping young people achieve, especially my daughter” said Wallace at one point in the interview. According Erickson middle age adults tend to be occupied with creative and meaningful work and with issues surrounding our families (Lerner, 2013, pp 428). In that case, human being takes the role they envied and longed to be. At this stage strength comes from care and affection and productivity such that one contributes to the betterment of the society and the family in particular. Indeed, at this stage individual seeks with passion significant relationships both in the workplace, the community and the family (Lerner, 2013, pp 428). Since Wallace is at the age of forty, he is really at the middle age, and just as Erickson clearly described the stage, Wallace seems to walk in the same path just like the observations made by Erickson (Lerner, 2013, pp 428). This is reflected in his need to give more affection and to love so as to be what he ever desired to be, a good father. He also realizes some aspects in him that he requires to change so that he can win more love and affection from those he cares about those close to him. Wallace stated “I will dedicate my time for my daughter who is almost marrying and give her the best I can”. So as to get more psychological health, Wallace need to give his all in caring for those he loves through relationship and roles. Conclusion Wallace is hardworking, loving and caring. Although Wallace does not eat healthily hence the advice of the doctor that he should reduce weight. Although his diet is to some extent justified, his life style which includes sedentary life style and alcoholism, worsens his situation of increased body mass index. This puts him at risk of enormous health disorders which he further worsens by his smoking behavior. He needs to visit first a nutritionist and secondly a counselor who would assist him in matters of nutrition and alcohol and smocking respectively. References Clifford, A. et al, 2008, Cognitive-Behavioral Pain Management Interventions for Long-Term Care Residents with Physical and Cognitive Disabilities, Handbook of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies with Older Adults. pp 76-101 Christakis, N. & Fowler, J., 2008, The Collective Dynamics of Smoking in a Large Social Network, The New England Journal Of Medicine 358:2249-2258. 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