? Discuss what your role may be as a future health professional in relation to a child with CF (or another chronic illness)
psychological developmental aspects of a child with cystic fibrosis?this is the lifespan stage (i.e. infancy, adolescence)
Order Description
Consider the following questions:
1. What role does human development play in the lives of a child (age 6) with cystic fibrosis and his/her family?
2. How does childhood chronic illness affect the individual and his/her family? (e.g., what other psychological aspects might come into play?).
3. Why is it important to have an understanding of human development and psychological responses to illness?
In answering these questions your assignment should do the following things:
? Discuss the psychological developmental aspects of a child with cystic fibrosis?this is the lifespan stage (i.e. infancy, adolescence). To do this, think about what
the relevant developmental issues might be. Consider the cognitive, psychological, social, emotional, and physical implications of living with this chronic disease for
the child and for other family members. Ideally, you will be able to discuss the combination of the health issue AND the developmental issues. It may help to think
about the following questions:
? What do the articles say about the relationship between the health issue and stages in of lifespan/human development?
? How typical or common is this health issue at the stage of life? Or is it not common?
? How does lifespan development of child with CF differ from that of a ?normal? child?
? How well does the literature/theory help you understand a person in this situation?
? Use 2-3 of the discussion points provided on FLO to further aid your discussion. To do this, look at the discussion questions provided and see what the literature
says about CF and these topics. (approx. 1 paragraph per topic).
? Discuss what your role may be as a future health professional in relation to a child with CF (or another chronic illness).
? Include sufficient resources to show that you understand the issues and any relevant theories related to the case. At a minimum, you will include eight (8) academic
sources. That is, the written assignment will consist of:
o A minimum of five (5) peer reviewed research articles. They should be published from 2000-2014, but you may find a ?classic? article that is relevant and was
published earlier. You will need to justify its inclusion. These articles may include, but are not limited to:
? Articles that have considered the health issue in relation to the particular stage in the lifespan (e.g. infancy, adolescence, adulthood, etc.)
? Articles that focus on the particular health condition? i.e., cystic fibrosis (or chronic illness in childhood).
? Articles that focus on the particular stage in the lifespan (e.g. infancy, adolescence, adulthood, etc.)
? You may discover that you cannot find articles that cover BOTH the health condition AND the stage in the lifespan in the same article, but you need to have academic,
peer reviewed, relevant articles for the stage in the lifespan AND the health condition
? Research articles should be peer reviewed and not from magazines or websites. Ensure that your references are academic in nature. You should use databases via the
Flinders University Library, for example, PsycInfo, Ovid, PudMed or ScienceDirect. You can sometimes search for Full Text articles and sometimes you can search for ?
peer reviewed?. If you are uncertain, please use the services provided by the library to help you find appropriate articles or discuss with your tutor or the topic
coordinator.
o Material from at least one authoritative Australian website (e.g. Australian Bureau of Statistics, or Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) to provide
Australian research, statistics and context to support your writing. (If you are an international student you may focus on the research and statistics from your home
country if you prefer, but it has to be referenced adequately.)
o Appropriate chapters from lifespan development texts and health psychology texts should be used in relation to the theoretical perspectives and/or the wider research
agenda.
?
Tips
This is an essay about how one develops and lives with a chronic disease: cystic fibrosis (CF). To get a good grade for this essay you need to consider all parts of
the essay (i.e., answer all three of the following questions):
? What role does human development play in the lives of a child (age 6) with cystic fibrosis and his/her family?
The first focus of the essay is on the developmental theory and its application within the life of a child with a chronic illness (in this case, cystic fibrosis). You
need to outline a developmental theory that you think is appropriate to help answer this question. Using your chosen theory (e.g., Piaget, Erikson etc.), discuss the
lifespan stages (i.e. infancy, childhood, adolescence, etc.) as they might relate to a child with cystic fibrosis.
? To do this, consider the cognitive, psychological, social, emotional, and physical implications in relation to development (this may be for the child with the
disease, a parent, sibling or other family member).
? How does lifespan development of child with CF differ from that of a ?normal? child?
? What does the literature (research/journal articles) say about the relationship between the health issue and stages of lifespan/human development?
Ideally, you will be able to discuss the combination of the health issue AND relevant developmental issues (e.g., time away from school, social/cognitive development).
? How does childhood chronic illness affect the individual and his/her family?
The second focus is the discussion of related psychological issues. Use 2-3 of the discussion points below to help answer this question. Look at the discussion
questions provided below and see what the literature says about CF and these topics. For example, you could focus on stress, loss, coping, resilience related to
childhood chronic illness (and in particular CF). Think about what it would be like to live with CF and how this might impact the child and the family.
? Why is it important to have an understanding of human development and psychological responses to illness?
The final focus of the essay is to consider your role as a future health professional. Consider what it would be like to deal with patients in the same or similar
situations and discuss how the knowledge you have gained would help you in this situation.
Structure
? The introduction needs to set the scene and outline the focus of the assignment (e.g., the theory that will be used, the key issues that will be addressed).
? Next, outline the theory/theories you will use or the stages of the development relevant to a child with a chronic illness.
? Expanding this discussion to incorporate a critique of the theory will receive a higher mark.
? Make sure you link theoretical stages of development to different situations a child with cystic fibrosis might face and how this might compare to the development of
a ?healthy? child.
? Remember: The stage is determined by PSYCHOLOGICAL development not their chronological age. It is important that you understand this distinction and demonstrates
this in the essay.
? Need to also apply this knowledge to your work
? e.g. How might understanding psychological development aid your future practice
? Provide examples
? Conclusion to summarise main points
Possible discussion points
Below is a list of discussion points/key questions that can guide the discussion in your essay. You should choose 2-3 of these items to discuss in your essay. All
discussion should be linked to academic sources (e.g., peer-reviewed journal articles):
? Discuss of the social model of health and illness and its relevance
? Describe psychological and social influences that contribute to how people stay healthy, become ill and respond to illness
? Consider any issues relating to treatment adherence and identify factors that enhance or inhibit adherence to treatment at different life stages.
? Consider psychological or social issues related to food or nutrition.
? Consider coping mechanisms used by children with chronic illness
? What cultural aspects might come into play?
? Are there any social determinants of health to consider?
? What relationships/ social networks can a child with CF maintain?
? Consider CF at different ages and how this might influence how a person behaves, thinks and feels.
? Discuss how positive coping strategies or elements of resilience might be useful.
? Would loss affect someone with CF? Or their family? If so, what type of loss?
? You can also devise your own (relevant) discussion point