B6 Major life events that affect development

Life events

For each life event:

1. Identify if it is predictable or unpredictable.

2. Explain positive and negative P.I.E.S effects.

• • starting school/nursery

  • moving house

  • marriage and divorce

  • starting a family

  • beginning employment

  • retirement

  • death of a relative/partner/friend

  • accidents or injury

  • changing employment

  • leaving home

  • promotion or redundancy

  • serious illness.

Complete Holmes-Rahe-stress inventory

https://www.stress.org/holmes-rahe-stress-inventory/

1. Explain what the stress inventory is.

2.Discuss if it is a valid theory (P+N=C)

Exam Questions

Scenario

Noah is currently the youngest member of the family and has a close relationship with his mother.

1. Evaluate how Noah’s social and emotional development could be affected by a new sibling. (10 marks)

Scenario

George is soon to retire from his job as a senior manager, which he has held for 35 years.

2. Explain two possible effects of George’s retirement on his emotional development. (4 marks)

Scenario

Julia and her husband divorced when Sarah was five.

3. Outline how this divorce may have affected Sarah’s emotional development. (6 marks)

Scenario

Julia’s father Joseph is a 77-year-old widower. His health has deteriorated since his wife died. Julia is worried because her father does not follow a healthy diet. In addition, he has breathing difficulties and a raised cholesterol level. He has taken to drinking alcohol to try and brighten his mood.

After he retired, Joseph worked occasionally stacking shelves in a supermarket. However, an increasing problem with his breathing led to him missing many days of work. Then, last year, following incidents of drinking at work, he was asked to leave the supermarket job. Since then, Joseph has become unhappy and drinks heavily.

His health problems have been getting progressively worse, which makes it difficult for him to get around the house and he needs to use a stick to walk. Though she hates doing it, Julia buys him alcohol to stop his aggressive shouting and occasional violent outbursts. The money she spends on alcohol stretches her limited budget to near breaking point.

Julia noticed that Joseph‘s personal hygiene became increasingly poor and he became more forgetful. For a while, he managed without any help.

Due to deterioration in his health, Joseph had a period of respite in a residential care home. When carers refused to buy him alcohol, Joseph argued aggressively with them and occasionally tried to strike out at them. He often refused to eat the meals provided and would not go to bed, stating he was more comfortable sleeping in his chair. His personal hygiene habits resulted in some staff refusing to work with him. After he assaulted a member of staff, the police were called to the residential home and Joseph was charged with assault. Following discussions with residential staff and an examination by a GP, the charges were dropped and he was transferred to a local inpatient respite facility.

During Joseph’s time at this facility he made numerous allegations about being assaulted by hospital staff. However, when investigated, staff claimed that ‘bathing’ Joseph could not be construed as assault; and that they had been using allowable ‘restraint’ techniques when he became violent.

More recently, a combination of drug therapy, a healthier diet and some focused help with his alcohol problem has brought about some changes for the better.

Joseph has experienced several major changes in his life over the past few years.

Exam Question

4. To what extent might recent life changes have affected Joseph’s emotional wellbeing? (12 marks)