Managing Chronic Illness Chronic illnesses are often assumed to be a major issue in the senior population, but approximately thirty three percent of Canadian individuals from ages eighteen to forty-four years old suffer from at least one chronic condition (Taylor & Sirios, 2014). Unfortunately chronic illness can not be cured, but it can be managed. The strategies used to treat and manage chronic illness can be explained through the biopsychosocial model of health. Chronic illnesses devalue the previous thinking of the biomedical model. The treatment strategies of chronic illness displays that psychological and social processes are not independent of the disease process, and are actually a necessity in managing and treating chronic illness
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Verekina, Shi, Fuentes-Caceres, and Scanlon (2014) aim to examine individual’s self-efficacy in regard to having a chronic illness. Participant’s self-efficacy rating was measured using the self-efficacy index; the higher the index scores the higher the self-efficacy. Participants were asked to rate their health on a 5-point scale as well as fill out a depression index. Factors such as age, gender, and education were also recorded to determine if they influence one’s likelihood to stay in the group sessions to increase self-efficacy in individuals with chronic illness (Verekina, Shi, Fuentes-Caceres, and Scanlon, …show more content…
(2013) focused on the biopsychosocial effects of interferon-α (IFN-a) treatment of chronic hepatitis C (HCV). They used both psychological and biological assessments for participants, including, blood and plasma samples, HCV Infection and Treatment Characteristics Questionnaire, neurological evolution using the SKT, social support survey, and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). After using questionnaires, results were assessed through repeated measures ANOVA to determine the effects of IFN-α therapy. IFN-α therapy may induce decreased quality of life, depression, and cognitive impairments (Baranyi et al., 2013). After initiation the IFN-α therapy and measuring depression in patients, 53.7% of individuals met the criteria while only 7.3% of participants met criteria before treatment. Therefore indicating that IFN-α therapy does induce depression in this sample. This type of treatment has psychological effects on the participant, which coincides with the biopsychosocial model. In determining an effective treatment, it is crucial to determine the effects this treatment may have. In IFN-α therapy the treatment is detrimental to the individuals’ psychological health (Baranyi et al., 2013). Working memory and complex attention was also influenced by the IFN-α therapy, causing aversive
Verekina, Shi, Fuentes-Caceres, and Scanlon (2014) aim to examine individual’s self-efficacy in regard to having a chronic illness. Participant’s self-efficacy rating was measured using the self-efficacy index; the higher the index scores the higher the self-efficacy. Participants were asked to rate their health on a 5-point scale as well as fill out a depression index. Factors such as age, gender, and education were also recorded to determine if they influence one’s likelihood to stay in the group sessions to increase self-efficacy in individuals with chronic illness (Verekina, Shi, Fuentes-Caceres, and Scanlon, …show more content…
(2013) focused on the biopsychosocial effects of interferon-α (IFN-a) treatment of chronic hepatitis C (HCV). They used both psychological and biological assessments for participants, including, blood and plasma samples, HCV Infection and Treatment Characteristics Questionnaire, neurological evolution using the SKT, social support survey, and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). After using questionnaires, results were assessed through repeated measures ANOVA to determine the effects of IFN-α therapy. IFN-α therapy may induce decreased quality of life, depression, and cognitive impairments (Baranyi et al., 2013). After initiation the IFN-α therapy and measuring depression in patients, 53.7% of individuals met the criteria while only 7.3% of participants met criteria before treatment. Therefore indicating that IFN-α therapy does induce depression in this sample. This type of treatment has psychological effects on the participant, which coincides with the biopsychosocial model. In determining an effective treatment, it is crucial to determine the effects this treatment may have. In IFN-α therapy the treatment is detrimental to the individuals’ psychological health (Baranyi et al., 2013). Working memory and complex attention was also influenced by the IFN-α therapy, causing aversive