Discuss one or more explanations of health problems.

Refer to the paper 2 assessment criteria when awarding marks. These can be found under the “Your tests” tab > supplemental materials.

The command term “discuss” requires candidates to make a considered review of one or more explanations of health problems.

The health problem(s) likely to be presented include: stress, addiction, obesity, chronic pain, and/or sexual health.

Explanations for health problems may include, but are not limited to:

• the biopsychosocial model combines biological, psychological, social, and behavioural causes and treatments for health problems
• social and cultural factors involved in determining health and illness
• risk and protective factors in health
• the biomedical model, which focuses primarily on biological factors.

Relevant studies include but are not limited to:

• Steptoe and Marmot’s (2003) survey on the interaction of psychological, social and physiological aspects of stress
• Link and Phelan’s (1995) study on social conditions as fundamental causes of disease
• Bauman et al.’s (1990) correlational study on likelihood of smoking in adolescence where parents also smoke.

Critical discussion points may include, but are not limited to:

• methodological and ethical considerations in research related to health problems
• how the findings of research have been interpreted and applied
• implications of the findings
• assumptions and biases in explanations of health problems
• areas of uncertainty
• comparison of different explanations of specific health problems.

This was the most popular question for the Health psychology option. Obesity was a popular focus, with biological and sociocultural explanations frequently being offered. Answers ranged from rudimentary to quite good, where knowledge and understanding were presented with clarity and studies were used to draw out salient critical points.

Strengths for this question included candidates choosing mostly appropriate health problems and studies. Weaknesses appeared as a lack of critical thinking when responding to this question.