Introduction
The paper aims to assess data collected during the interview of a family. The family consists of four members: M., a 46-year old male who is a spouse of L., a 42-year old female, S., a 20-year old female, and H., a 15-year old male (who are the children of the older family members). Two wellness problems are also identified and discussed.
Findings
The family agreed that annual screenings were important, but these were only used by older members of the family. All members of the family try to stay healthy by taking part in sports competitions and activities at home or work but do not utilize any specific techniques to maintain their health. M. pointed out that he has been trying to give up smoking for more than 15 years now but without any success. S. and H. also confessed that they often ate junk food together with their friends.
The family’s nutrition appears to be healthy as they ensure that their daily meals consist of an adequate portion of meat, vegetables, fruits, dairy products, and wheat products. Fluid intake is also within the normal levels, although younger members of the family agree that they prefer soft drinks to water. No specific diet plan is used by the family, although the members sometimes have a “vegan day” as they believe it has a positive impact on their health.
One of the family members suffered from sleep disturbances earlier. H. used to have serious nightmares when he was approximately five years old. The problems stopped as he grew older. Currently, no family members have problems with sleep. L. meditates two times per week at the local meditation center, but other family members do not use any specific relaxation techniques.
The bowel pattern of family members is normal. There are no conditions that could affect them. A recent change in the bowel pattern was described by H., who pointed out that he had mild diarrhea after he drank a bottle of expired yogurt.
All members of the family agree that physical activity is very important for health maintenance. M. and H. prefer playing football together or with colleagues or classmates. L. visits meditation and yoga classes, while S. does not prefer any particular kind of sports but goes swimming to the local swimming pool together with friends from time to time (two-three times per month).
No family members reported having any problems with memory. To practice cognitive and attention skills, family members prefer using board games or chess. Both S. and H. also stated that video games are useful in developing attention skills as they help learn how to navigate in unknown locations.
M. reported having severe vision problems after a car crash (four years ago) that were fixed with the help of laser surgery; he has been wearing glasses ever since. There is a history of mental illnesses in the family: L.’s mother was diagnosed with depression when she was 40, and L. herself also had depression when she was 38. Other members of the family did not report having any conditions that could affect their perceptions.
Family members described themselves as direct, funny, open, humorous, and satisfied. They try to spend as much time together as possible. There are some conflicts, but they are resolved quickly.
Both S. and H. agreed that they had difficulties discussing some private matters with their parents because they believed it could affect parents’ opinions about them. M. reported having an alcohol addiction in his 20s that was cured successfully. The relationships between members were described as sincere and respectful.
S. had concerns about her reproductive health as she had had an abortion when she was 18. Other family members reported no conditions that could affect their sexual life. Both S. and L. used oral contraceptives as methods of birth control, but since both of them had long-term partners, they did not use condoms. H. avoided answering the question.
After the car crash, both M. and L. visited a therapist (together) to work on stress issues that affected their relationship. The car crash was described as the most traumatizing event in the recent family history, although S. also added that abortion was difficult for her. H. pointed out that he experienced mild stress due to personal issues with his peers at school.
Wellness Problems
The first identified wellness problem is the mental health of family members. Both L. and her mother were diagnosed with depression in their 30s or 40s, which could indicate that depression is hereditary. Thus, L’s children could be at risk of developing this disorder. Heritability of major depression is approximately 40-50% (Levinson & Nichols, n.d.). The family needs to pay more attention to their mental health, as only the spouses have undergone therapy after a major traumatizing event, whereas both the son and the daughter did not visit any therapist. Furthermore, S. also did not have any therapy after abortion, although she agreed that this time was challenging for her. Either of the children can be diagnosed with depression, but S. is more at risk as she had experienced recent stress that could significantly affect her (Bellieni & Buonocore, 2013). H. did not provide any details about the difficulties he had with his peers, but they’re still might be a need for counseling to ensure it is not bullying or other harmful behavior that H. was unwilling to discuss.
Bad habits of family members also constitute a wellness problem. Smoking can lead to lung cancer and affect the already impaired vision of one of the family members (Asfar, Lam, & Lee, 2015). Giving up smoking as quickly as possible should be recommended. Junk food in small amounts is not dangerous, but it still can become a cause of overweight or obesity if dietary patterns of younger family members will include more unhealthy food. The risk also increases because none of the family members uses specific strategies for health maintenance. It is necessary to educate them about the importance of regular exercise and a non-sedentary lifestyle that can help mitigate the existing health risks.
Conclusion
The identified wellness problems include mental health issues and bad habits. The family does not pay much attention to the prevention of risks that these issues can cause. Education and encouragement could be used to help the family understand the importance of health maintenance strategies.
References
Asfar, T., Lam, B. L., & Lee, D. J. (2015). Smoking causes blindness: Time for eye care professionals to join the fight against tobacco. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 56(2), 1120-1121.
Bellieni, C. V., & Buonocore, G. (2013). Abortion and subsequent mental health: Review of the literature. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 67(5), 301-310.
Levinson, D., & Nichols, W. (n.d.). Major depression and genetics. Web.