Social Determinants of Mental Health: A Critical Reflection

Topic: Social determinants of mental health

(please don’t use this as a title though, something more related to the overall theme of the essay if possible)

Purpose: Critical Reflection – to assist students to gain insight and knowledge in the area of social determinants of mental health and to provide an opportunity to consider how the quality of future practice may be improved in terms of the delivery of mental health care and services.

Description: Academic paper

Instructions:

· Write 4 pages (Maximum 4 pages excluding the title page and references) academic paper using APA 6th or 7th edition (Title page, headings, reference citations, reference list, use of quotations appropriately, etc.). Double-spaced, Times New Roman 12-point font, 2.5 cm page margins

>Please use APA 6^th Edition

· Students will reflect on their own professional role as well as the professional roles of other health providers in the provision of high-quality mental health care. Students will critically reflect on one selected patient they have worked with during their NURS 308 clinical placement. (Refer to the “Body of the paper” scenario section)

Your paper will include:

1. Introduction:

· An introductory paragraph that briefly introduces the relationship between social determinants and mental health, and what focus to be addressed in the paper and describes the direction the paper will take.

2. Body of the Paper:

· Provides a clear description of how social determinants have an impact on individuals’ mental health and relates the social determinants to mental health in one of your patients in NURS 308 and describes the relationship between the social factors and the patient’s mental health.

o Scenario: (This is the patient I want to reflect on in the essay)

· Due to confidentiality please use only the patients initials to identify them in the essay.

o Pt (short for patient) initials:  E.C.

· Apply one or more findings from WHO’s article entitled “Social determinants of mental health” (WHO, 2014) to your case example (the reference provided below).

o Reference:

World Health Organization. (2014). Social determinants of mental health. Retrieved from https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/112828/9789241506809_eng.pdf?sequence=1 

· Describe two implications on patient outcomes, and two implications for your future nursing practice.

· Support your critical reflections and arguments by drawing on the social determinants of mental health literature to apply theory to this situation, such as a theory that explains why social factors could cause poor mental health. Include a minimum of five (5) relatively recent and relevant academic references to support your discussion (within 8 years). 

3. Conclusion:

· Summarize the key points presented in the paper, clearly and concisely bringing the paper to a logical close.

Pay careful attention to grammar, spelling, word usage, and sentence and paragraph structure. 

Additional Instructions:

Structure - about 1/2 page for introduction, 1/2 page for conclusion, and 3 pages for body

Minimum # of References: THREE, use APA 6^th edition

Implications - discussing in general such as mental health patients and nursing professionals

Body -(1). describe the case that you have selected (one of your patients) including his/her social determinant factors and his/her mental health disorder  or symptoms (2). discuss theory or theories that is relevant to your case and explain that the relationship between his/her social determinant factors and his/her mental health  (3). implications should focus on the (1) and (2). for example, if you discuss about theory of ACEs, your implications would focus on childhood. 

Theories - you can use Adverse Childhood Experiences, Stress related HPA axis, perinatal risk factors, and risk factors for late life - you can decide to focus on which stage of life from perinatal, childhood, adolescents, adults to older age.

Questions from students about essay + reply from instructor

1. How many social determinants to be discussed in your paper: at least one (you can discuss more - however, make sure your discussion focuses on the most important one(s)

2. What are social determinants of health: please refer the WHO's article (information on syllabus)

1. Being consistent: for example, if you are going to discuss social determinant factor(s) (such as childhood abuse) related to your patient's mental health, the theory will be related to the childhood abuse and mental health in adults, and implications will focus on the childhood abuse

2. Theory can be evidence-based research from journal article(s) which indicates the relationship between the social determinant and mental health. for example, using research findings from articles to discuss the relationship between social determinant and mental health: such as stigma and mental health.