Chapter 14. New Chapter Title

14.1 Section Title

After reading Chapter 14 and the other chapters in this text, you learned that different health issues become salient at different points in the lifespan and that coping resources expand with advanced cognitive development. Furthermore, you have come to appreciate the influence of demographic differences such as gender, socioeconomic status, and culture when it comes to understanding health attitudes and behaviors. Apply what you have learned to the following three case studies.

Imani is a 36-month-old African American female whose family lives in a middle-class neighborhood in New Jersey. Both her parents work in professional jobs; her mother is an attorney and her father is a stockbroker. Her two older brothers are in full-day primary school. Imani has been lethargic for the last week and was rushed to the doctor after having a seizure. She was diagnosed with a tumor in her brain and has been admitted to the hospital for observation and treatment.

Valencia is a 12-year-old girl from the Dominican Republic. She moved to the United States 3 years ago with her parents and two siblings in search of a better life. She lives in an apartment in New York City’s Bronx borough, in a low-income neighborhood that is known for gang violence. She has learned English, but speaks only Spanish at home because her parents are not fluent in English. She has been having dizzy spells for a few weeks, but never told her parents. Finally, after experiencing a loss of vision during her seventh-grade math class, she went to the school nurse, who contacted her parents; they took her to the doctor, who diagnosed her with a tumor in her brain. Valencia has been admitted to the hospital for observation and treatment.

Guadalupe is a 46-year-old mother of four from Mexico. She and her mother, a widow, came to the United States 20 years ago as migrant workers and settled in California, where she met her husband. All three generations of her family live in a small, run-down home in a rural community. For the past several years, both Guadalupe and her husband have commuted over an hour each way to work at a factory. They would best be described as working poor. Guadalupe has been having dizzy spells for several weeks, but did not discuss her health issues with her husband as she did not want him to worry. Her husband was concerned that something was wrong because she has begun showing signs of severe depression and anxiety. She was rushed to the hospital after having a seizure and passing out at work, and was later diagnosed with a brain tumor. She has been in the hospital for observation and treatment.