Infant Mortality Required Assignment Risk Factors & Protective Factors of Infant Mortality Throughout the semester, mortality rates for each phase of life has been discussed. In addition to risk factors, as well as, protective factors. For this assignment you will read the description of the “Hypothetical Couple” and determine what factors will influence the likelihood of their infant surviving their first year of life as well as what factors put their child at risk. You will answer the questions listed below and submit a typed report that reflects your ability to analyze the situation, think critically about what factors are involved, and make a position on whether or not this hypothetical child will be another infant mortality statistic. Your responses will be graded using the Hinds Community College’s Critical Thinking/Problem Solving Rubric that assesses the institution’s critical thinking competency. The assignment is worth 100 points. Assignment Overview This is a required written assignment for all General Psychology students enrolled at Hinds Community College. Assignment Details Writing Guidelines Avoid sharing personal experiences and/or personal opinions. Paraphrase. DO NOT use quotes. DO NOT plagiarize. To receive credit for this paper, you must review the articles in your own words. Make sure that you clearly cite your sources if you use any. You are expected to write effectively and thoughtfully. You are required to use the Writing Center. (If the campus is back open) You MUST have evidence demonstrating, you have received assistance at the writing center. A signature (Intials), along with the date of attendance should be noted on your ROUGH DRAFT. Formatting Guidelines The body of the paper should be 2-3 pages (not including title page and references) in length and should be typed. The entire paper should be double-spaced with 12-point font size. All margins should be one inch. Paper Outline Include a title page. Introduce the topic and explain the purpose of the paper Summarize the research that you read to answer your research questions. CITATIONS: Representing someone else’s research and/or words as your own is considered plagiarism.Plagiarism is a serious offense and can result in failing the course. In order to avoid plagiarism, you must give credit to the author(s) whose work you are citing. REFERENCES: You will have some on your reference page. List them in alphabetical order. The reference page should be on a separate page. Questions to be answered within assignment: 1) Identify the problems this couple is facing including any possible future problems. Identify the risk factors and protective factors for this child based on this couple’s demographics and description. 2) Analyze and evaluate the risk factors and the protective factors this situation poses for infant mortality. 3) Propose what other factors need to be addressed or considered that the description may not have covered. Suggest what could further protect or harm this child. 4) Explain your position, based on the facts of this hypothetical-situation, of whether or not this child survives infancy. If he does, will he have a successful childhood? Does this child make it to adulthood? Hypothetical Couple: Charlotte and Chandler are expecting their first child in two months. They have been told they are having a boy. They live in a rural part of Mississippi. They have been together as a couple for a little over a year. They are not married and both are not sure whether or not they would like to be in the future. They live together in a small, one bedroom house that belongs to Chandler’s parents. Charlotte is 21 years-old and is a student at the local community college. She had a full-time job at a retail store that she has recently quit. She is considered a good student, usually making As and Bs. Chandler is 22 years-old, and dropped out from high school. He has no plans to earn his GED and he works odd-jobs within the construction field. Neither have health insurance, but Charlotte signed up for Medicaid benefits when she found out she was pregnant. Now on Medicaid, she routinely sees her OB/GYN. Both Charlotte and Chandler are close to their own parents. They both come from permissive parenting households. Although their parents are emotionally supportive to them, they don’t give them a lot of guidance about how to handle things in life or how to deal with their situation as a couple. Charlotte is expecting her parents to be very involved in raising their baby, although her parents both work and have limited funds. Chandler expects his parents to help them financially although his parents too are within the middle class bracket. Charlotte and Chandler have been arguing a lot over money and social expectations. He tries to take on extra jobs to earn more money. Charlotte doesn’t like him taking on extra jobs because it takes away the time they can spend together. Charlotte wants Chandler to stay home with her more. Chandler wants to continue hanging out with his friends. He spends more time away from the house to get away from the negativity he feels when he is around Charlotte. This leads Charlotte feeling even lonelier. She reacts by fighting with Chandler when he is home which makes him feel more detached from the entire situation. The stress is causing complications with Charlotte’s pregnancy. Although Charlotte wants to stop, she has continued to smoke cigarettes throughout the pregnancy. She also has fears about gaining too much weight. She often skips meals and eats snacks throughout the day including chips, crackers, and cheese. She also states the only drink she can keep down is Mountain Dew. She has stopped taking her prenatal vitamins since they make her feel even more nauseated. Her doctor has informed her that she needs to take care of herself better by getting rest, eating well, and watching her blood pressure. The doctor is unaware that she is still smoking. He has been concerned that Charlotte has not gained weight throughout the pregnancy like she is expected to. She in turn is hoping that the baby will be born early so that she won’t have to go through the last month that everyone tells her is very difficult. Both Charlotte and Chandler are not prepared for when the baby comes home. Both are the youngest in their own families and have very limited experience with newborns and babies in general. Neither has taken a child preparation class or read any books about parenting. They both think they will “wing” it, but are really depending on their own mothers to guide them. When asked about daycare or anything with regards to the future, neither of them has actually made any realistic plans. |