Multifactorial Model

According to Nevid and Rathus (2005), the multifactorial model is "the belief that health and illness are a function of multiple factors involving biological, psychological, and cultural domains and their interactions" (p.126). The multifactorial model attempts to measure the likelihood of a person to contract or develop an illness such as the flu or cancer. The model outlines the likelihood of contracting a specific illness depends on the interactions between different factors. Environmental, sociocultural, biological, and even psychological factors can affect a person's health.

Nevid and Rathus (2005) break the multifactorial method factors down into six main groups of factors that play a part in a person's health and his or her susceptibility to different illnesses. The six main factors in the multifactorial model are; biological, sociocultural, environmental, personality, behavior, and stressors (p.126). Each of the six factors contains several influences that can affect or determine the likelihood for illness. A person has control over some of these factors and others are completely beyond control.

The physical, emotional, and cognitive effects of stress along with the psychological factors play various roles in a person's health. In psychology the area that studies what the relationship is between certain factors and the prevention of certain illnesses or treatment of illnesses is known as health psychology. Understanding these factors and what measures a person can implement to guard against certain illnesses or injuries can help reduce a person's chance in many cases.

The first factor is biological. Biological factors include pathogens, gender, genetics, and even age. Other biological influences include family history of illness, ethnicity, pain, and even exposure to different infectious organisms. Although biological factors play a role in an individual's health, it does not mean a person will exhibit certain health problems. For example, just because there is a history of heart disease or cancer in the family does not mean an individual will for certain develop cancer or heart disease. Genes and family history are just predispositions, not certainties. If a strong history of heart disease is known taking certain precautions eating healthy and regular exercise can help decrease the chance of developing heart disease. A person's lifestyle choices certainly contribute to the risk of developing certain illnesses and diseases. Poor diet, smoking, stress, obesity, and lack of exercise are factors that can increase a person's chances of developing illnesses such as heart disease and certain types of cancer.

Sociocultural factors can include family circumstances such as social class, family size, and even family conflict. The amount of access to health care is also a sociocultural factor that can increase a person's chances of developing certain illnesses. The sociocultural factors can include people who cannot afford healthcare. The single parent who cannot afford to feed his or her child healthy or nutritious food is also part of the sociocultural factors. Parents who are not well-educated have increased chances of sociocultural factors influences their health. Nevid and Rathus (2005) state, a person's socioeconomic status and his or her health statuses connect. Nevid and Rathus (2005) further state people who do not have higher education levels are more likely to have jobs that pay less that can contribute to a lower socioeconomic status. Less educated people are more likely to smoke, less likely to exercise, and have a higher percentage of obesity. A person's sociocultural influences can most certainly have a negative effect on his or her health.

Environmental factors such as water quality, pollutants, natural disasters, global warming, and even radiation exposure can play a vital role in a person's health or development of certain diseases and illnesses. Understanding someone's environmental influences can help diagnose, treat, and even prevent certain diseases and illnesses. Certain environmental factors can contribute to illnesses such as lead poisoning and radiation exposure.

Personality factors can also affect someone's likelihood of certain illnesses or diseases. Psychological conflict, self-efficacy expectations, depression, anxiety, and even Type A personality are personality factors that can affect a person's health. Depression, anxiety, and even Type A personality traits can cause many health-related problems such as headaches,

...