CSP Health Sociology & Well-being

Question 1

The social determinants of health framework primarily argues that health outcomes are most strongly shaped by:

Accepted Answer

Social, economic, and environmental conditions in which people live

Answer

The social determinants of health framework holds that conditions such as income, education, employment, housing, and social support are the primary drivers of health outcomes across populations.

Question 2

Talcott Parsons' concept of the 'sick role' specifies that ill individuals are expected to:

Accepted Answer

Be exempt from normal duties while seeking competent medical help

Answer

Parsons defined the sick role as a temporary, socially sanctioned status in which the ill person is relieved of normal obligations but is expected to seek professional help and work toward recovery.

Question 3

Michael Marmot's Whitehall studies demonstrated that among British civil servants, mortality rates were:

Accepted Answer

Inversely related to occupational grade, with lower grades having higher mortality

Answer

The Whitehall studies showed a clear social gradient where lower occupational status was associated with higher mortality, revealing that health differences extend throughout the social hierarchy.

Question 4

Medicalization, as defined in health sociology, refers to the process by which:

Accepted Answer

Non-medical problems are redefined and treated as medical conditions

Answer

Medicalization describes the expansion of medical jurisdiction to encompass human experiences and problems—such as grief, hyperactivity, or addiction—that were not previously considered medical in nature.

Question 5

The concept of 'fundamental causes' of disease, developed by Link and Phelan, emphasizes that socioeconomic status remains a persistent cause of health disparities because:

Accepted Answer

Higher-status groups can always access whatever resources protect health, even as those resources change over time

Answer

Link and Phelan argued that SES is a fundamental cause because high-status individuals can leverage knowledge, money, and social connections to benefit from whatever risk or protective factors are relevant in any era.

(CSP) Certified Sociological Practitioner Practice Test

(CSP) Certified Sociological Practitioner Practice Test

CSP Health Sociology & Well-being