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You make me sick! - or is it my hormones? | |
Assignment Goals
Source Material
Student Instructions
Guiding Questions
Writing Prompt
| Assignment Goals |
This activity requires you to
apply the following concepts in thinking about the consequences
of issues such as social isolation, exam stress, and child abuse:
This goal will be achieved by reading primary research abstracts. Study the
abstracts to extract commonalities, to make recommendations, and to identify
unresolved questions.
| Source Material |
Abstracts of primary research articles provide data that relates stressors to hormone responses. These abstracts are available through PubMed. (Click on each title to link to the abstract)
Relate the knowledge gained through assigned readings and classroom lecture materials to the data in these abstracts.
A glossary of terms used in the last two abstracts is available under Source Material Resources.
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| Student Instructions |
A variety of disease states are associated with hypersecretion or hyposecretion of hormones. Changes can result from abnormal hormone release or they can result from abnormal target tissue response. We frequently know about changes that correlate with disease long before we can identify the precise cause and effect relationships.
Many people believe that social problems such as stress and abuse put them at greater risk for disease and infections. (Justifying the response, "You make me sick!") Some current research supports the hypothesis that altered activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis links stress to immunosuppression, yet more research is needed. It is difficult to perform experiments on humans, so scientists assume that many of the hormones that are active in humans are also found in other vertebrate animals and the experiments are performed on animals.
This assignment requires you to read some current research on both humans and animals to find out what we know so that you can then make recommendations for future research.
Start by using your assigned readings and class lecture materials to learn about the hormone activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The diagram of the relationships between these hormone responses, Figure 7-15 on p. 190 in your textbook, may be helpful.
Study the primary research abstracts listed under Source Materials. Make a list of hormone responses to stress that are reported in each of the research abstracts. The abstracts agree on some of the hormone responses, but for other hormones, there is disagreement.
Finally, use the Guiding Questions to organize your ideas. Then write a paragraph to explain what we know, list the points of disagreement, and state your recommendation for a future research project.
| Guiding Questions |
For full credit, you must
address each of the following questions:
| Writing Prompt |
Write a paragraph explaining to social workers the significance of the glucocorticoid system for their work. Start the paragraph with this value claim (no need to put this item in quotes, because you are being instructed to do this): "For the health of children, social relationships may be more important than socioeconomic status." State why this value claim can be made, and correctly cite a research study whose knowledge claim supports your reason. Qualify the validity of this study by giving its limitations and suggesting what the researchers need to do to make their knowledge claim more applicable to our society. Then, explain the role of the glucocorticoid system. Be sure to include a description of the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the psychobiological response to stress. Compare and contrast the data from primary research paper abstracts. Describe one hormone response to a variety of stress stimuli that has been reported in several studies. Describe other hormone responses to stress stimuli that are reported in some studies, but not others. Describe relationships between these hormone responses. Include all steps and details reviewed by the guiding questions. Conclude with a therapy you might develop for a child, correctly cite the study to justify your recommendations, and identify unresolved issues that should be addressed in future research studies to confirm your suggested therapy.
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