Connectedness

===Lecture Details===
Craig Hassed; Week 12 MED1011; HEP
===Lecture Content===
Solitude is not the same as isolation, solitude can be healthy. Can be connected and in solitude at the same time. Isolation is being cut off from group or community, emotionally removed/closed. Social isolation leads to a higher incidence of mental illness, substance abuse, violence, CHD, infection. Social factors affect health either directly (physiological, hormonal, immunological) or indirectly (lifestyle factors, access to resources). Protective factors for isolation are marriage, contact with family and friends, religious affiliation, group affiliation. 
Maternal stress has been linked to schizophrenia. Abuse or parent death in childhood increases stress throughout life. Family stresses and poor parental style is associated with increased predisposition to asthma. Main threats to adolescent health are risk behaviours. Independant variables include family, school and individual characteristics. Parent-family connectedness, parent expectations and school connectedness are protective against risk behaviours. Social factors in elderly as protective as physical activity.
===Readings===