Introduction:
Social: Refers to units of people in communities who interact with eachother.
Health: Is a complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity .
Health
Illness ↔↔↔↔↔ Wellness
Social Health: Is a result of positive interactions among groups the community. Sociology: Is the scientific study of human society andsocial interaction. Sociology: The study of human social behaviors
Medical sociology: Is the subfield of sociology that study health, healing, and illness. OR: is the study of individual and group behavior with respect to health and illness.
Sociology and nursing:It is the study of society and people, how people interact nursing is knowledge and interacting with patients. Definition of Sociology: “Sociology” comes from the Latin word Socius (companion) and the ending ology from the Greek logos (word). At a very general level, Sociology can be understood as the study of society as society itself has a huge influence on what we do, how we think and who we are. Sociology is essentially the study of people, by people how people form cultures, societies, organizations, laws, beliefs, families, religions, and all other aspects of human life. Definition of Nursing: “Nursing” is concerned with caring for people throughout the spans of life, and all points on the continuum between sickness and health. Nursing is a profession in its own right. At such it has the right and responsibility to govern its own practice and professional affairs, and accepts commitments.
Why Sociology Is Important To Nursing? Sociology is mainly the study of society, communities and people whereas nursing is a profession which focused on assisting individuals, families, and communities in attaining, maintaining and recovering optimal health and functioning. Medical Sociology is concerned with following 1. Description and explanations or theories relating to the diseases distribution among various population groups. 2. The behaviors or actions taken by individuals to maintain, enhance, and restore health and cope with illness, disease, or disability. 3. People's attitudes and beliefs about health, disease, disability, and medical care providers. 4. Cultural values and societal responses with respect to health, illness, and disability. 5. The role of social factors in the etiology of the disease(e.g. Age, gender, residence, occupation, etc.…)
Social interaction and health Social interactions can influence behavior and risk factors for disease. For example, those who find themselves surrounded by smoker find it difficult to quit smoking. In addition, person to person transmission of diseases increase in the dense population. Social support is necessary factor in promoting health. Retirement, loss of spouse, or close friend, or change in social role can affect social contact; all are risk factors for disease and functional dependence.