| Course | HLTH 8745 Health Psychology |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 8 |
| Paper type | Chronic illness case |
| Length | About 550 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | PhD in Public Health |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HLTH 8745 Week 8
Chronic Illness Case: A Composite Woman Who Calls Her Rheumatoid Arthritis Wear and Tear That Comes and Goes, Read Through Leventhal's Common-Sense Model for How Her Picture of the Disease Shapes Her Coping and Adjustment
Student Name
Walden University
HLTH 8745: Health Psychology
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Chronic Illness Case: A Composite Woman Who Calls Her Rheumatoid Arthritis Wear and Tear That Comes and Goes, Read Through Leventhal's Common-Sense Model for How Her Picture of the Disease Shapes Her Coping and Adjustment
The Case
Denise, a composite 52-year-old bookkeeper, was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis five years ago. Asked to describe her illness, she says it is "wear and tear that comes and goes," something she got from years at a keyboard. On bad days she rests her hands and cancels plans; on good days she catches up on everything. She takes her disease-modifying medication irregularly, mostly when her joints are swollen, and has missed two rheumatology visits because she "felt fine." Her inflammation markers have stayed elevated, and recent imaging shows early joint erosion. This case reads her account through Leventhal's common-sense model of illness representations.
The Model
The common-sense model holds that people form representations of illness that guide how they cope, and that they appraise the results and adjust (Leventhal et al., 2016). Representations have several dimensions: identity, the label and symptoms; cause; timeline, whether acute, chronic or cyclical; consequences; and control or cure. The Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire measures these dimensions and adds illness coherence and emotional representations (Moss-Morris et al., 2002). A meta-analysis found that representations relate to coping and outcomes in consistent ways; for example, stronger beliefs in control were associated with more problem-focused coping and better adjustment (Hagger & Orbell, 2003).
Denise's Representation, Dimension by Dimension
Table 1
Denise's Illness Representation Compared With the Medical Picture of Rheumatoid Arthritis
| Dimension | Denise's representation | Medical picture | Consequence for coping | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identity | Sore, stiff hands from overuse | Autoimmune inflammation affecting joints and sometimes other organs | Treats symptoms in her hands only | |
| Cause | Wear and tear from keyboard work | Immune attack on joint linings, with genetic and environmental contributors | Sees rest as the remedy | |
| Timeline | Cyclical; comes and goes | Chronic with flares; damage can progress between flares | Takes medication only during flares | |
| Consequences | Bad days, canceled plans | Joint damage and disability if uncontrolled | Underestimates long-term risk | |
| Control | Rest controls it | Continuous medication controls inflammation | Low use of the treatment that prevents damage | |
Denise is a composite; the medical picture is summarized at a general level.
How the Representation Shapes Coping and Adjustment
Her representation is coherent on its own terms. If the illness is wear and tear that comes and goes, then resting during flares and catching up afterward is sensible, and taking medication when there are no symptoms looks unnecessary. The model predicts exactly the behavior she shows. Her appraisal loop also reinforces the representation: when she rests, the flare eventually subsides, which seems to confirm that rest works. What she cannot see, damage progressing between flares, never enters the appraisal.
Her emotional adjustment is mixed. A cyclical timeline gives her hope between flares, but the unpredictability of bad days and her sense that the remedy is rest may contribute to frustration and canceled plans.
Implications
The model suggests working with her representation rather than simply correcting it. A clinician could explore her beliefs with illness perception questions, then link the change she can observe, swelling, to the process she cannot, inflammation that continues between flares. Showing her imaging and inflammation markers alongside her symptom diary could make the chronic timeline visible.
References
Hagger, M. S., & Orbell, S. (2003). A meta-analytic review of the common-sense model of illness representations. Psychology & Health, 18(2), 141-184. https://doi.org/10.1080/088704403100081321
Leventhal, H., Phillips, L. A., & Burns, E. (2016). The Common-Sense Model of Self-Regulation (CSM): A dynamic framework for understanding illness self-management. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 39(6), 935-946. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-016-9782-2
Moss-Morris, R., Weinman, J., Petrie, K., Horne, R., Cameron, L., & Buick, D. (2002). The Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R). Psychology & Health, 17(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870440290001494
Reading the HLTH 8745 Week 8 instructions
Students analyze a person's experience of chronic illness using a model of illness representations. Faculty expect the model's dimensions to be stated accurately and applied to the person's own account, showing how each dimension shapes coping. The strongest cases compare the person's representation with the medical picture without dismissing the person's view, and they explain why the representation is coherent from the inside. Attention to the model's feedback loop, in which people appraise the results of their coping, is valued. Evidence on how representations relate to outcomes, and on how they are measured, strengthens the case. Implications should work with the person's representation rather than simply correcting it, and a labeled composite case is acceptable.
How the HLTH 8745 Week 8 example is put together
The case opens with Denise's description, her coping and the clinical signs of progressing disease. A framework section cites Leventhal and colleagues on the common-sense model, Moss-Morris and colleagues on the revised questionnaire and Hagger and Orbell's meta-analysis on links between representations and coping. Table 1 sets her representation beside the medical picture on five dimensions with the consequence for coping. A section explains why her behavior follows logically from her view and how her appraisal loop reinforces it. A paragraph addresses emotional adjustment. Implications suggest exploring her beliefs and linking observable swelling to ongoing inflammation using imaging, markers and a symptom diary.
HLTH 8745 Week 8 rubric: what earns full marks
Faculty grade the case on accurate application of the model and on respect for the person's perspective. Labeling her beliefs as wrong earns little. Credit rises when each dimension is applied to her own words and linked to a specific coping behavior. Faculty value recognition of the feedback loop and how it can reinforce a representation that differs from the medical view. Evidence on the model's validity and measurement earns credit when it supports specific points. Implications earn the most when they work with the representation, making the hidden process visible. A clear comparison table, a labeled composite case and avoidance of treatment advice beyond the model's scope complete a strong paper.
Common HLTH 8745 Week 8 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Illness representation cases often list the model's dimensions and fill each with a general statement, which tells a reader nothing about this patient. To write a stronger case, start from the person's own description of the illness and assign each part of it to a dimension. Compare each with the medical picture. Explain how the representation leads to particular coping choices and why those choices make sense from the inside. Look at how the person judges whether coping worked and whether that judgment reinforces the representation. Suggest ways to work with the representation rather than against it, such as linking a symptom she can feel to a process she cannot. A case analysis of the illness your section assigns can be prepared using this model.
Get a HLTH 8745 Week 8 example written to your instructions
Supply the condition your prompt names, any case details provided, and the rubric. The case written for you pairs each illness belief with a behavior it predicts, reads adjustment on more than one axis, and describes the person's view without calling it mistaken. The woman portrayed has no real counterpart. Allow 24 to 48 hours; your first case costs nothing.
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HLTH 8745 Week 8 questions, answered
Does the common-sense model mean patients' beliefs are simplistic?
No. Common sense here means lay understanding built from experience, symptoms and what people hear, not naive thinking. Leventhal's point is that people act on their own working model of an illness, which may differ from the clinical one. The sample treats the woman's account as coherent given what she has lived through, and your case will read better if it does the same.
Which questionnaire measures illness representations?
The Illness Perception Questionnaire and its brief version are widely used with this model, and your case can name them if the prompt asks about measurement. The sample does not score the woman on any instrument, because inventing results for someone who does not exist would add false precision. It describes how each dimension could be assessed and leaves the numbers out.
Can the case recommend a change in treatment?
It should not, and the sample stays clear of it. The case suggests questions worth exploring with her, such as what she thinks the medicine is for, without advising any change in care. Treatment decisions belong to her and her clinicians. A course paper that drifts into prescribing tends to lose marks for scope as well as for tone.
Where can I find a free HLTH 8745 Week 8 sample paper?
You can read the complete Week 8 chronic illness case on this page, reading a composite woman's account of rheumatoid arthritis through Leventhal's common-sense model dimension by dimension, with three references.
Why does Denise take her medication only during flares?
She sees her illness as wear and tear that comes and goes, so medication seems necessary only when symptoms appear. Within that picture, rest during flares and catching up afterward is sensible, and the flare subsiding seems to confirm it.