Introduction
Working with and caring for patients with severe mental illnesses may be challenging for nurses. Therefore, it is essential that ethical principles, such as non-maleficence, autonomy, justice, and beneficence, guide their practice and help avoid moral dilemmas. Adhering to these principles can also allow the nurse to apply the biopsychosocial framework.
This paper aims to apply the mentioned principles to a case involving two psychiatric patients requesting a nurse’s participation in their planned marriage, while also utilizing the biopsychosocial framework to analyze situations of paternal postpartum depression, childhood sleep disturbances due to nightmares, and emotional distress following an older adult’s transition to assisted living.
Exploring Ethical Principles
When asked to witness the wedding of a 19-year-old schizophrenic patient and a 47-year-old bipolar disorder client, a nurse faces an ethical dilemma. Firstly, a moral principle of autonomy entails respecting patients’ decisions (Manderius et al., 2023). It is essential that the medical professional trusts the decision of the two people and allows them to be together if that makes them happy.
However, in this case, the concept of beneficence opposes respect for autonomy. Beneficence refers to the nurse’s duty to prevent potential harm (Manderius et al., 2023). Considering the clients’ mental conditions, it is likely that their decision is spontaneous and can harm their conditions (Budziszewska et al., 2020). Therefore, the medical worker faces a dilemma of whether they need to witness the wedding.
Using the Biopsychosocial Framework
A Depressed First-Time Father After the Birth of a Healthy Child
The biopsychosocial framework is a holistic approach that assesses the biological, psychological, and social dimensions to provide the best possible care to a patient. Concerning the postpartum depression experienced by a first-time father, a biological factor might be his genetic predisposition (Chavis, 2022). If his close relatives have a history of depression, the risk of the patient’s negative emotional condition increases.
Further, a potential social component can refer to this male’s issues with the child’s mother. For example, if they are in bad relationships or live in poverty, this may cause psychological instability and depression (Chavis, 2022). Eventually, childhood trauma can be a psychological factor contributing to this scenario. Thus, if the patient was made to care for his younger siblings when he was a child himself, he might be reliving those experiences with his own baby.
A Child Unable to Sleep Because of Nightmares
In the second situation, a kid has sleep issues because of terrifying nightmares. The child’s age might be considered a biological determinant in this case. According to researchers, due to their unstable psyche and the developing brain, kids can experience nightmares more often (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2021). This is how they process a situation they have witnessed, their fears, or other matters.
Furthermore, the child’s hobbies or social relationships may also have significant effects. Potentially, if the kid plays video games for many hours before sleep or is bullied by their peers, these might be the social factors. Lastly, the child can have post-traumatic stress disorder or experience increased stress due to their studies or other problems (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2021). The inability to discuss these concerns with parents or peers results in terrible nightmares.
An Older Woman Reluctant to Move Into a Senior Citizens Residence Despite Her Own Decision
Eventually, in the third scenario, there is a need to apply the biopsychosocial framework to an older woman’s situation. When deciding to move into a senior citizens’ residence, the patient might have failed to consider all relevant factors. However, later she probably realized that she would be unable to see her family frequently. These social interactions are essential for the woman, and she does not want to lose them.
Consequently, this perspective caused severe stress in the older lady, which is a biological factor affecting her condition. Stress often makes people unreasonable and causes them to change decisions (AAGP, 2022). As for the psychological dimension, if the senior lady was neglected as a child, this caused mental trauma. Now the older patient is afraid that her family will abandon her, which causes distress and negative emotional responses.
Conclusion
To conclude, ethical principles and the biopsychosocial framework are fundamental in healthcare. Moral concepts guide nursing practice, enabling medical professionals to make informed decisions in specific situations. The framework focuses on three important dimensions and increases medical workers’ understanding of their patients’ conditions. Together, the framework and ethical principles lead to enhanced patient outcomes and worker satisfaction.
References
American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry [AAGP]. (2022). Anxiety and older adults: Overcoming worry and fear. AAGP.
Chavis, A. T. (2022). Paternal perinatal depression in modern-day fatherhood. Pediatrics in Review, 43(10), 539–548.
Budziszewska, M. D., Babiuch-Hall, M., & Wielebska, K. (2020). Love and romantic relationships in the voices of patients who experience psychosis: An interpretive phenomenological analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 570928.
Manderius, C., Clintståhl, K., Sjöström, K., & Örmon, K. (2023). The psychiatric mental health nurse’s ethical considerations regarding the use of coercive measures – a qualitative interview study. BMC Nursing, 22(23).
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2021). Nightmare disorder. Mayo Clinic.
