What factors affect a person's needs and wellbeing?
The factors that affect an individual's needs and wellbeing: physical, social, economic, environmental and emotional factors, and how they shape the care a person requires.
An SQA Higher Care answer on the factors that affect needs and wellbeing: physical and health factors, social and family factors, economic factors such as poverty, environmental factors such as housing, and how these influence the care a service user requires.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
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What this dot point is asking
The SQA wants you to explain the factors that affect an individual's needs and wellbeing: physical and health, social and family, economic, environmental and emotional factors. You should be able to describe each factor and explain how it shapes the care a person requires. The key idea is that needs are influenced by a person's whole situation, not just their health.
The answer
Why factors matter
Physical and health factors
Social and family factors
Economic factors
Environmental factors
Emotional factors and interaction
Examples in context
A man living alone on a low income in a cold, damp flat has needs shaped by economic and environmental factors: poor heating worsens his health, raising physical needs, while isolation raises social and emotional needs. A woman with strong family support recovering from surgery needs less from services because a social factor is protecting her wellbeing. A teenager with a disability faces physical factors raising care needs and emotional factors around self-esteem. Showing how the factors in a person's life combine to shape their needs is the holistic analysis a Higher answer rewards.
Try this
Q1. Name three types of factor that can affect a person's needs. [3 marks]
- Cue. Any three: physical and health, social and family, economic, environmental, emotional.
Q2. Explain how an environmental factor can affect a service user's needs. [4 marks]
- Cue. Poor or unsafe housing or limited access to services raises needs (worse health, less independence); good housing and accessible services support wellbeing.
Q3. Describe how economic factors can affect wellbeing. [2 marks]
- Cue. Low income or poverty can mean poor diet, cold housing and unmet health needs, raising physical, emotional and social needs.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA Higher Care6 marksExplain how social and economic factors can affect a service user's needs.Show worked answer →
A -mark explain question. Markers reward developed factors linked to needs.
Strong answers cover: economic factors such as low income or poverty, which can mean poor diet, cold housing and unmet health needs; social factors such as isolation, family support or its absence, and relationships; and how these raise the care a person requires. For example, a person on a low income may have greater physical and emotional needs because they cannot afford heating or good food.
The discriminator is the link from factor to need, developed rather than listed.
SQA Higher Care4 marksDescribe two factors that can affect a person's wellbeing.Show worked answer →
A -mark describe question: two developed factors.
Acceptable points: physical and health factors (illness, disability, age); economic factors (income, poverty, employment); social factors (relationships, isolation, family support); environmental factors (housing quality, neighbourhood, access to services); and emotional factors (stress, self-esteem, life events).
Description of the factor and how it affects wellbeing earns the marks.
Related dot points
- The types of human need that care must meet: physical, intellectual, emotional and social needs, plus cultural and spiritual needs, and how these are classified and met in care settings.
An SQA Higher Care answer on the types of human need: physical, intellectual, emotional and social (PIES), plus cultural and spiritual needs. Covers what each type means, how they are classified, and examples of how care meets each in a care setting.
- How human needs change across the life stages and through significant life events and transitions, and why care must respond to these changing needs.
An SQA Higher Care answer on how needs change across the lifespan: the life stages from infancy to later adulthood, how needs shift at each stage, and how life events and transitions such as bereavement, illness or moving home change a person's needs.
- How needs are identified and met in practice: the range of care services, the role of the care plan, the multidisciplinary team, and how care is assessed, delivered and reviewed.
An SQA Higher Care answer on how needs are met in practice: the range of health and social care services, the role of the care plan in identifying and meeting needs, the multidisciplinary team, and how care is assessed, delivered and reviewed.
- Equality, diversity and anti-discriminatory practice in care: the types and effects of discrimination, and how care workers and services promote equality and challenge discrimination.
An SQA Higher Care answer on equality, diversity and anti-discriminatory practice: what discrimination is, its types (direct, indirect, prejudice, stereotyping), its effects on service users, and how care workers and services promote equality and challenge discrimination.
Sources & how we know this
- Higher Care Course Specification — SQA (2018)
- Higher Care - Course overview — SQA (2025)