ABSTRACT
This chapter utilizes an adapted interpretation of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model to differentiate the impact of relationship quality on health and wellbeing at different stages in the life-course and how a relational approach broadens the scope for playful intervention. Research shows that relationship quality is directly linked to specific areas of public health concern such as child poverty, infant attachment, mental health, obesity, alcohol/substance misuse, cardiovascular disease and dementia. The application of systems theory to the study of public health acknowledges the contextual nature of relationships – their ‘social ecology’ – and recognizes that interpersonal relationships exist in symbiosis with wider relationships – with school, work, community and public services. The use of ecological approaches to explore the multiple contexts that influence and connect the behavioral mechanisms underlying health-related behaviors is becoming more common. The microsystem includes direct influencers on the individual’s development, encompassing the individual’s relationships and interactions with his or her immediate surroundings such as family, school, and neighborhood.
