12. Coping with illness and disability Flashcards
what is the transactional definition of stress?
stress is a condition that results when the person/environment transactions lead the individual to perceive a discrepancy between the demands of the situation and the coping resources available
what is the transactional application of stress?
can be applied to hospitalisation for medical/surgical procedures
there are mental demands of the threat to wellbeing from hospitalisation (including the severity, pain etc) and there may be limited coping resources as there is little the patient can do
what is procedural information?
information about the procedures to be undertaken
what is sensory information?
information about the sensations that may be experienced
what is the dual process hypothesis?
proposes that procedural and sensory information work in different ways
procedural information allows patients to match ongoing events with expectations in a non-emotional manner
sensory information works by mapping a non-threatening interpretation onto these expectations
define problem focussed coping
efforts directed at changing the environment in some way or changing one’s own actions/attitudes
give examples of problem focussed coping
seeking health information, learning procedures, pacing activity, changing behaviour
define emotion focussed coping
efforts designed to manage the stress-related emotional responses in order to maintain one’s own morale and allow one to function
give examples of emotion focussed coping
meditation, relaxation techniques, deep-breathing, distraction, praying
what are the 5 illness representations proposed by Leventhal?
- identity
- cause
- consequences
- timeline
- curability/controllability
how does identity represent illness and how would you find it out?
the label of the illness and symptoms
“what symptoms do you have?”
how does cause represent illness and how would you find it out?
what may have caused the problem - genetics, circumstances, trauma
“stress was a major factor for my illness”
how do consequences represent illness and how would you find it out?
expected effects from the illness and views about the outcome
“my illness is a serious condition”
how does timeline represent illness and how would you find it out?
how long the problem will last and whether it is seen as acute, chronic or episodic
“my illness will last a long time”
how does cure-control represent illness and how would you find it out?
expectations about recovery or control of the illness
“there is little that can be done to improve my illness”
what strategies are there to help children cope with treatment?
- distraction: most effective for younger children
- modelling intervention such as showing a film of a child having an operation to reduce anxiety of the unknown
- preparatory information that is specific and includes both procedural and sensory information
what is the combined approach for helping children cope with treatment?
TELL: use simple language and a matter-of-fact style to tell the child what is going to happen before each procedure
SHOW: demonstrate the procedure using an inanimate object, member of staff or clinician
DO: the procedure does not begin until the child understands what will be done
outline Auerbach’s study on the amount of information and distress (1983)
- study on the effect of information given vs individual desire for information
- patients undergoing a dental extraction are either given general information or specific information regarding the procedure
- patients with a high desire for information experienced less distress when given specific information
- patients with a low desire for information experienced less distress when given general information
