3. The Means to Success: Coping & Stress Management Flashcards
L-3 Health Tips?
- Accept the things you cannot change.
- Approach the things you can.
- Put your relationships to good use.
- Talk to animals, hug trees, live near the water—and meditate.
What is Coping?
Coping refers to the things that people do to reduce their stress.
The process by which people try to manage the perceived discrepancy
between the demands and resources they appraise in a stressful situation.
Includes efforts to manage internal and external demands, whether successful or not (do not confound the behaviour with the outcome!).
Coping is not a single event, it involves?
Continuous transactions with the environment and continuous appraisals/reappraisals.
→ A dynamic process.
When saying that someone is coping it does NOT mean?
That they are coping effectively.
Many coping strategies are associated with a maladaptive outcome :(
Transactional Model of Stress and Coping?
- Encounter a stimulus
- Then engage in Primary and secondary appraisal.
- Then (usually a series) of coping responses, not always effective just whatever you are doing.
Transactional because the coping response can have an effect on the stimulus itself and the primary and secondary appraisal.
Functions of Coping - Problem-Focused Coping?
Direct efforts to solve the problem.
Functions of Coping - Emotion-Focused Coping?
Efforts to manage emotions
generated by the stressful situation.
Functions of Coping - Relationship-Focused Coping?
Efforts to maintain and manage social relationships during stressful periods.
Problem-Focused Coping, two different perspectives?
Changing the situation:
- Thinking of options / Weighing pros & cons
- Making a plan of action / Formulating a list
- Increasing efforts to make things work
Changing ourselves:
- Seeking information from other sources
- Learning new skills / Practicing / Rehearsing
- Taking a course / Reading a book
Provide a few examples of Emotion-Focused Coping?
Denial (I told myself it didn’t happen.)
Escape-Avoidance (I avoided thinking about the problem.) Distancing (I tried to forget it and put it out of my mind.) Wishful Thinking (I wished it would go away.)
Emotional suppression (I tried not to cry.)
Emotional expression (I told others.)
Positive reappraisal (I focused on the bright side.)
Self-Care (I took a break.)
Social comparison (I reminded myself that I’m still better off.) Prayer (I prayed for things to get better.)
Substance use (I had a drink.)
Other Defence Mechanisms (e.g., intellectualizing), etc.
Provide a few examples of Relationship-Focused Coping?
Empathic responding (I tried to understand how other person felt.) Perspective taking (I tried to see things from person’s perspective.) Support seeking (I called a friend for help.)
Support provision (I tried to help the other person involved). Compromise (I tried to find a solution that was fair to all involved.) Interpersonal withdrawal (I spent time alone.)
Confrontation (I expressed anger to the other person.)
Mixed functions, interactive effects.
Meaning-Focused Coping?
Efforts to manage the meaning of an event or situation.
Drawing on beliefs (e.g., religious, spiritual, or beliefs about justice), values, and existential goals (e.g., purpose in life) to motivate and sustain coping and well-being in difficult times.
Related to a variety of postivtie outcomes.
Approach Coping?
Attempts to actively deal with the problem or manage the tension.
- cognitive (e.g., trying to see the positive) or behavioural (e.g., talking to a friend)
Avoidance Coping?
Attempts to distance oneself from the problem and not think about it.
- cognitive (e.g., trying not to think about it) or behavioural (e.g., drinking to reduce tension)
Approach vs. Avoidance
What are the possible benefits and costs of each?
Approach coping benefits; probably better early on trying to do something abut the situations, appropriate action, realise of emotions assimilation of trauma, stress reduction.
Costs: increased distress (keep trying and not getting anywhere), non-productive worry and rumination.
Avoidance coping benefits: Short-term stress reduction, allows for dosing (taking in the stress in small doses), increased hope and courage costs.
Costs: (tend to be greater than the benefits. Increased distress (problems don’t go away bc we ignore them), inmterferece with action, emotional numbness, disruptive behaviours.
What is the best way to cope?
No one way of coping is good for all situations all of the time…
Depends on personal attributes, abilities, contextual factors, social factors, controllability of the stressor, etc.
For example, avoidance is better than approach if the situation in uncontrollable; yet approach is better if one can take advantage of opportunities for control.
The best indicator of effective coping is….?
THE OUTCOME.
Was the goal accomplished?
Was the problem solved?
Was the challenge overcome?
Was there an impact on mood or health?
Was there an impact on the relationship?
Daily Process Methods can measure these
Psychological Resilience?(definition)
Positive adaptation or successful coping after a stressful or adverse situation.
→ Recovery from stress / adversity without a lasting impact.
What factors contribute to resilience?
Pretty high genetic factors, 55%-60%, while some studies show much lower result.
- Inherited epigenetic effects can contribute to resilience.
Both biological and environmental factors, especially early childhood experiences.
- The factors that predicts PTSD, the opposite is a predictor of resilience.
Resilience involves high levels of which 3 positive aspects of personality?
Self‐esteem, personal control, and optimism.
→ Similar to hardiness (control, commitment, challenge)
- Involvement in life, set goals and overcome them: commitment.
- See difficulties as challenges that can be overcome.
Health outcomes of resilience in old age?
Improved quality of life Independence in ADL
Faster cardiovascular recovery Increased longevity
Lower mortality risk
Better mental health
Greater happiness, well-being
Lower rates of depression
Higher life satisfaction
Successful aging (despite adversities)
How to effectively manage stress: Some recommendations from the research…?
Deal with things, problem-solve. (problem-solving / denial/avoidance)
- denial/avoidance can be effective in the short-term, we cannot think about something all the time.
Process and express your feelings. (disclosure / rumination)
Engage positive emotions; find benefits/meaning. (positive reappraisal)
Accommodate to the stressor as needed. (acceptance)
Find support and collaborate. (support-seeking / empathy / withdrawal)
Also: Interact with friendly animals. Spend time in nature. Meditate and be mindful.
Positive Reappraisal?
- A highly adaptive strategy focused on gaining meaning from a stressful event.
- Involves deriving personally relevant positive meaning from an experience in the face of its negative qualities.
- Much more than simply looking on the bright side of things.
- Requires a lot of work and time until you sincerely can see it from a different perspective.
Nowlan et al. (2016): Examined positive reappraisal in response to adverse life events among older adults (62-88).
They found that positive reappraisal was associated with…?
Higher current and future positive emotion, as well as lower anxiety and depression.
PR coping intervention programs show success in reducing anxiety and improving clinical outcomes.
Disclosure?
An adaptive strategy in which a person describes their feelings about a stressful or traumatic experience.
Similar to emotional expression; an important aspect of emotion regulation.
Disclosure can be verbal or written.
- Ideally with the intent of resolving or working through things…
Which type of disclosure is most effective? + Verbal rumination and effect on the other person
Verbal is most effective, followed by written, and not disclosing is maladaptive.
If not goal is resolving, it becomes a form of verbal rumination. Stress is contagious, is can have a negative effect for them. -> Reminder to think about the person on the other end.
Cepeda et al. (2008): Asked cancer patients to write a story about how cancer affected their lives for 20 minutes/week for 3 weeks.
Patients whose narratives contained more emotional disclosure demonstrated?
Significantly less pain and reported higher well-being compared to less emotional narratives.
The Social Context of Stress?
Our social networks can be seen as buffer. But negative social networks can have negative effects.
What is Tend-and-Befriend? + women vs. men
People also respond to stress with social behaviours.
Greater tendency for women to engage in tend-and-befriend then men.
Men still do engage in the tend-and-befriend response, maybe just not as much.
