C2- Treatment + Management of addiction + stress Flashcards
Social Support
Support from those around us:
- family
- friends
- work colleagues
People may have small/large social networks that provide little/alot of support
- Quality > Quantity
3 types of social support
Instrumental Support
- practical help, physically doing something
- giving information
Emotional Support
- expressing warmth, concern, love, empathy
- comforts + helps them feel better
Esteem Support
- give this when someone needs a boost
- increases self-esteem + self-efficacy
Buffering Hypothesis
Argues that social support protects us against the negative effects of stress by creating psychological distance (buffer zone)
- this is a cognitive process that gives us space and a chance to think about the stressor differently
Direct Effect Hypothesis
- argues that social support is beneficial at all times, not just during stress
- because it keeps us in a relaxed state reducing psychological arousal of the NS
Evaluation
- strength
Research Support
- evidence for social support
- a study showed participants who received hugs were less likely to become ill
- can provide protection
Evaluation
- weakness
Backfire effects:
- social support depends on who provides it and when, information may be inaccurate or emotional support may be unhelpful
- social support is beneficial when requested
Skills Training
Skills training = learning different skills
- can be part of CBT or standalone
- it is narrow and specific
- as a client practices their skills it increases their self- efficacy, so they learn they’re capable of controlling their own behaviour (internal LoC)
3 types of skills training
- assertiveness
- anger management
- social skills training
Assertiveness Training
Conflict in relationships = relapse
Disagreements = arguments = aggression
- people avoid confrontation for fear it develops into conflict
This training helps a client to cope with conflicts, minimising chance of relapse to relieve negative feelings
Anger Management
- some addicts find it hard to control their emotions
- arousal can be expressed as anger especially in situations that provoke anxiety
Training can help a client express emotions more constructively. e.g (sports, counting to 10)
Social skills training
- most clients benefit from developing social skills
- a recovering alcoholic will encounter situations where alcohol is available or gambling is cued
SST focuses on improving verbal and non verbal communication skills - tone of voice eye contact
Techniques used in Skills training
Group discussion = small groups, everyone can share experiences and situations, discuss high risk situations
Modelling + Roleplay = the therapist demonstrates a skill and then they imitate and highlight areas for improvement
Homework = tasks are set so the client practices their skills in real life
Visualisation = the client imagines a situation and walks through the steps
Evaluation
- strength
Research support
- a study showed skills training was just as effective as other training used and stopped gambling immediately
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
cognitive explanations focus on the way we think
- irrational ways of thinking lead to drugs, shopping, gambling being used to cope with stress and leads to addiction
CBT Elements
Cognitive Restructuring = the cognitive elements aims to change the irrational thinking
- the behavioural elements aims to help a client learn to avoid high risk situations (skills training)
Functional analysis
= diagnostic test
CBT starts with the client and therapist finding out what the irrational thoughts are, beliefs and triggers
- client may keep a thought diary
Functional analysis is ongoing as it can help identify any issues the client is still having and what skills they need
Cognitive Restructuring
- the clients distorted cognitions are confronted and challenged
- by asking for evidence, client is forced to rethink their irrational thoughts
- it is important the client owns their awareness and is not just told their thoughts are wrong
Behaviour Change
- client learns new skills that will replace their main way of coping with their addiction
- they can use skills training
Relapse Prevention
- the client learns techniques to avoid relapse
- it is hard to avoid triggering cues + high risk situations
- the client learns to identify rational thoughts and challenge them, removing the trigger
Evaluation
- strength
Research Support:
- A Study showed CBT was just as effective as other treatments in treating addiction
Evaluation
- weakness
Short + Long term effects
- study showed benefits of CBT were less effective after 1 year
- confusing as CBT helps prevent relapse
Stress Inoculation Training
(SIT)
Inoculation = giving people protection against future stressors by helping them learn to cope in advance
Thinking about a stressful situation positively rather than negatively changes how we feel + respond
3 phases of SIT
- Cognitive Preparation
- Skill acquisition
- Application + follow through
People move through the stages at their own pace and order
- Cognitive Preparation
- Identifying and understanding the stressors
- client learns to see stressors as challenge rather than threat and break it down into smaller elements that are easier to cope with
- clients responsible for their own progress
- Skill Acquisition
- the client learns skills they need to cope
- the therapist has a toolbox of skills
- self talk is most beneficial as they replace negative talk with positive
- then practice skills in safe environment
- Application + Follow Through
- the client gradually transfers their skills to the real world by conducting personal experiments
- then discuss experience and work on skill development if necessary
- the client learns to cope with setbacks before they happen
- client develops internal LoC
Evaluation
- strength
Research Support:
- a study showed people who has SIT were less stressed than those who didn’t
Flexibility:
- SIT is tailored to clients needs in lots of different situations
Evaluation
- weakness
Too complex:
- hard to find out why it’s successful
- too complicated
Demanding:
- lots of pressure, too much effort
- drop out rates are high
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a psychological approach that involves being in the present
- used to treat stress + addiction in a positive way
Main features of mindfulness
- relating thoughts, feelings, emotions
- take in surroundings (senses)
- promoting healthy behaviours
Mindfulness-based stress reduction
(MBSR)
- treats stress
- reduces stress by distracting, focus attention away from the source
- mindful focus, mindful stretching, body scan
- you are less troubled by stressful thoughts as they pass through your mind
Mindfulness- oriented recovery enhancement
(MORE)
- treats addiction
- as addictive behaviour is often automatic, MORE helps an addicted person become more aware of their behaviour
- this mindfulness technique is more guided, a voice gives a client direction to their medication
Evaluation
- strength
Research Support:
- MORE had better outcomes than other programmes
- shows mindfulness can help to manage stress + addiction
Evaluation
- weakness
Exaggerated Effectiveness:
- evidence is inconclusive and not scientific
- mindfulness is not effective
Talking Therapies
(Counselling + self-guided help)
- delivered by trained practioners who work with people to bring effective change and/or enhance their wellbeing
- guided self-help uses materials from CBT to learn techniques to manage symptoms of anxiety/ depression
Evaluation
- strength
- no medication, so cannot become dependent on it
- treats underlying cause rather than symptoms
Evaluation
- weakness
- requires motivation, effort, belief, expense, need to be willing to open up and share
Biofeedback
- you gain control of automatic bodily processes
- you learn to do this via feedback from a machine
3 Phases of Biofeedback
- Awareness + physiological feedback
- Relaxation training + control
- Transfer
- Awareness + physiological feedback
- you are connected to a machine which gives feedback to you
- the therapist explains what is being shown
- Relaxation training + control
- use feedback to take control of responses
- uses positive reinforcement to make progress = operant conditioning
- Transfer
- move from therapy room to the real world
- may involve portable machines
Evaluation
- strength
Research Support:
- a study showed a group of doctors using biofeedback had reduced stress scores
Evaluation
- weakness
Inconsistent Outcomes
- hasn’t been proved to reduce physiological signs of stress significantly
