coping with chronic illness Flashcards
describe Selye’s General adaptation syndrome.
- alarm increases activity
- resistance is attempt to cope
- exhaustion when can’t resist anymore
what were some of the problems of early models of coping with stress (fight or flight, general adaptation)?
- did not address individual variability/psychology factors i.e people can act differently in the same situation
- response was very automatic and psychological and so consistent.
describe the Transactional Model of Stress (Lazarus).
process to figure out if stressed or not and response
primary appraisal = is this situation stressful?
- irrelevant - stimulus has no implication for the well-being of the person
- benign and positive - stimulus is positive with pleasurable emotions
- harmful and a threat - stimulus is negative but subject believes they can control
- harmful and a challenge - stimulus is negative and subject cannot control
secondary appraisal = can i cope with this?
- depends on how much control person feels they have, whether their actions will help the situation and what is at stake
- higher stakes/less control => more stress
what is problem-based coping?
taking action to reduce the demands of stressor or increasing resources to be able to manage it
e.g. revision plan, counselling a failing relationship
what is emotional-based coping?
attempting to manage emotions caused by stress
e.g. praying, exercise, alcohol, denial, venting anger, seeking emotional support, humour, self-harm, suicide, distraction/procrastination
describe a ‘Type A’ personality.
- thinking of doing two things at once (multitasking)
- hurrying the speech of others
- unduly irritated by queues
- if you want something done, have to do it yourself
- frequent knee jigging or finger tapping
- frequent use of explicit language/comments etc
- playing every game to win, even with children
- impatient when watching someone do something you think you could do better
- eating and speaking really fast
A for angry/agitated :P
describe a ‘Type C’ personality
- mainly females
- co-operative and appeasing
- compliant and passive
- endures pain/hardship without showing feelings (stoic)
- unassertive and self-sacrificing
- tend to inhibit negative emotions (esp. anger)
C for calm/controlled :P
describe a ‘High N’ personality.
- worrying
- negative outlook
- introspective
- low self-concept
- social anxiety
N for nervous/negative :P
how can stress change behaviour?
- increased smoking
- increased alcohol
- poor diet
- lack of exercise
- increased accidents
what is the impact of chronic illness on a person?
- become emotionally distressed in coping with illness
- restricts and disrupts normal actions/events of daily life
- have to learn how to manage illness
- have to incorporate new ‘tasks’ into daily life
- change lifestyle/risk factors to prevent progression of disease
- cope with side-effects of treatment
- can lead to a loss of ‘self’
How can chronic illness impact on the family of the individual?
- increasing pressure on families to care for patient
- physical, psychological, social, financial consequences of informal caring
- different people have different views on what is an emotional/physical burden on them in terms of caring for individuals (objective and subjective burden)
- caregivers’ needs often given low priority
how can health services help with stress?
- information provision
- social support
- self-management training
- stress management training
give some examples of information provision. (7)
- good communication skills
- good interpersonal skills
- leaflets
- internet (incl. forums)
- helplines
- CDs/DVDs
- expert patients
give some examples of stress management. (5)
- problem-solving
- cognitive restructuring
- behavioural change plans
- relaxation and mindfulness (type A)
- positive self-talk (self-instruction training)
*often most effective with patient and carer present
