Coping with Illness and Disability

Question 1

What is the transactional definition of stress

Answer 1

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.

Question 2

What is the application of the transactional definition of stress

Answer 2

hospitalisation for medical/surgical procedures – there are mental demands of the threat of hospitalisation to their wellbeing (e.g. pain) and there may be limited coping resources as there is little they can do to help themselves

Question 3

Define procedural information

Answer 3

regarding the procedures being undertaken

Question 4

Define sensory information

Answer 4

information about the sensations experienced

Question 5

Explain the dual process hypothesis

Answer 5

procedural and sensory information work in different ways. Procedural information allows patients to match ongoing events with expectations in a non-emotional manner, whereas sensory information works by ‘mapping’ a non-threatening interpretation onto these expectations.

Question 6

What is the effect of perceived control on stress and medical applications of this (2)

Answer 6

• Increased perceived control decreases distress and so

A device for patient to signal their pain/discomfort during dental treatment can reduce distress.
Self- administration of entonox during labour.

Question 7

Define problem focused coping

Answer 7

efforts directed at changing the environment in some way or changing one’s own actions or attitudes.

Question 8

Define emotion focused coping

Answer 8

efforts designed to manage stress-related emotional responses in order to maintain one’s own morale and allow one to function.

Question 9

3 strategies for helping children cope with treatment?

Answer 9

• Tell: use simple language and matter-of-fact style, the child is told what is going to happen before the procedure
• Show: procedure is demonstrated using an inanimate object, a member of staff or the clinician themselves
• Do: procedure does not begin until the child understands what will be done, prompt distraction strategies used during the procedure

Question 10

What is the Auerbach study, describe it and its results

Answer 10

• Studied effect of info given vs patient desire for info
• Patients undergoing dental extraction given general or specific info on the procedure.
• Those with a higher desire for info experiences less distress when given specific info, and those who had a low desire for info experiences less distress with general info

Question 11

Examples of emotion focused coping? (3)

Answer 11

meditation, deep breathing, relaxation techniques

Question 12

Examples of problem focused coping? (4)

Answer 12

information, learning procedures, pacing activity, changing behaviour

Question 13

What is the Langer and Rodin study, describe it and its results

Answer 13

• Study on the effect of perceived control of health
• 2 floors of a nursing home – one given more choice than the other
• Floor given more choice reported greater engagement in activities, had a better general wellbeing and lower 18 month mortality rate