Fundamentals: Chapter 37

Question 1

Define stress

Answer 1

An experience to which a person is exposed through a stimulus or stressor

Question 2

Define stressor

Answer 2

tension-producing stimuli operating within or on any system

Question 3

How do people interpret the impact of a stressor on themselves or on what is happening and what they are able to do about it?

Answer 3

Appraisal

Question 4

What happens when stress overwhelms existing coping mechanisms?

Answer 4

Patients lose emotional balance and crisis results

Question 5

What happens if symptoms of stress persist beyond the duration of the stressor?

Answer 5

A person has experienced trauma

Question 6

What is the arousal of the sympathetic nervous system which prepares a person for action?

Answer 6

Flight-or-fight response

Question 7

What are the 3 structures in the body that control the response of the body to a stressor?

Answer 7

Medulla oblangata

Reticular formation

Pituitary glad

Question 8

What are the physiological responses to a stressor?

Answer 8

Increased mental activity

Dilated Pupils

Bronchiolar dilation

Increased respiratory rate

Increased HR

Increased CO

Increased arterial blood pressure

Increased glucose

Increased fatty acids

Increased blood flow to skeletal muscles

Question 9

What does the medulla oblangata do?

Answer 9

controls HR, blood pressure, and respirations

Question 10

What does the reticular formation do?

Answer 10

continuously monitor the physiological status of the body through connections with sensory and motor tracts

Question 11

What does the pituitary glad do?

Answer 11

produces hormones necessary for adaptation to stress (adrenocorticotropic, thyroid, gonadal, parathyroid hormones)

Question 12

What are the three stages of the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)?

Answer 12

Alarm Reaction

Resistance Stage

Exhaustion Stage

Question 13

How does a person progress from the alarm reaction stage to the resistance stage of the GAS?

Answer 13

the stressor poses an extreme threat to life or remains for a long time

Question 14

What happens if the stress response during the resistance stage of the GAS is chronically activated?

Answer 14

a state of allostasis which causes excessive wear and tear on the person

Question 15

What is primary appraisal?

Answer 15

evaluating an event for it’s personal meaning

Question 16

What is secondary appraisal?

Answer 16

the use of coping strategies once stress is present

Question 17

What are the 7 examples of Ego-Defense Mechanisms?

Answer 17

Compensation

Conversion

Denial

Displacement

Identification

Dissociation

Regression

Question 18

What does a crisis imply?

Answer 18

that a person is facing a turning point in life

Question 19

What are the 3 types of crisis?

Answer 19

Developmental (ie. marriage)

Situational (ie. new job)

Adventitious (ie. crime)

Question 20

Which factors influence the return of equilibrium or homeostasis after a crisis?

Answer 20

perception of event, situation supports, and coping mechanisms

Question 21

Which stress model model views the person, family, or community as constantly changing in response to the environment and stressors and helps explain individual, family, and community responses to stressors?

Answer 21

Neuman Systems model

Question 22

In the Neuman Systems model, what are the the types of stressors?

Answer 22

Intrapersonal, interpersonal, extrapersonal

Question 23

What does the Neuman Systems model emphasize?

Answer 23

the importance of accuracy in assessment and interventions that promote optimal wellness using primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention stages

Question 24

When assessing a patient facing a stressor where should the nurse’s attention be focused?

Answer 24

determining the patient’s perception of the situation an his or her ability to cope with the stress

Question 25

What are examples of subjective finding related to a patient’s level of stress and coping?

Answer 25

information about the health status of a patient from his/her perspective

patient’s VIEW of stress

coping resources

any possible maladaptive coping

adherence to precscribed medical recommendations.

Question 26

What are examples of objective findings related to a patient’s level of stress and coping?

Answer 26

Grooming and hygiene

Gait

characteristics of a handshake

actions while sitting

quality of speech

eye contact

attitude of a patient during interview

Physiological: increased P,R,B/P

Question 27

What do nursing diagnoses for people experiencing stress generally focus on?

Answer 27

coping

Question 28

What are examples of desirable outcomes for persons experiencing stress?

Answer 28

effective coping, family coping, caregiver emotional health

Question 29

What are the 3 primary modes of intervention for stress?

Answer 29

decrease stress producing situations

increase resistance to stress

learn skills that reduce physiological response to stress

Question 30

What are the 3 types of interventions found to be most effective in promoting physical activity among chronically ill adults?

Answer 30

target physical activity exclusively

use behavioral strategies

encourage self-monitoring

Question 31

What is the time frame in which a crisis is usually resolved?

Answer 31

6 weeks.