Health Psychology - Coping Flashcards
Coping
Definition (quote)
Coping with a stressor is the process of dealing with both internal and evironmental demands that are perceived to be overwelming and exceeding the personal resources of the individual
Assumption: every individual has their own carrying capacity
Coping
Defenition (general)
Efforts to deal with a threatening or harmful situation, to remove the stressor or to deminish the way in which it can have an adverse impact on the person
Coping is neede to be able to deal with..
- Stress (illness causes stress)
- A crisis (Illness as a crisis)
- A (chronic) disease
When confronted with a stressor…
(steps)
- Primary appraisal (is it harmful?)
- Secondary appraisal (can I cope?)
Coping well with illness means..
- Achieving good physical health outcomes
- Having comprehensive knowledge of illness and symptoms
- Being able to mange the illness
- Being satisfied with the treatment
- Having a good quality of life
Goals of coping
- Recovery
- Tolerate or adjust to negative events or realities
- Maintain a positive self image
- Maintain emotional equilibrium
- Continue satisfying relationships with others
Illness related goals of coping
- Deal with pain and other symptoms
- Deal with the hospital environment and other procedures
- Develop and maintain relationships with healthcare professionals
Coping styles
- Dispositional
- Situational
What is dispositional coping?
Coping is a personality trait, and the person uses the same coping style in different situations
Personality trait: information seeking style, pessimism/ optimism
What is situational coping?
A person has diverse coping styles and uses them depending on the situation
Main forms of coping styles
- Problem focused coping
- Emotion focused coping
- Approach based coping
- Avoidance based coping
What is problem focused coping?
- Address the problem
- Taking action
- Change the situation
- Confront the stressor
- Use problem solving techniques
= Asssociated with better adjustment and less depression (dependent on control over situation; coping flexibility is needed)
What is emotion-focused coping?
- Regulate emotions
- Take distance from the situation
- Redefine the situation
- Avoidance bahavior
- Flight behavior
- Seeking distraction
What is approach based coping?
- Deal with the stressor and related emotions
Leads to less stress in the end
Can be both problem focused and emotion focused
What is avoidance based coping?
- Attempts to escape from having to deal with the stressor
Only emotion focused
