PSYCHOSOCIAL FUNCTION AND ASSESSMENT Flashcards
mental health
a large umbrella encompassing both the cognitive and affective aspects of a person
life events
- Retirement
- Relocation
- Chronic illness and Functional impairment
- Widowhood
- Death of friends and family
- Ageist Attitudes
- Loss of autonomy (ie. Driving)
risk factors that affect psychosocial function
Factors contributing to high levels of stress:
* Poor physical health
* Impaired functional abilities
* Weak social supports
* Lack of economic resources
* Immature developmental level
* Narrow range of coping skills
* Occurrence of unanticipated events
* Occurrence of several daily hassles at the same time
* Occurrence of several major life events over short time
eustress vs distress
distress - negative
eustress - event or experience that is positive but is still causing stress
i.e., having a baby, moving to your dream house, starting your new job…
stress def.
as the sum of all the effects of factors that act on the body
stressors
normal activities and disease states, both pleasant and unpleasant
3 stages of stressors
alarm, resistance, and exhaustion
chronic stress
increases risks for various conditions
coping styles categorized as problem focused or emotion focused
- Seeking information
- Reframing situation
- Maintaining hopeful outlook
- Using stress reduction techniques
- Channeling energy into physical activity
- Creating fantasies regarding outcomes
- Finding reassurance and emotional support
- Identifying limits and realistic goals
- Getting involved in activities such as art, music
and writing
relevance for nurses
- identifying interventions for optimal functioning and QOL
- psychosocial interventions to deal w/ chronic conditions to remain at home safely
spirituality and aging
- Is much broader and more personal with age
- Spirituality and religious practices of older people are linked to positive health outcomes
- Health care professionals should be aware of patients’ religious and spiritual beliefs and seek to understand what function they serve
support system
social, spiritual, and emotional support
informational support:
- health literacy: listening skills, the ability to
speak and communicate health needs, and the
ability to act on written health information
and instruction from health care providers
resilience
- The ability to bounce back and recover physical
and psychological health in the face of adversity - The ability to use coping mechanisms
- Outcome of increasing wisdom
- Closely linked to spirituality, a sense of
hopefulness and finding meaning in life and losses - Nurses’ role is to support resilience
psychosocial assessment
- mental status assessment (i.e., MMSE)
- physical appearance
- decision-making and executive function
- affective function
- contact w/ reality
- social support
- religion & spirituality
mental status assessment
- mental status screening tools
- physical appearance
- motor function, body language, psychomotor behaviors
- social skills
- response to the interview
- orientation
- alertness and attention
- memory
- speech and language characteristics
- calculation and higher language skills
