REACTIONS TO ADVERSITY, LOSS AND ILLNESS Flashcards
what is grief?
intense sorry, especially caused by someones death (a loss form a bond)
what is the affective reaction to loss?
depression anxiety guilt anger anhedonia loneliness longing shock numbness
what is the cognitive reaction to loss?
preoccupied thoghts sense of presence of deceased suppression hopelessness memory problems difficulty concentrating
what is a behavioural reaction to loss?
tired crying social withdrawal overactivity agitation
what is a physiological-somatic reaction to loss?
loss of appetite
sleep disturbance
energy loss
somatic complaints
what is an immunological/endocrine reaction to loss?
susceptibility to illness
disease and mortality risk
suicide risk
does grief have a biological function?
The searching behaviour which often follows a bereavement, is a feature which conferred evolutionary advantage on individuals and kinship groups whose searching behaviour kept family units together, thus naturally selecting this behaviour.
what is mourning?
when grief is expressed
what are the Kubler-Ross stages of grief?
denial anger bargaining depression acceptance
what is ‘bargaining’ in the Kubler-Ross stages of grief?
when you wish, pray, or hope that your loved one will be saved in exchange for something, usually you changing your behaviour.
what are some common misunderstandings about the Kubler-ross stages of grief?
the 5 stages are linear and follow a pattern
the stages can’t repeat
once you have felt all 5 stages that’s it, grief over
you only feel these 5 emotions
does emotional avoidance help?
It may be effective in the short-term and can provide some temporary relief but in the long run, it often causes more harm as avoidance behaviors are associated with increased severity of PTSD symptoms.
how do we need to handle children’s grief differently?
they need more empathy, listening and explaining as they tend to think magically, understand things very literally and are egocentric. they need to know they will be cared for, that its not their fault, they need to feel involved, something to remember the person by and a continued routine activity
describe how the family dynamics can help during the grieving process?
Good family functioning, which is characterized by open communication, expression of feelings and thoughts and cohesion among family members, facilitates adaptive adjustment to the loss.
expression of affection and good communication in families are believed to mitigate grief symptoms
There is evidence that dysfunctional families exhibit more psychopathological symptoms, more psychosocial morbidity, poorer social functioning, greater difficulty accessing community resources, lower functional capacity at work, and a more complicated grieving process.
what are some cultural differences in bereavement and mourning?
the way grief is expressed
the deceased’s relationship with the living beyond death
treatment and disposal of the deceased’s body
the time allotted to mourning
