Stress And Adaptation Flashcards
Stressors
- internal or external stimuli(factors) that cause stress
Crying child
Loud
Stressors are also found in other ways
Physiologic
- wounds
- illness
Psychological
-fear of failing a test
Waiting for surgery
GAS-General Adaptation Syndrome
AKA Neuroendocrine Response
A 3 stage reaction that describes how the body responds to stressors through the alarm reaction, resistance stage, and the exhaustion stage
Primarily in lives the
- ANS and endocrine system
- initiated by the pituitary gland:causes hypothalamus to secrete endorphins
Alarm reaction
Fight or flight response
- the body is alerted to stressors
- HR,BP, cardiac output, epinephrine and norepinephrine increased, blood flow to muscles increased, blood glucose increased
- lasts minutes to hours
Resistance stage
Body tries to cope(adapt) to stressors and to limit the stressor to smallest area of body that can deal with it
- patient may be irritable,restless,decreased initiative.
- body is trying to return to normal and fix any damages but can become ill if stress is not relieved due to powerful hormone fluctuations
Exhaustion stage
Too much to adjust to
Patient may be:depressed,depleted, slowed down, near death
Factors influencing the response to stressors
- Nature of stressor
- Number of stressors to be coped with at one time
- Duration of exposure to stressor
- Experience with comparable stressor
Nature of stressor
What it means to the person. What some find a minor stressor may be major to someone else
Duration of exposure
If stressor is extended beyond coping ability, person becomes exhausted and eventually dies
LAS- Local Adaptation Syndrome
More localized to a specific area/ or inflammatory response
Anxiety
A state of tension about impending danger
- with anxiety may not always know what is causing it
Levels of anxiety
Mild
Moderate
Severe
Panic
Mild anxiety
A person is more alert and more aware
Can learn easily
Release of energy
Moderate anxiety
A persons perceptual field is narrowed.
Has selected attention
Severe anxiety
- Perceptual field is greatly decreased
- All energy is going towards that stress
Panic
Dread
Terror
Details blown out of perspective
Regimentation
You are taking away most of patients choices and may feel anxiety
Physiological results from anxiety
Fatigue Insomnia Diarrhea Urgency Dilated pupils Elevated BP/HR NAUSEA PERSPIRATION
Suggestions for managing anxiety
Be patient with yourself and other people
Try not to panic counseling for severe symptoms
Attach behavior
Act to remove it overcome a stressor
Withdraw behavior
Removing self physically or emotionally from stressor
Compromise behavior
Changing the usual method of operating, substituting goals, or omitting the satisfaction of needs to meet other needs
Compensation
Making up for a deficiency in one aspect of self-image by strongly emphasizing something else
Conversion
Unconsciously repressing an anxiety-producing emotional conflict, and transforming it into some other symptom
Denial
Avoiding emotional conflicts by refusing to consciously acknowledge anything that causes intolerance or emotional pain
Displacement
Is transferring emotions,ideas, or wishes from a stressful situation to a less anxiety producing substitute
Identification
Is patterning after that of another person and assuming that persons qualities, characteristics and actions
Dissociation
Experiencing a subjective sense of numbing and reduced awareness of ones surroundings
Regression
Coping with a stressor through actions and behaviors associated with an earlier developmental period
Stress
An experience in which a person is exposed through a stimulus or a dress or demand experienced by all people
