stress inoculation therapy - stress Flashcards
what is SIT?
stress innocualtion therapy is a form of CBT the main aim is to ‘inoculate’ people against suture stress by teaching them to be more resilient
- developed specifically to deal with stress
what is an alternative to drugs to manage stress ?
to adopt a psychological approach which means changing thought processes and the perception of stress rather than biological processes
3 main stages of SIT?
- conceptualisation phase
- skills acquisition
- application phase
conceptualisation phase ?
therapist and client establish a relationship, client is encouraged to talk about their stressors and are helped to see what can be changed straight away. client is taught how to break down global stressors and think about stress as problems that can be solved
skills acquisition phase ?
coping skills are taught and practiced, a variety of skills are taught to fit the individuals specific problems such as relaxation and positive thinking
- clients are taught to use coping self statements
- both cognitive and behavioural skills are taught
application phase ?
clients are given the opportunity to apply newly learned coping skills in different situations that become increasingly stressful
- clients may be asked to train others to deal with stress to practice what they have learnt
- booster sessions also offered
3 effectiveness points ?
- difficult to assess effectiveness of SIT
- effective in reducing stress
- research has supported effectiveness in comparison to other treatments
difficult to assess effectiveness ?
- difficult due to subjective interpretations
- clients often exaggerate problems when they first consult the therapist as they wish to convince them they do need help.
- this is a weakness because it means that measuring the effectiveness of SIT is extremely difficult its likely that research conducted has low internal validity and may not be measuring what it intends to
effective in reducing stress ?
- effective in many different settings
- saunders et al reviewed 37 studies regarding effectiveness of SIT and concluded it was effective in enhancing performance under stress and reducing anxiety. It remained effective regardless of the experience of the experience of the trainer.
- effective treatement in our healthcare system, prevents strain on the NHS by preventing illnesses that are stress related
research has supported the effectiveness of SIT compared to other treatments ?
- meichenbaum conducted an investigation comparing SIT and SD and found for treatment of a snake phobia he found that both treatments worked however only SIT helped clients deal with a second non treated phobia
- strength as it demonstrated that individuals using SIT develop skills that can be actively applied to every day life situations
2 ethical issues ?
- may cause distress
- may cause opposite effect
may cause distress ?
- asking clients to reverse situations they find stressful may cause psychological harm however comparing this to drug therapy the effects may be more long lasting and therefore benefits outweigh the costs
- the small amount of stress that is experienced with SIT may be the start of much bigger gains in everyday life
may cause opposite effect ?
- if stressor of SIT is too intense it could potentially have the opposite effect to one desired skein Friesland suggests this might prevent the individuals from acquiring the necessary skills for such situations that they can be overcome with feelings of despair
- a review of SIT by the military found that although special forces were well prepared to cope with acute stress like what they might experience in combat, they were less prepared to cope with chronic stress so they had not acquired the skills to deal with stressors
social implication?
- stress has been proved to have a big economic impact on society, stressed people tend to have days off sick which damages the company’s effectiveness and cost of treatment costs health services money. however giving people the resources to combat stress has proved to have positive effects on the economy
- blumthat et al found men with coronary heart disease given stress management has significantly reduced healthcare costs.
