Week 6

Question 1

What influences the quality of life

Answer 1

• Disease characteristics
• Treatment characteristics
• Demographic factors
• Psychosocial factors
  –> I’ts individual, complex and can change over time!

Question 2

Stage model of psychosocial adjustment (Morse & Johnson)

Answer 2

You go through 4 stages when you get diagnosed:
1. Uncertainty
2. Disruption
3. Striving for recovery
4. Restoration of well-being

Criticism: stages can co-occur, you can more back and forth and it creates false expectations to responses of illness.

Question 3

Crisis theory (Moos & Schaefer)

Answer 3

Illness is not unique, it’s just a crisis in someone’s life which trigger non-unique coping strategies. After the crisis you go through different processes:
- Cognitive appraisal: what is the impact on your life.
- Adaptive tasks: seeing as doctor, going to the hospital.
- Coping: emotion or problem focused.

Question 4

Coping styles

Answer 4

• Denial: can cause rumination and worry, delay symptom recognition and can cause non-adherence to treatment, anxiety and depression (but also less fatigue).
• Problem-focused: associated with positive outcomes.
• Religious coping: positive outcomes like hope and meaning.
• Emotion-focused: initially adaptive; in uncontrollable situations venting emotions can decrease stress and less stress can improve symptoms.

Question 5

Cognitive Adaptational Model

Answer 5

People are motivated to face challenges and be proactive in dealing and restoring equilibrium. They do this by:
- Searching for meaning
- Gaining a sense of control
- Restoring self-esteem

Question 6

Post-traumatic growth

Answer 6

Can be experienced after getting a diagnosis and can lead to:
- Enhanced personal relationships
- Greater appreciation of life
- Sense of increased personal strength
- Greater spirituality
- Changing life priorities

Question 7

Stages model of adjustment to illness (McCubbin & Patterson)

Answer 7

1. Resistance
2. Restructuring
3. Consolidation

Question 8

Benefits and effects of supportive relationship

Answer 8

Benefits:
- Practical assistance
- Expression of love
- Non minimising and being critical

Other effects:
- Treatment adherence
- Caregivers emotional adjustment
- Marital relation
- Caregiver burden and well-being
- Increased survival

Question 9

Caregiver effects and burdens

Answer 9

• Emotional impact: emotional, financial, inability to recharge, anger, guilt, grief.
• Physical effects and immunological effects.
• Positive effects: feeling useful, sense of fulfilment, closeness.

Question 10

The burdens and positive effects are influences by

Answer 10

• Illness features
• Caregiver characteristics
• Caregiver patient relation
• Dyadic perceptions (like discrepancies)