Family Stress Theory Flashcards

Study Notes

Family Stress Theory Overview

Stress: A biological response to demands for change, leading to psychological and physiological symptoms.
Stressors: Life events or transitions affecting family dynamics, resulting in systemic changes.
Coping: Strategies employed to minimize or tolerate stress.
Resources: Traits or characteristics that families can leverage to handle stress.

Crisis and Adaptation

Crisis: A period of disorganization that disrupts family functioning.
Adaptation: Adjustments made in response to social or physical stressors.
Ambiguous loss: Type of loss resulting from physical absence (divorce) or emotional absence (substance abuse).

Stressors and Events

Types of stressors: Include caregiving demands, demoralizing events like job loss, and transitions in family roles.
Event-Based Stress: Life-altering events requiring significant social and psychological adjustments.
Patterns of Family Crisis: Involves an initiating event, disorganization, followed by reorganization.

The ABCX Model

ABCX Model Components:
- A: Stressor event impacting the family.
- B: Resources available to cope with the stressor.
- C: Family's perception and appraisal of the stressor.
- X: Resulting crisis due to interaction of A, B, and C.

Dual Models of Stress

Pathogenic Models: Focus on eliminating stress and disease from a homeostatic view.
Salutogenic Models: Emphasize understanding health as a dynamic process of coping and adaptation.

Family Adaptation

Family adaptation: Describes the effort to achieve balance post-crisis; important for both individual and family levels.
Factors Influencing Adaptation:
- Family demands and the accumulation of stressors.
- Access to internal and external resources.

The Double ABCX Model

Expansion: Considers time and family's ability to manage cumulative stresses, introducing post-crisis variables.
Key Variables: Stressors, family resources, and processes leading to adaptation outcomes.

Coping Strategies

Problem Management Strategies: Direct approaches targeting the stressor.
Emotional Regulation Strategies: Alter perceptions and interpretations of the stressor to reduce emotional burden.
Meaning-Based Strategies: Foster positive emotions and reframe crises as growth opportunities.

Sense of Coherence (SOC)

SOC Components:
- Comprehensibility: Perception of stimuli as structured and predictable.
- Manageability: Belief in resources being adequate to meet demands.
- Meaningfulness: Sense that life’s challenges are worthwhile.

Family Dynamics and Culture

Factors Affecting Family Responses: Previous experiences, cultural factors, and structural contexts shape SOC and coping capabilities.
Creative Crisis Management: Positive outlook, adaptability, and strong support systems enhance family resilience.

Implications for Practice

Importance for Nursing: Understanding family adaptation processes crucial for supporting families dealing with chronic illness.
Future Considerations: Increasing familial stressors necessitate adaptable theoretical models to apply in diverse contexts.

Empirical Evidence

Research Findings: Studies highlight how supportive relationships and reframing experiences can enhance family functioning amid stressors like chronic illness or crisis.

Applications of Theory

Theoretical Framework: Provides a lens to assess family dynamics, resilience, and coping in various contexts, including mental health and chronic disease management.

Description

Explore key concepts in Family Stress Theory with these flashcards. Each card defines critical terms such as stress, stressors, coping mechanisms, and resources that affect family dynamics. Perfect for students looking to understand how families adapt to challenges.