Stress, Illness, and Coping PDF

Stress, illness and coping 3/14/2024 Dr. Abdalla Content Moderators of the Stress Experience 1. Coping 2. Social Support 3. Stress Management 3/14/2024 Dr. Abdalla What is coping? Process of managing the discrepancy between the demands of the situation and the available resources. Ongoing process of...

Stress, illness and coping 3/14/2024 Dr. Abdalla Content Moderators of the Stress Experience 1. Coping 2. Social Support 3. Stress Management 3/14/2024 Dr. Abdalla What is coping? Process of managing the discrepancy between the demands of the situation and the available resources. Ongoing process of appraisal and reappraisal (not static). Can alter the stress problem OR regulate the emotional response. 3/14/2024 Dr. Abdalla Emotion-Focused Coping Aimed at controlling the emotional response to the stressor. Often used when the person feels he/she can’t change the stressor (e.g., bereavement); or Doesn’t have resources to deal with the demand. 3/14/2024 Dr. Abdalla Problem-Focused Coping Aimed at reducing the demands of the situation or expanding the resources for dealing with it. Often used when the person believes that the demand is changeable. 3/14/2024 Dr. Abdalla Problem-Focused Coping Planful Problem-Solving – analyzing the situation to arrive at solutions and then taking direct action to correct the problem. Confrontive Coping – taking assertive action, often involving anger or risk taking to change the situation. 3/14/2024 Dr. Abdalla More coping efforts Seeking social support – can be either problem or emotion-focused coping. Distancing – cognitive effort to detach from situation Escape-avoidance – wishful thinking or taking action to escape or avoid situation. Positive reappraisal – create positive meaning. Cognitive Re-structuring - process by which stressprovoking thoughts are replaced with more constructive one. 3/14/2024 Dr. Abdalla Gender and Coping Men generally employ problem-focused coping strategies more than emotionfocused strategies. Opposite for women, with women more often employing emotion-focused strategies. 3/14/2024 Dr. Abdalla Social Support Emotional support – expression of empathy, understanding, caring, etc. Esteem support – positive regard, encouragement, validating self-worth Tangible or instrumental support– lending a helpful hand. Information support – providing information, new insights, advice. Network support – feeling of belonging 3/14/2024 Dr. Abdalla Threats to Social Support Stressful events can interfere with your ability to use social supports. People under stress may become so focused on talking about their problems that they drive their support systems away. Supports agents may react in a way that makes the problem worse. Support providers may be adversely affected by providing support. 3/14/2024 Dr. Abdalla Generally Social Support Associated with Good Effects Increased survival rates in women who have breast cancer. Lower blood pressure Decrease risk of mortality 3/14/2024 Dr. Abdalla Stress Management 3/14/2024 Dr. Abdalla Stress Management – teaches coping techniques Reduce harmful environmental conditions Teaches techniques by which person can develop stress tolerance. Helps client maintain a positive self-image. Help maintain emotional equilibrium. Help client maintain or develop satisfying relations with others. 3/14/2024 Dr. Abdalla Cognitive Therapy – Albert Ellis, Aaron Beck Assumes that stress arises or is increased by faulty or irrational ways of thinking: Catastrophizing – “It is awful if I get turned down when I ask for a date”. Overgeneralizing – “I didn’t get a good grade on this test. I can’t get anything right”. Selective abstraction – Only seeing specific details of the situation (e.g., Seeing the negatives but missing the positive details). 3/14/2024 Dr. Abdalla Cognitive Therapy, Cont. Often these irrational beliefs or faulty thinking errors stem from past “programming”. – E.g., Not receiving adequate love and nurturance as a child may lead to feelings that loved ones in the present don’t “quite love you enough”. Hypothesis testing – client is encouraged to test out these irrational beliefs by collecting evidence for or against the belief. 3/14/2024 Dr. Abdalla Cognitive Therapy, Cont. Errors in Information Processing Irrational Thinking Errors include: – Emotional reasoning – Overgeneralization – Catastrophic thinking – Mind reading – Selective negative focus, etc. 3/14/2024 Dr. Abdalla Relaxation Therapy Aims to either reduce hyper-arousal or curb emotional-physiological reactivity. – Progressive muscular relaxation – Mental imagery – Meditation – Autogenic training 3/14/2024 Dr. Abdalla Time Management Set short-term (e.g., daily) and long-term (e.g., yearly) goals. Make daily to-do lists (prioritize each). Make a daily schedule for when and where you will carry out your to-do list items (estimate time allocated for each to-do item). Revise throughout the day as needed. 3/14/2024 Dr. Abdalla