Models Of Stress In Nursing Care

-------------------------------------------------
Assignment Title: Explore how a knowledge of models of stress might enable the nurse to provide effective nursing care.
-------------------------------------------------
Exact Word Count: 2058
-------------------------------------------------

This essay will explore how the knowledge of stress might enable the nurse to provide effective nursing care. A definition of stress fall’s into three categories, stress as a stimulus, stress as a response, stress as interaction between an organism and its environment (Bartlett 1998). These classifications correspond very closely to three models
They examined 5000 patients and asked them to say whether they had experienced any of a series of 43 life events in the past two years. Each event is called a life change unit (LCU) and had different scores for stress. The more events the patient had the higher the score. The higher the score and the larger the stress of each event, the more likely the patient was to become ill. Out of this grew the social readjustment rating scale, several studies have shown that people who experience many significant life changes score over 300 life change units and are more susceptible to physical and mental illness than those with lower scores. The different health problems include sudden heart attacks, TB, diabetes, leukaemia, accidents and athletics injuries (Gross & Kinnison 2007). One of the weaknesses of the Holmes and Rahe social readjustment scale is that it doesn’t take into account the individual’s personality nor does it take into account how long the stressor continues for the scale just gives a single number for each stressor. However it is known that the longer a stressor continues then the more likely it will cause stress to the person. Life changes may be stressful only if they are unexpected and in this sense uncontrollable therefore acutely ill patients who cannot control events might find a sensation of helplessness more stressful (Ogden
(2007) Psychoneuroimmunology and related mechanisms in understanding health disparities in vulnerable populations. Annual Review of Nursing Research. 25 219-256
Chrousos, G, P. & Gold, P, W. (1992) The Concepts of Stress and Stress System Disorders, Overview of Physical and Behavioural Homeostasis, Journal of the American Medical Association, 267, 1244-1252.
Cobb, S. & Rose, R, M. (1973) Hypertension, Peptic Ulcer, and Diabetes in Air Traffic Controllers, Journal of the American Medical Association, 224(4) 489-492.
Cox, T. (1978) Stress, London, Macmillan Education.
Fagin, L. Carson, J. Leary, J. De Villiers, N. Bartlett, H. O’Malley, P. West, M. Mcelfatrick, S & Brown, D. (1994) Stress, Coping and Burnout in Mental Health Nurses, Findings from Three Research Studies, International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 42(2) 102-111.
Friedman, M. & Rosenman, R, H. (1959) Association of Specific Overt Behaviour Pattern With Blood and Cardiovascular Findings, Blood Cholesterol Level, Blood Clotting Time, Incidence of Arcus Senilis, and Clinical Coronary Artery Disease. Journal of the American Medical Association, 169(12), 1286-1296.
Gross, R. & Kinnison, N. (2007) Psychology for Nurses, London, Hodder