Strengths Of The Abx Model

Han, Yang, and Hong (2017) explained that the ABCX model focuses on how the family can cope with the stress they are facing, which can help determine interventions and desired outcomes for the family. The A stands for the event, or stressor, that the family is facing; B is the strengths and resources the family possesses; C is the individual perception of the events; and X is the final outcome of the ABCs, allowing the advanced practice nurse to determine if the crisis is high or low. The primary strength of the ABCX model is that it has been proven that allowing the family to see their strengths rather than focus on weaknesses or areas for improvement help the family in stress reduction (Denham, Eggenberger, Young, & Krumwiede, 2016).
This is the emergency CABG that took place a few weeks ago for Samantha. Resources are somewhat limited due to a lack of close friends and minimal family members; however, when evaluating the B, or resources, the primary support person for Samantha is her husband, John. They have a strong marriage, and have been there as support since they married. He works full-time at a stable job with fair health insurance that pays the bills; however, has a high deductible. This puts a financial strain on the family being a single income household; however, that is not evaluated in the ABCX model. Samantha’s mother, who works part-time, is able to help at the house. The children are at the age where they can assist the mother with some activities of daily living, but they are still young enough to need assistance with things themselves, especially transportation. Samantha’s brother-in-law helps as much as he is able, and her sister-in-law, Elizabeth, has been able to frequently come to the house to assist with the childcare and household chores. Elizabeth and Michael’s son is 18 years old and has volunteered to help with transporting the
Samantha perceives the event as role altering because her family has had to take on the tasks she normally completed being the stay at home mother. She feels like a burden on her family, and this has caused depression. Samantha also states that she cannot express those feelings towards her family because they would worry about her, and that would cause her to feel like more of a burden to them. Her husband has stated that he feels the stress of having to work full time, shuttle the children to school and activities when his family members are unable, and pick up the chores at home. Even with help, he states that there is not enough time to do all the tasks. He does not want to discuss this with Samantha because he does not want to upset her. Her children have stated that though temporary, they are having to miss out on activities at school because they have to help their mother and have limited access to transportation. The ABCX model ends with the final perception. After using the model, this family is experiencing high levels of