HNC Social Care

1. HNC Social Care Psychology for Care

2. What is stress? There are many definitions of stress. • Stress is an individuals response to a stimulus in the environment • Stress occurs when perceived demands on an individual exceed resources • Stress is an emotion • Stress is a condition of physiological and psychological arousal

3. Definitions Stress- “ A pattern of negative physiological states and psychological responses occurring in situations where people perceive threats to their well-being which they may be unable to meet” (Lazarus & Fockman, 1984) “Stress is the individual’s response to an inappropriate level of pressure. It is the response to the pressure, not the pressure itself.’ (Arroba & James 1987)

4. Causes of Stress External causes: • Lifestyle-drinking/addictions/obesity/relationship • Work based problems • Environmental problems-noise/poverty/housing etc Internal Causes: • Poor health • Low self esteem/low confidence • Age related changes e.g. adolescence/mid life crises

5. Stress While some stimulus or arousal is good for us, excessive amounts can result in • physical • psychological • emotional • social effects which are unpleasant in the short term and harmful in the long term

6. Physical effects • Headaches • Nausea • Neck/back pain • High blood pressure • Ulcers • Strokes

7. Psychological/Behavioural Effects • Confusion • Anxiety • Inability to concentrate • Depression • Overeating • Drug abuse • Aggression

8. The Holmes-Rahe Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) • Based on their well known study in 1967 into the effects of life events and the subsequent follow-up studies, Dr.T. Holmes and Dr. R. Rahe created the SRRS • noted that patients often had experienced several life events in the months before becoming ill. • They developed a list, of 43 such life events • Some of the events are desirable, but appear because any change is stressful. • Each life event carries a score in life change units.

9. The Holmes-Rahe Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) These predictions are not definite. • What produces a change in physical or mental health status is an interaction of many factors such as how significant those life events are to you • your personal capacity to cope with change • the quality of your support system through family, work and friends. • Completing this inventory can give you some insight into the stressors that are potentially hazardous to your health and well-being

10. What do we mean by resilience? • Overcoming the odds – being successful despite exposure to high risk • Sustaining competence under pressure – adapting to high risk • Recovering from trauma – adjusting successfully to negative life events

11. Resilience “Compared to non-resilient children, a resilient child can resist adversity, cope with uncertainty and recover more successfully from traumatic events” (Barnardo’s 2001)

12. Intrinsic Factors Research suggests that in order to promote resilience, children need: • A secure base: a sense of belonging and security • Good self-esteem: an internal sense of worth and competence • A sense of self-efficacy: a sense of mastery and control, along with an accurate understanding of personal strengths and limitations

13. Extrinsic Factors In addition to intrinsic factors there also needs to be: • At least one secure attachment relationship • Access to wider supports such as extended family and friends • Positive nursery, school and or community experiences

14. Resilience: normal development under difficult circumstances Adversity Protective Factors Life events or circumstances which pose a threat to healthy development, e.g. racism, domestic violence, parental depression etc. Factors which buffer the affects of adversity, e.g. a good school experience, secure attachment etc. Vulnerability: Those characteristics of the child, their family and the wider community which might threaten or challenge healthy development, e.g. isolated parent, poor housing, lack of community support