Stress-Coping Theory
The first situation I will talk about is about a patient that I took care of about a year ago. He presented to the Emergency Department with a complain of having suicidal ideation. After being assessed and worked up, the truth came out that he has lost his home and almost everything and had no where else to go. He said that he was suicidal in order to have a roof in his head, a warm meal and be safe from the outside, even just a for a short period of time. Recently covering and doing a paper on the Stress-Coping Theory, I see ideas and concepts that are …show more content…
It is total evaluation of the stressors, where the person receiving the stress judges its initial impact (primary appraisal), his capability to respond or act in accordance to the stressor (secondary appraisal) and his reevaluation of the problem after new facts or changes has occurred (Lazarus & Folkman, as cited in McEwen & Wills, 2011, p. 289). The patient’s initial assessment of losing is house did not result in a positive emotion, his capability to respond to the initial stressor is that it overwhelmed him and felt that he had no help and he is alone, his reevaluation of his situation is that he will be homeless and helpless and it made him say that he is suicidal in order to get assistance. As an APRN, in addition to making sure he is physiologically and psychologically sound, providing him with a support group and placing him in a place where he feels safe and cared for is next in order to build him up and restore his hopes and belief in …show more content…
As an APRN, it is part of my assessment to interview the patient in order to know about his health history and other data pertinent to his care. On of them is his ability to cope in bad situations. It could be trough social network, hobbies, religion or anything that gives him a sense of control in his current situation. I will also assess how he is able to manage his current status. Coping is how a person is able to deal with the results and threats posed by the appraisals of the stressors (McEwen & Wills, 2011, p. 289). Based on his decision to say that he is suicidal, say a lot that he does not have much coping skills. As an APRN, my interventions are focused in introducing and strengthening his existing coping