The document defines stress and models of the stress response. It discusses homeostasis and how the body tries to maintain equilibrium in response to stressors. Three main models of stress are described: stimulus-based (stress is a stimulus that causes physiological/psychological reactions), response-based (Selye's general adaptation syndrome of alarm, resistance, and exhaustion stages), and transactional (stress arises from person-environment interactions). Factors like genetics and development stage influence individual stress tolerance. Nursing management of stress involves identifying stressors and helping patients strengthen healthy coping responses.

1. CONCEPTS OF STRESS AND
PSYCHOLOGICAL ADAPTATION
OF STRESS
By,
Amudha.K

5. INTRODUCTION:
The use of word “Stress” in our
daily conversation has increases.
 Though we all talk so much about
stress but it often isn’t clear what
stress really is about all?

8. DEFINITIONS:
Stress is the “non specific response of
the body to any kind of demand made
upon it”. (Selye 1956)
Stress is the arousal of mind and body
in response to demands made upon
them. (Schafer 2000)

9. TERMINOLOGIES:
STRESSOR
 “Stressor is they neither positive nor negative but they can
have positive and negative effects as the persons responds
to the changes.”
ADAPTATION
 “When person is in a threatening situation immediate
response occur those response are often involuntary, are
called coping response. The changes that take places as a
result of the responses to a stressor are adaptation.”
HOMEOSTASIS
 “The various physiologic mechanisms within the body
responses to internal changes to maintain relative constancy
in the internal environment are called homeostasis.”

10. SOURCES OF
STRESS

11. WHICH INDUCE
STRESS

12. CATEGORIES OF STRESS
 Distress- can threaten health (continual
financial worries)
 Eustress – good stress (positive feeling)
 Developmental – Associated with life stages
(e.g.–college, graduation)
 Situational –Random, unpredictable (e.g.
Hurricane or accidents)
 Physiological – affect body structure/
function (diseases or mobility problems)
 Psychological –arise from life events (e.g.
work pleasure, family arguments)

13. MODELS OF STRESS
 Models of stress assist nurses' to identify
the stressor in a particular situation and to
predict the individual's responses.
 Nurses can use the knowledge of these
models to assist patients in strengthening
healthy coping responses and in adjusting
unhealthy, unproductive responses.
 Three main models of stress are:
Stimulus-based model
Response-based model
Transaction-based model

14. STIMULUS-BASED MODEL
(Holmes and Babes Model-1960)
According to this model, stress is
defined as a stimulus, a life event, or a
set of circumstances that arouses
physiologic and psychological
reactions that may increase the
individual’s vulnerability to illness.

16. RESPONSE-BASED MODEL
Selyes stress response is
characterized by a chain or pattern of
physiologic events called the General
Adaptation Syndrome.

17.  When stress appears, it stimulates the hypothalamus to
initiate the GAS through two pathways:
The first pathway is
stimulation of the
sympathetic division of
the autonomic nervous
system and adrenal
medulla. This produces
an immediate set of
responses called the
alarm reaction.
The second pathway,
called the resistance
reaction involves the
anterior pituitary gland
and adrenal cortex; the
resistance reaction is
slower to start, but its
effects last longer.

20. TRANSACTION-BASED MODEL
 Transactional theories of stress are based on
the work of Lazarus (1966).
 The Lazarus transactional stress theory
encompasses a set of cognitive, affective and
adaptive (coping) responses that arise out of
person-environment transactions.
 The person and the environment are
inseparable; each affects and is affected by the
other.
 The individual responds to perceived
environmental changes by adaptive or coping
response.

21. PHYSIOLOGY OF STRESS
AND ADAPTATION:
 To maintain health, body’s internal environment
must remain in a balanced state.
 Various physiological mechanisms within the body
respond to internal changes to maintain relative
constancy in the internal environment called
Homeostasis.
 The specific concept of homeostasis was
introduced by W.B.CANNON in 1939.

22. Physiologic
homeostasis
Psychological
homeostasis
Homeostatic mechanisms are
primarily controlled by the
autonomic nervous system and
the endocrine system. Involved
to a lesser degree are the
respiratory, cardiovascular,
gastrointestinal and renal
system. These occur without
conscious thought and usually
function to correct abnormal
conditions.
Each person needs to be felt
loved, experience a sense of
belonging to feel safe and
secure and to have self esteem.
When these needs are not met
or threat to need fulfilment
occurs homeostatic measures in
the form of coping or defence
mechanisms help return the
person to emotional balance.

23.  The most common human
response to stress is
anxiety.
 It is a vague, uneasy
feeling or discomfort or
dread accompanied by an
autonomic response; the
sources are often non
specific or unknown to the
individual.
 It is a feeling of
apprehension caused by
the anticipation of danger.

27. SELECTED
STRESSORS
ASSOCIATED
WITH
DEVELOPMENTAL
STAGES

28. Stage : 1 Childhood

29. Stage : 2 Adolescence

30. Stage : 3 EARLY ADULTHOOD

31. Stage : 4

32. Stage : 5
late adulthood

33. TRAUMA OR STRESSOR-RELATED
DISORDER
 This group of disorders is caused by exposure to a
natural or human-made disaster or to a significant life
stressor such as experiencing abuse.
 There are six conditions that fall under this category in
DSM-5.
 Reactive Attachment Disorder
 Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder
 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
 Acute Stress Disorder
 Adjustment Disorders
 Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder

34. FACTORS AFFECTING STRESS
TOLERANCE
Every person has a unique response to stress; some
people have a greater capacity to resist stress while
others have a poor capacity to resist it. This is
because his coping ability, i.e. how a person
tolerates and copes with stress, is influenced by
 Genetics
 Lifestyle
 Culture
 Developmental stage
 Physiological characteristics
 Psychological traits

39. NURSING
MANAGEMENT