Stressor events
Question 1
Stressor events are basically defined as events that provoke a crisis. There are various types of stressor events:
- Internal and External
The internal events usually arise from someone’s actions in the family such as suicide, alcoholism, or running for office. External events arise from outside the family and may include terrorism, earthquakes, or the rate of inflation.
- Normative and non-normative
Normative events are those that are normal and are expected to happen over the family life cycle such as birth, death, marriage, and aging. Non-normative events are those that happen unexpectedly such as winning the lottery, dying young, or getting a divorce.
- Ambiguous and non-ambiguous events
Ambiguous events are those that are unclear that you might not even be aware they may be happening to you and your family. Non-ambiguous events are the clear available facts about the event such as what is happening, how, and when.
- Volitional and non-volitional
Volitional events are those that are wanted and sought after while non-volitional events are those that just happen such as being laid off or the sudden loss of something or someone.
- Chronic and cumulative
Chronic events are situations that have a long term duration such as racial discrimination, diabetes. Cumulative events are those that keep that piling up one after the other and there is no definite knowledge of when the next event might happen.
- Acute and Isolated
Acute events are those that last a short time but are severe such as breaking a limb. An isolated event is one that occurs alone and is not accompanied by any other events at that time.
Stress is defined as an emotional or mental strain that results from tension or demanding circumstances. Healthy stress is usually short term and wears off after some time such as a deadline at work. Unhealthy stress, however, wears on you and you begin to feel fatigued or lose a general interest in things that used to interest you.
Question 2
The general adaptation syndrome is the three-stage process used to describe the physiological changes that the body goes through when it undergoes stress. It begins with the alarm stage which is the initial symptoms that the body experiences when it is under stress. The next stage is resistance and here the body starts to repair itself after the initial exposure to stress. The last stage is Exhaustion or Recovery and occurs as a result of chronic or chronic stress.
Question 3
The loss of a family member is usually devastating news whether by natural causes or not. It may be difficult to accept at first and creates a crisis in the family. The stages of this traumatic crisis are mostly shock, response, processing, and reorientation. The death of a family member may also evoke conflicting feelings in the family. Many people in the family may feel isolated and misunderstood. There may be family misunderstandings as the members try to cope with the changing roles and dynamics and complicated emotions. These conflicts may arise because the family system is thrown off because a vital piece of the family is gone. Since everyone grieves the loss in their own way, it can be quite difficult to connect or support one another. Other people are overwhelmed with the loss plus the addition of additional stressors such as work, children, school, and other factors and how to balance their time on what to give more attention.
Question 4
There are two types of ambiguous loss. The first is where people are psychologically present but physically absent because it is not clear whether they may still be alive or are dead. An example is when someone is kidnapped or when soldiers go into war. The second type is when people are physically present but psychologically present such as when someone is in a coma or they have Alzheimer’s disease.
Question 5
The first stage is denial. During this stage, the emotional response to the knowledge of death or someone who is dying is through denial. Denial serves as a defense mechanism. The stage that follows is anger. Once the dying person receives and accepts the correct diagnosis they may become very angry. Feelings of resentment and rage may emanate from this person and they may also project it towards others. The next stage is bargaining with the doctors, God, or even family. They may try to bargain for extra time with family, less pain, or a cure. Depression then is the stage that follows and it occurs when one realizes that there is no more bargaining and death is impending. The last stage is acceptance and it is a period of calm and peace. The dying person embraces the end of their journey and reflects upon his or her life.
Reactions of friends and family to death are:
- Denial
- Anger
- Bargaining
- Depression
- Acceptance
Question 6
There are some factors and behaviors people engage in that increase their chances of being victims of accidents. They are human factors and factors that are specific to the traffic environment. Human factors include substance abuse, inexperience, lack of skill, sensation seeking, use of cell phones while driving, attention deficit disorder, and risk-taking behavior. Some common accident patterns include distracted driving, speeding whether situational, incidental, habitual, or casual speeding and mechanical failures.
Question 7
Family violence occurs when a family member harms, threatens, controls, or abuses another family member. It takes the shape of different types of violence and abuse. This includes emotional and psychological abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, harassment, and stalking. Financial abuse is also another form of family violence and it is when a family member refuses their partner to have money. There are individual, relationship, and community factors that lead to family violence. Examples of individual factors include low self-esteem, drug abuse, low income, anger, and hostility among others while relationship factors examples include the cycle of stress, economic stress, marital instability, dominance, isolation. Community factors examples include poverty, weak community sanctions, poor neighborhood cohesion, and many others. Awareness about family and domestic violence can be created by professionals offering group and individual counseling, mentorship programs, comprehensive approaches to care, and finding healthy ways to deal with anger and frustration.
Question 8
Many reports suggest that a large number of low income working families are in a constant struggle to meet their basic needs. Some of the major issues affecting poor families are generational poverty, unavailability of jobs, lack of access to healthcare and education services, as well as poor housing. These factors and the state of poverty often lead to a lot of stress and can cause violence in families due to frustration.