PSYCHOSOCIAL FUNCTION AND ASSESSMENT

Question 1

mental health

Answer 1

a large umbrella encompassing both the cognitive and affective aspects of a person

Question 2

life events

Answer 2

• Retirement
• Relocation
• Chronic illness and Functional impairment
• Widowhood
• Death of friends and family
• Ageist Attitudes
• Loss of autonomy (ie. Driving)

Question 3

risk factors that affect psychosocial function

Answer 3

Factors contributing to high levels of stress:
* Poor physical health
* Impaired functional abilities
* Weak social supports
* Lack of economic resources
* Immature developmental level
* Narrow range of coping skills
* Occurrence of unanticipated events
* Occurrence of several daily hassles at the same time
* Occurrence of several major life events over short time

Question 4

eustress vs distress

Answer 4

distress - negative
eustress - event or experience that is positive but is still causing stress
i.e., having a baby, moving to your dream house, starting your new job…

Question 5

stress def.

Answer 5

as the sum of all the effects of factors that act on the body

Question 6

stressors

Answer 6

normal activities and disease states, both pleasant and unpleasant

Question 7

3 stages of stressors

Answer 7

alarm, resistance, and exhaustion

Question 8

chronic stress

Answer 8

increases risks for various conditions

Question 9

coping styles categorized as problem focused or emotion focused

Answer 9

• Seeking information
• Reframing situation
• Maintaining hopeful outlook
• Using stress reduction techniques
• Channeling energy into physical activity
• Creating fantasies regarding outcomes
• Finding reassurance and emotional support
• Identifying limits and realistic goals
• Getting involved in activities such as art, music
  and writing

Question 10

relevance for nurses

Answer 10

• identifying interventions for optimal functioning and QOL
• psychosocial interventions to deal w/ chronic conditions to remain at home safely

Question 11

spirituality and aging

Answer 11

• Is much broader and more personal with age
• Spirituality and religious practices of older people are linked to positive health outcomes
• Health care professionals should be aware of patients’ religious and spiritual beliefs and seek to understand what function they serve

Question 12

support system

Answer 12

social, spiritual, and emotional support
informational support:
- health literacy: listening skills, the ability to
speak and communicate health needs, and the
ability to act on written health information
and instruction from health care providers

Question 13

resilience

Answer 13

• The ability to bounce back and recover physical
  and psychological health in the face of adversity
• The ability to use coping mechanisms
• Outcome of increasing wisdom
• Closely linked to spirituality, a sense of
  hopefulness and finding meaning in life and losses
• Nurses’ role is to support resilience

Question 14

psychosocial assessment

Answer 14

• mental status assessment (i.e., MMSE)
• physical appearance
• decision-making and executive function
• affective function
• contact w/ reality
• social support
• religion & spirituality

Question 15

mental status assessment

Answer 15

• mental status screening tools
• physical appearance
• motor function, body language, psychomotor behaviors
• social skills
• response to the interview
• orientation
• alertness and attention
• memory
• speech and language characteristics
• calculation and higher language skills

Question 16

mini-mental status exam

Answer 16

MMSE
assesses 5 areas of cognitive function
- orientation
- attention
- memory
- language
- spatial-visual skills

Question 17

psychosocial assessment
– contact w/ reality

Answer 17

• delusion
• hallucination: sensory experiences that have NO basis in an external stimulus
• illusion: misperceptions of an external stimuli, have some basis in reality

Question 18

psychosocial assessment
– interview question

Answer 18

• “Do you have any thought that you can’t seem to get rid of?”
• “Do you sometimes hear voices when you’re alone?”
• “Do you sometimes think you see things that other people don’t see?”

Question 19

psychosocial assessment
– nonverbal clues to hallucination

Answer 19

• extreme withdrawal and isolation
• contentment with social isolation
• gestures and other actions that normally occur in response to perceive stimuli

Question 20

ex. of nursing diagnoses

Answer 20

• Situational low self-esteem (or risk for)
• Powerlessness (or risk for)
• Social isolation
• Ineffective coping
• Readiness for enhanced spiritual well-being
• Readiness for enhanced coping
• Readiness for enhanced resilience

Question 21

ex. of nursing outcome and planning

Answer 21

• psychosocial adjustment: life change
• self-esteem
• adaptation to physical disability
• body image
• grief resolution

Question 22

nursing interventions

Answer 22

• incorporate communication techniques
• promote sense of control
• address spiritual needs
• life review and reminiscence
• healthy aging classes
• improve functional abilities