Summary

Homeostasis, Stress, and Adaptation

• Homeostasis is a state of balance in the body. Through continual, often-automatic interactions among body systems, the body attempts to maintain homeostasis as environmental conditions change. Illness and death occur when homeostasis cannot be maintained.
• Stress refers to any disruption to the body’s usual state. Stress is a universal part of life, yet individuals may respond differently to the same stressor for a variety of reasons, including physical, emotional, and psychosocial factors.
• Adaptation to stress is needed to maintain homeostasis. Positive adaptive behaviors can restore health, whereas maladaptive behaviors can further increase stress and produce negative outcomes.

Causes and Types of Stress

• Stressors can be perceived by the body as physical threats to its homeostasis.
• Stressors can be psychosocial, relating to the person’s lifestyle, work, relationships, and emotional well-being.
• Stressors can be internal or external in relation to the body.
• Stressors can be short term (acute) or long term (chronic) based on the time frame during which the person experiences the stressor.
• Nurses need to evaluate stressors with the patient to help eliminate and address them.

Stress and Disease

• Stress can be both the event that activates a stress response and the physical response to a stressor.
• Examples of physical responses to a stressor include infection, trauma, allergic response, and activation of the sympathetic nervous system.
• The interplay of sociocultural, environmental, and mental factors in affecting a person’s response to stress is called the Transactional Stress Model.
• Stress can be the cause of disease if not controlled and managed correctly.

Physiological Response

• The brain’s physiological adaptation and response to stress occur through the nervous system.
• Within the autonomic nervous system are two divisions: the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
• The sympathetic nervous system responds autonomically by activating the body to fight or flee.
• The body attempts to adapt to the demands of stress by each body system.
• The role of the nurse is to identify indicators of physical and emotional stress in a patient.
• Nurses can use vital signs and physical examination findings to evaluate stress in a patient to deliver appropriate care

Psychological Response

• A stressful event can be neutral, positive, or negative, based on a variety of factors.
• Coping strategies need to be taught across the lifespan.
• The physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral effects of stress affect one’s health.
• Physical effects of stress can be identified by a nurse during a physical examination.
• Identifying emotional and cognitive effects of stress requires additional interviewing skills by nurses.
• Behavioral effects of stress depend on a person’s values, beliefs, age, abilities, thoughts, emotions, and resources.

Inflammation: Cellular Response to Stress

• Cells function on a continuum of a healthy state contingent on multiple factors that affect cell health.
• The body uses both positive and negative feedback to communicate within all the body systems to produce desired outcomes.
• The inflammatory response is an innate process of protection and attempts to promote recovery from pathogens, injury, or trauma.
• Causes of cellular injury include environmental and genetic factors.
• Cells can be injured as a result of extremes in temperature, poor nutrition, radiation, infections, trauma, and inability to regenerate and repair.

Role of Stress in Family Health

• Stress affects both the individual and the family unit.
• Family-centered care involves many nursing actions that demonstrate awareness, thoughtfulness, and support.
• Nurses can offer social support for patients and family dynamics.

Pharmacotherapy and Complementary and Alternative Medicine

• Pharmacological treatment is an option to dealing with stress.
• Nonpharmacological treatments are available options to help people deal with stress.
• Complementary and alternative therapies are viable solutions without negative side effects to help people manage and decrease stress.
• It is in the scope of the nurse to provide patient education about pharmacological and nonpharmacological strategies to address stress.