The pace of life of a modern person leads to a significant increase in the physical, mental, emotional load on a person due to everyday problems, interpersonal relationships, the content of the professional activity, information overload. All areas require a high degree of concentration and a large amount of time, so the life of a modern person is inseparably linked with stress. Various techniques are currently available to help manage stress, in Julia’s case several practices will be relevant to help improve the situation.
In a case study, which refers to a 42-year-old woman with headaches and sleep problems, chronic stress can be diagnosed. There are enough factors in Julia’s life that influenced her health. According to research, stress has three stages: anxiety, resistance, and exhaustion. In the analyzed case, the person does not have strength and energy since the resources have come to an end. The drop in immunity, and the consequence, viral diseases, are evidence that the body is exhausted and unable to defend itself against pathogenic microbes. In terms of physical, emotional, and behavioral signs, Julia is experiencing severe stress, which requires the help of specialists and the introduction of various techniques that contribute to the normalization of all aspects of life.
Coping with stress can be difficult, but possible to get out of a stressful state on your own. “Each person has the ability to self-regulate,” the human being can independently influence the processes that occur with him (Stächele, 2020, p. 213). That is, one can learn to manage emotional reactions in a stressful situation. It is effective to use exercises with deep breathing, exercises for progressive muscle relaxation, and exercises for changing unrealistic beliefs.
Concentration, self-control, conscious choice of actions, and cognitive reappraisal are indispensable helpers in dealing with stress. The meditation will help Julia train and develop the necessary qualities, and in the future will teach her to tame negative emotions, for example, in everyday situations with her husband and children. During meditation, one needs to focus on a specific object and not allow any extraneous thoughts. By practicing this technique, gradually, the desired effect will be achieved, and it will become much easier to keep track of emotional outbursts, which are observed in behavior as a result of prolonged stress.
However, an effective way of coping with stress is introducing physical activity into life. Nothing can be better and more useful for the body than movement, especially in a world where people mostly have sedentary work. It can be light physical activity, walking or running, it is even better to introduce sports into a habit. Systematic training has a positive effect on the psychological state, it “reduces the response to stress and increases the ability to recover from a stressful episode” (Raper, 2021, p. 191). In Julia’s case, the sport will help solve sleep problems, give energy for work and household chores, and strengthen the immune system, which will reduce frequent illnesses.
What is more, the breathing technique engages the physical state and helps to bring thoughts into conditional order. By adjusting breathing rate and depth, Julia can soften stress response and recover faster. It is necessary to gradually slow down the breathing rate over 15 minutes to about 6-7 breaths per minute. Using the practice of breathing, in the long term, the woman will be able to reduce the level of arousal of the central system, preventing the body from using the somatic reactions that lead to serious diseases.
To conclude, dealing with stress begins with acknowledging its existence. If a person is in a stressful situation for quite a long time, it is better to contact a specialist who will help restore the arisen disorders of the body. Different techniques can be effective for Julia from Case Study 1. With regular practice, they will positively influence the emotional and subsequently physical state, teach to overcome stressful situations, and manage emotions.
References
Stächele, T., Domes, G., Wekenborg, M., Penz, M., Kirschbaum, C., & Heinrichs, M. (2020). Effects of a 6-week internet-based stress management program on perceived stress, subjective coping skills, and sleep quality. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11, 463.
Raper, M. J., & Brough, P. (2021). Seeing into the future: The role of future‐oriented coping and daily stress appraisal in relation to a future stressor. Stress and Health, 37(1), 186-197.
This paper’s purpose is to summarize the article Strategies to Improve Nurses’ Stress Response during the COVID-19 Pandemic and discuss its impact on future nursing practice. The essay contains a summary of the article emphasizing information about nurses and their mental health in healthcare. The information obtained is used to model possible hardships and find solutions that nurses must find in their work.
The article is dedicated to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the overall health of nurses. The authors studied the state of nurses across the country and found that more than 60,000 nurses planned to leave their jobs in 2020 (Meehan et al., 2022). “The sustained exposure to acute stress, combined with caregiver burden, may lead to a systemic stress response” that results in acute stress disorder (ASD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Meehan et al., 2022, p. 29). Nurses leaving the profession may be just the beginning as “long-term effects of the stress and trauma will affect the profession for years to come” (Meehan et al., 2022, p. 29). Because of the COVID pandemic, nurses are considering or have already left nursing as their profession. The increased number of nurses with this ongoing, complex, psychological distress is now included in the numbers of a vulnerable population.
During the pandemic, all nurses have faced unprecedented levels of workload and human suffering and death. COVID itself has had an undefinable and uncountable effect on healthcare workers. In addition, social and intra-work ties were disrupted; however, “all nurses want to be heard, appreciated, and connected to their nursing leaders, regardless of their generation or experience level” (Meehan et al., 2022, p. 32). Understanding the reasons behind fatigue and stress helps nurses with self-care, supports the nurses, finds ways to prevent this, improves work environments, and maintains staffing numbers in nursing.
The article’s content shows the difficulties and dangers of the work of a nurse, complicated by a situation of acute stress. Medical workers are incredibly vulnerable to professional burnout, even under normal conditions. As a nurse, I will have to consider this in the future. I will have to monitor my stress levels, learn how to regulate them, and find ways to manage stress. Finding support groups, good people, and contacts with the professional community can be critical.
Stress is an integral part of being a nurse and cannot be avoided. Every nurse will sooner or later face traumatic episodes at work. Nevertheless, it is worth remembering that prolonged and acute stress, not worked out immediately, can develop into a severe post-traumatic disorder. As a future nurse, I need to know how and when to take care of myself because otherwise, I won’t be able to continue my work and help others. The impact of the given article on my future practice and the practice of any nurse is to bring awareness to medical professionals, healthcare facilities, and the authorities. The article is somewhat of a call to action that necessitates finding solutions to nurse burnout and other mental and physical health issues caused by work overload and unacceptable workplace conditions.
The profession of a medical worker has always been associated with mental pressure, stress, overwork, high health risks, etc. The article covers information on how the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the situation; that is why what used to help nurses deal with stress and anxiety does not always work the same now. It is necessary to study the mental health of nurses further and develop ways to level the negative consequences. Healthcare workers are valued for their experience, and if they leave medicine due to burnout and PTSD, this will negatively affect their level of healthcare. In my opinion, every nurse should look after their physical and mental health first and foremost.
Stress is a bodily neurophysiological response to stressors triggered by everyday life experiences caused by different factors. There is much scientific literature devoted to the investigation of stress as a phenomenon that significantly impacts human physical and mental health. This paper summarizes and reflects on the article published by La Torre et al. in 2018 in the first issue of the fifteenth volume of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. The article’s title is “Association between work related stress and health related quality of life: The impact of socio-demographic variables. A cross sectional study in a region of central Italy” (La Torre et al., 2018). This scientific study aimed to establish how workplace stress influences the health outcomes of different groups of individuals regarding the distinction in their gender, age, and level of education. The study was conducted with 611 recruited participants from Rome and Frosinone, Italy. The implications of the study allow for stating that the increased exposure to stress at work leads to worsened health of the stressed individuals.
When summarizing the article, one might emphasize that the study was conducted based on a hypothesis claiming the dependence of health on stress exposure. In particular, the scholars state that “workplace stress is the physical and emotional response that occurs when job demands are in conflict with the ability, resources or needs of the worker” that hinders well-being (La Torre et al., 2018, p. 1). It was a cross-sectional study conducted with the Italian representatives of a variety of professions to test whether there are differences between stress-related health outcomes among the representatives of different ages, gender, and education groups. The results indicate that a high job demand was more harmful to women’s physical and mental well-being than to men (La Torre et al., 2018). Moreover, age was found to be a significant factor in the relationship between work stress and health. In particular, younger workers’ stress exposure led to a substantial deterioration of mental health, while physical health was similarly dependent on stress influence across ages (La Torre et al., 2018). Overall, socio-demographic indicators alter the effect of stress on human health.
The information that I obtained from this article and the course material about stress has been insightful and useful for my future management of stress in my daily life. Indeed, I now understand that a multitude of stressors is the triggers of a mix of emotional and physical responses in my body, which hinders the performance of my immune system. In such a manner, the resistance to diseases weakens, and harm to health is caused. As I learned from the article, there are ways to mitigate the influence of stress on individuals by knowing their socio-demographic particularities. For example, to manage my exposure to stress, I would prioritize employment opportunities with high decision latitude to ensure less risk for stress. Moreover, I will practice meditation, therapy, and mindful reflection to manage my response to stressors and maintain good health.
Reference
La Torre, G., Sestili, C., Mannocci, A., Sinopoli, A., De Paolis, M., De Francesco, S., Rapaccini, L., Barone, M., Iodice, V., Lojodice, B., Sernia, S., De Sio, S., Del Cimmuto, A., De Giusti, M. (2018). Association between work related stress and health related quality of life: The impact of socio-demographic variables. A cross sectional study in a region of central Italy. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(1), 1-9.
Badu, E., O’Brien, A. P., Mitchell, R., Rubin, M., James, C., McNeil, K., … Giles, M. (2020). Workplace stress and resilience in the Australian nursing workforce: A comprehensive integrative review. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 29(1), 5–34. doi:10.1111/inm.12662
In a single synthesis, the review included qualitative and quantitative data. According to the findings, nurses are stressed at moderate to high levels. Nurses use a variety of personal characteristics and organizational tools to deal with job hardship. Individual characteristics include self-reliance, passion and enthusiasm, emotional intelligence, and positive thinking as self-efficacy mechanisms, as well as work-life balance and structuring work as mindful strategies. Furthermore, the analysis indicates that numerous strategies to promote resilience in healthcare institutions in Australia have recently been piloted. Mindful resilience and self-care, work-based educational treatments, an adult resilience program, and mindfulness-based tension reductions are among the approaches.
Support services, leadership, and role modeling are three organizational tools that are utilized to create resilience. Individual characteristics and organizational resources are generally addressed in empirical studies on resilience, with few studies concentrating on workplace solutions. According to the research, Australian nurses are under moderate to high stress, which is mostly due to workplace bullying. Additionally, these nurses suffer from moderate to severe melancholy, anxiety, and burnout. This study suggests that a variety of human characteristics and organizational resources are used as forms of resistance to overcome workplace adversity. This article develops the issues related to stress that nurses are exposed to and how they cope with it. This is valuable information for the topic of tension at work affecting the nurses’ mental health.
Foster, K., Cuzzillo, C., & Furness, T. (2018). Strengthening mental health nurses’ resilience through a workplace resilience programme: A qualitative inquiry. Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursing, 25(5-6), 338-348.
The study’s goal was to find out what mental health nurses thought about a resilience program started by a mental health service. An exploratory qualitative investigation was conducted in order to accomplish so. Multiple qualitative data sources were analyzed thematically, including open-ended replies, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups. Twenty-nine nurse practitioners from a metropolitan psychiatric hospital took part in the study. Being confronted with adversity, reinforcing understandings of resilience, increasing resilience, and utilizing resilience skills at work were the four primary topics. This is the first research to present the viewpoints of mental health nurses on a resilience program. Nurses’ self-efficacy and capacity to appropriately assess stressful events and manage their emotional responses to others might benefit from resilience programs. The study addresses the psychological characteristics that allow nurses to resist the impact of work on their mental health, thus making it relevant to the topic. Understanding how resilience works provide information on how the effects of tension in the workplace occur in different individuals based on their ability to resist stress.
Foster, K., Roche, M., Delgado, C., Cuzzillo, C., Giandinoto, J. A., & Furness, T. (2019). Resilience and mental health nursing: An integrative review of international literature. International journal of mental health nursing, 28(1), 71-85.
The goal of this article was to look at different viewpoints on resilience, as well as analyze and synthesize the current state of knowledge in psychiatric nursing. Twelve papers were chosen after a thorough search, screening, and data retrieval procedure. Theoretical ideas of resilience and understanding of mental health nurses’ resilience emerged through constant comparative study and integration of the data. Resilience has been defined in mental health nursing as an individual skill, a social capability, or an interacting person-environment process. Low-moderate resilience was most frequently reported, with positive associations with toughness, self-esteem, life and career satisfaction, and negative associations with depression and burnout. The study is relevant to the topic as it directly addresses the issues related to the mental health of the nurses and provides a review of different literature and various viewpoints, which allows to better understand the subject. The article provides information regarding the negative consequences for nurses’ mental health caused by stress at workplaces, the skills to be developed to withstand that tension, and the causes of these issues.
References
Badu, E., O’Brien, A. P., Mitchell, R., Rubin, M., James, C., McNeil, K., … Giles, M. (2020). Workplace stress and resilience in the Australian nursing workforce: A comprehensive integrative review. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 29(1), 5–34. doi:10.1111/inm.12662
Foster, K., Cuzzillo, C., & Furness, T. (2018). Strengthening mental health nurses’ resilience through a workplace resilience programme: A qualitative inquiry. Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursing, 25(5-6), 338-348.
Foster, K., Roche, M., Delgado, C., Cuzzillo, C., Giandinoto, J. A., & Furness, T. (2019). Resilience and mental health nursing: An integrative review of international literature. International journal of mental health nursing, 28(1), 71-85.
COVID-19 affected the world in various ways; however, the outcomes of the pandemic are not clear yet. One of such spheres which are still to be researched extensively, despite the colossal progress made so far, is healthcare. This is especially relevant for the mental health domain, as the major flows of resources in the healthcare sectors all over the globe are directed towards combating the main adverse physical consequences of the infection. Mental health issues receive significantly less attention; meanwhile, these issues are significant, especially for healthcare professionals, who suffer both physically and mentally from the enormous additional burden that the pandemic brought upon them. According to research, there is an “increased risk of acquiring trauma or stress-related disorders, depression, and anxiety” (Cabarkapa et al., 2020, para.3) for healthcare workers. Moreover, statistically, the risks are greater for nurses and female workers. Two primary sources of these potential problems are fear of the unknown and fear of getting infected.
In such a dire situation, healthcare managers need to find new stress-coping methods or models for their healthcare facilities and workers. There have been various strategies tried in such a situation all across the globe, depending on resources that healthcare facilities possessed, cultural, social, and historical backgrounds of the communities. Some of the more researched strategies will be listed and discussed in more detail. The three main strategies to cope with healthcare workers’ stress are self-coping strategies, psycho-social interventions, and workplace awareness (Cabarkapa et al., 2020). It is possible to use and combine these strategies depending on the available resources of healthcare managers and their facilities.
Regarding self-coping strategies, there have been six main coping behaviors identified and practiced among New York healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. These included physical exercise, talk therapy, yoga, faith-based practices, meditation, and virtual support groups; the practices are listed from most to least popular ones (Shechter et al., 2020). At the same time, around 14% of workers did not engage in any stress-coping practices. A healthcare manager can find information on such practices, structure them, and familiarize other healthcare workers to promote such coping mechanisms.
Despite the existence of self-coping mechanisms, they may not be enough, and psycho-social interventions may be necessary to reduce stress-related problems. One example is the intervention strategy that was developed in China – the first country hit by the coronavirus. The strategy calls “to balance the work and rest hours for frontline healthcare staff, strengthen their occupational health and safety conditions, and improve crisis psychological intervention and counseling” (Zhou et al., 2020, para.5). Interventions included financial security and safe working environments, while healthcare workers were provided with psychological and mental health services online and on-site. The deployment of mentioned measures resulted in the overall improvement of healthcare workers’ mental health, reduced stress, and improved sleep.
Finally, regarding workplace awareness, it is essential to understand that it is difficult for people to self-diagnose depression or other stress-related disorders in many cases. Especially in the emergency, when there is less time to reflect on and analyze one’s mental health. At the same time, the effect of stress-related disorders on healthcare worker’s own health can be devastating; moreover, this can negatively affect the quality of worker’s services, therefore, putting patients in danger. Thus, it is essential to provide constant monitoring of healthcare workers’ mental health status. The study by An et al. (2020) suggested organizing regular screenings for healthcare workers operating in emergencies. Such practices can help both healthcare professionals and the patients they treat.
PTSD is a mental health condition that results in failure to recover after exposure to a petrifying scene. These events include accidents, childhood abuse, sexual or physical abuse, exposure to traumatic work events, and torture. In addition, losing a loved one, war and conflict, severe health condition, and tormenting childbirth experiences such as losing a baby also triggers PTSD. The symptoms include irritability, social isolation, sleep disturbance, loneliness, memories, and mistrust (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). These symptoms are common to people with past experiences of depression and anxiety or those who receive limited support from family and friends who are at risk of developing PTSD.
The Parts of the Movie That Relate to Symptoms of the Disorder
Dana, a reporter with the New York Post, feels irritated with her boss’s decision to add Rosenblum to the story she was working on; he cites a shortage of manpower for his decision. Although she claims to be competent and assured that everything about the story is going to be alright, her way of response shows how she was irritated by the move. Dana engages in a brief argument regarding the interview with Sandberg (Washington, 2021). Her mind got disturbed; she could not even notice her blouse was already soaking with breast milk. Considering the loss of her husband in the war, Dana had not recovered, and the expression of irate reaction is a symptom of PTSD (Lyons & Martin, 2019). She took management’s decision as an offensive act of undermining her, yet it was a healthy move to enhance efficiency.
While Dana was in her office expressing milk for Jordan, her son, her colleagues came to tell her about how Rosenblum was telling everybody she was on her story. This does not settle well with her, and she vows to keep him off her story. Rosenblum was equally qualified as a journalist, but Dana was not convinced he could do the story; she believed he would mess her up. This was an expression of mistrust, a common symptom associated with PTSD.
Still in the office, Dana’s friend asks her if anything is disturbing her. She denies claiming everything was well and she was not in any trouble. Her friend was worried about the latest behavior of Dana isolating herself from her fellow workmates; she wanted to know whether there was any problem or if she could help. Dana uses the excuse of being a single mother for her routine reporting to work and leaving without talking to anyone (Washington, 2021). The friend insists something is not fine and advises her to find someone to confide in and open up. Social isolation, as seen in Dana’s behavior in the office, is a symptom of PTSD.
Loneliness is a symptom of PTSD, and this is reflected in Dana’s life. Kaleisha, her house assistant, always leaves whenever Dana gets home from work. She is left with only her little son, Jordan, for the night. Dana had no one to talk to, laugh or even have fun with; she was in her own world of thoughts. She felt her heart and home were empty; even the presents of Jordan could not suppress her loneliness. Dana had nothing that could fill the space her late loving husband left. However, s discussed in class, there are treatments for traumas, including exposure therapies, CBT, stress management, and antidepressants; Dana ought to have sought help.
During the night, she had weird dreams about her husband talking to her, Charles King, talking to her. On one of the nights, he asked her to tell him everything. Dana wakes up, picks up the journal Charles had written to his son, and reads part of it to him (Washington, 2021). She reads the part where Charles had written telling his son there was nothing wrong with crying since it was a way of releasing pain and stress and had nothing to do with his manhood. People suffering from PSTD sometimes experience weird dreams related to the terrifying events they have encountered (Lyons & Martin, 2019). Dana had such experiences at night; this forced her to spend nights figuring out how she would disclose her husband’s tragic demise to her son.
Dana could stay awake some nights, figuring out and typing how she could tell her son how they had survived sorrowful years without Charles. She writes about how he met him for the first time on her father’s birthday. The two men had met in the military and became close family friends. Dana describes she and Charles became fond of each other, fell in love, dated, and how Jordan was conceived. Dana had PSTD symptoms of sleep disturbance that compelled her to be typing at night instead of being in bed.
Dana had a lot of things surrounding her that brought memories of her late husband. The journal Charles left his son was a constant trigger for Dana to flashback about the past when her husband was still alive. While celebrating her son’s birthday, Jordan utters the words “peek-a-boo, Daddy.” Charles spoke the words while having fun at the park. These words reminded Dana about her late husband, their love, and their beautiful moments together. Her memories of Charles and imagining that he was no more and there would be no other similar amazing moments tormented her. As discussed in class, such memories ending in pain are symptoms of PTSD, indicating Dana has not recovered from the unprecedented loss of her husband.
Jordan and the things he used to do ignited memories of his father, making Dana a little uneasy. He asked many questions about his father based on what he read in the journal. It was not an easy experience for his mother to explain to him; the questions rekindled the past sweet memories that were no more. On the day of visiting the cemetery, Dana found his son working out in his room. This reminded her of Charles’ passion for working out to enhance his fitness. Later that day, Jordan wore a pair of suits that resembled the one Dana bought for his dad. She was amazed by her son’s stunning look but equally disturbed. The two scenes where her son resembles the father made her uneasy; they rekindled the old gone memories. It made her feel the loss of an amazing husband who meant a lot to their world.
The Portrayal of the Disorder Symptoms in Comparison to Real-Life Manifestations
Dana shows exemplary performance in her role as a PSTD victim. Her role elaborates on life before and after developing this mental disorder, as well as how it transforms someone’s life. Dana met Charles when she was a cheerful young lady who loved her work as a journalist and was ready to fall in love. They got to know each, became friends, and finally fell in love. All this while, she was doing well psychologically; nothing was disturbing her, and thus behaving normally. This is a true reflection of the life of a person whose who has not experienced or witnessed a terrifying event.
Once people experience or witness a terrifying experience in their lives, the events change them. They start experiencing mental issues that affect their behavior, productivity, and how they perceive things. When Dana lost her husband, she became vulnerable and easily irritated. She could not view things from different perspectives as she used to before. When Rosenblum was assigned to assist her, she did not look at it as teamwork; instead, she got irritated and vowed to fight him. People sometimes perceive the introduction of changes as competition or undermining them.
Dana suddenly developed mistrust in her workplace, withdrew from social life with colleagues, and experienced loneliness. She had no idea that these were the results of psychological issues. Her grieving had taken a long time and affected her everyday life at home and work, but Dana did not seem to notice or seek help. When her colleague asked whether something was wrong, she claimed to be fine. Like Dana, people do not take such abnormal changes seriously and thus do not attempt to seek professional redress. They end up suffering, without knowing, with issues that can be addressed and resume back to normal life routines.
In addition, Dana had sleeping disturbances and frequently encountered memories of her past. Ordinarily, people perceive sleeping disorders as a result of their experiences during the day, such as fatigue. Some cultures believe nightmares are a regular occurrence originating from the spirit world. People believe in memories of attachment with the people involved, as Dana did, but they do not understand that these bonds should be cut off at some point since they affect their mental well-being and even productivity at the workplace.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5 (5th ed.). CBS Publishers & Distributors, Pvt. Ltd.
Lyons, C. A., & Martin, B. (2019). Abnormal psychology: Clinical and scientific perspectives (6th ed.). BVT Publishing.
Washington, D. (2021). A Journal for Jordan [Film]. Sony Pictures Entertainment
Stress is a feeling that is created when human beings react to certain events (Thomas and Eileen 90). Normally, stress is an automatic body response to unusual situations (tough) and it makes individuals feel pressured to perform certain functions/duties. Whenever we are overloaded with issues that are too much to handle, we as human beings become stressed up (Thomas and Eileen 90). This paper will look at some work-related stress based on survey/feedback from two employees working in different work settings. The two employees are Steve who is a waiter and Ruth a marketing executive.
Interview question1: What stressors do you experience at the workplace?
As a waiter, Steve encounters the following stressors. He encounters a noisy and busy work environment as a result of dealing with multiple clients. Secondly, at a time when clients are many especially during peak hours, Steve is forced to work for long hours. He also says that his work demands a lot of concentration, especially when picking customers’ orders and this comes with a lot of pressure. Attending to multiple customers is even more “stressing” according to Steve. Generally, Steve admits that sometimes he finds it difficult to listen, talk and have all the orders taken and delivered to various customers.
On the other hand, Miss Ruth, a marketing executive experiences several stressors in her work environment. First, Ruth’s office is just next to the highway and therefore she has to tolerate loud noise from hooting cars. In addition, some of her clients are nagging and she must sacrifice a lot to make them familiar with new products. This makes her lose self-control. Moreover, as a sales executive, one is expected to meet a certain target. As such, Ruth faces role strain as she is under pressure to meet a certain target every week.
Interview question 2: How do you manage stress in the workplace?
As a waiter, Steve tries to manage his attitude by being friendly to clients. Additionally, he tries to keep communication open and friendly with all coworkers. This helps in building teamwork and good relationship, which are necessary tools in such a busy work environment (Primm 453). Ruth says that managing time enables her to do things moderately without any pressure. In addition, she tries to improve her communication skills so that she can efficiently communicate with clients. To avoid noise-related stress, Ruth handles her job with a positive attitude and this makes it easy to enjoy work.
Interview question 3: How does the manager/organizer help manage stress in your occupation?
Work-related stress does not only affect employees but also affects a company’s productivity. To ensure productivity, employers should help employees manage all work-related stress (Primm 452). Steve’s boss encourages social activities on weekends, does not tolerate harassment, and always values his employees by listening to complaints and responding appropriately. For Ruth, her employer offers rewards and incentives to motivate employees. He also provides a realistic deadline and he is always ready to listen to employees.
In conclusion, work-related stress is a major cause of poor performance by employees due to pressure to meet deadlines and customers’ needs among other reasons. However, some forms of stress can make employees more productive. For instance, pressure to perform can enable employees to perform effectively in different tasks (Primm 452). With improved communication skills, a positive attitude, teamwork, and a friendly work environment, employees can minimize stress and hence improve their performance. In addition to this, employers should create a conducive working environment to minimize work-related stress.
Works Cited
Primm, Dave. What Workplace Stress Research is Telling Technical Communication. Technical Communication, 52.1 (2005): 449-455. Print.
Thomas, Colligan, and Eileen Higgins. Workplace Stress. Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health, 21.1 (2006): 89–97. Print.
For many people, smoking has been used as a method of ‘self-medication’ for easing feelings of distress. However, research evidence has shown that continuous smoking and the failure to quit actually increases tension and anxiety. Nicotine is a substance that creates an instant sense of relaxation and relief, which enables people to smoke with the expectation that they can curb stress and anxiety. In the general population, the attempts to cut out smoking from daily life has shown to have a favorable impact on both physical and mental well-being, which suggests that in narrow population groups, such as veterans, similar results are expected to be revealed in the proposed qualitative study. In the target population of veterans, smoking has also been used as a form of stress relief, especially when it comes to PTSD.
This study proposal aims to explore the healthcare problem of smoking and stress among veterans. The challenge is extensive, and there is research evidence showing that smoking only exacerbates the symptoms of anxiety among people. The target population of veterans has been chosen for analysis because the individuals experience severe mental health symptoms and seek different methods to relieve them. The study will be of qualitative nature and look at a smaller sample size than in quantitative procedures. While there is bias from self-reported data, the qualitative study can help achieve more profound insight into the problem through the understanding of participants’ behaviors. The expectation of the study is that smoking does not help veterans deal with stress on a long-term basis, which is why behavioral interventions may be carried out to help them quit and achieve physical and mental well-being. The limitations of the proposed research include smaller sample size and the possibility of bias.
Statement of the Problem
Smoking and stress have come hand-in-hand as many people have engaged in smoking as a self-medication method to ease the feeling of pressure. However, research has found that smoking actually increases emotional tension and anxiety (Choi, Ota, & Watanuki, 2015). The effect of nicotine is such that it can provide a sense of relation, which makes people continue smoking in the belief that they can calm themselves down and ease the tension. However, such a feeling does not last a long time as the symptoms of withdrawal take place and increase the craving to continue smoking (Choi et al., 2015). Continuous smoking reduces the symptoms of withdrawal, but it does not alleviate anxiety on a long-term basis and cannot help people get rid of the stress that they experience. Therefore, smoking as a way of stress reduction creates a vicious circle – a person smokes to relieve stress but starts experiencing further strain from the withdrawal.
Significance of the Topic
The topic is significant to explore because of the misconception that smoking can alleviate the emotional burden of stress and anxiety when in reality, it has an exacerbating effect on emotional stress. It is essential to study the healthcare challenge because adults with stress and depression are twice as likely to engage in smoking as adults without depression (Kim et al., 2019). The majority of people begin smoking before experiencing the signs of stress or depression, and it is not clear whether smoking results in a reduced mental health state. It is also most likely that there is a much more complicated relationship between the two.
Because cigarette smoking is a significant health risk, researchers have explored the influence of cessation on stress levels and the changes in stress levels. For example, in the study by Kim et al. (2019), of the subject population that smokes, 78.3% felt stressed. Among research participants that successfully stopped smoking, 73% reported feeling stressed (Kim et al., 2019). In contrast, of those who failed to quit, 83% also reported high-stress levels (Kim et al., 2019). Besides, among people that made no attempts to stop smoking, 81% reported stress (Kim et al., 2019). Overall, individuals who were unsuccessful at stopping smoking experienced more stress compared to those who did not attempt to quit the habit (Kim et al., 2019). This shows that besides the adverse physical health consequences, smoking results in mental health complications that need further addressing.
Target Population
The target population of the proposed study includes veterans who are more likely to suffer from stress and even posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Many people who experience emotional strain report engaging in smoking to manage their moods and deal with anxiety. Among veterans, the stress may be associated with their experiences during deployment or coping with life after the military. Even though smoking may feel like smoking helps relieve the symptoms of stress and alleviate the burden of mental strain, on a long-term basis, it can make stress and PTSD even worse. Therefore, it is essential to explore the issue of tobacco use among veterans who smoke in order to relieve stress. While quitting smoking can be challenging, veterans have experienced significant success in quitting smoking without making their stress and PTSD worse.
Literature Review
Relationship Between Stress and Smoking
The interplay between stress and smoking has been of interest among researchers, with scholarly studies available for review. The objective of the current literature review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the original scientific studies that are relevant to the topic. Considering the fact that the issue is extensive, the research literature ranges in dates of publication and scholarly journals in which it was published. A comprehensive study on perceived stress and smoking was carried out by Stubbs et al. (2017), who gathered data across forty-one countries from Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Evidence suggests that perceived stress can represent a limitation to smoking cessation even though that little is known about the link between perceived stress and smoking in countries that have different income levels (Stubbs et al., 2017). It was found that the prevalence of smoking was 27.3%, with the highest and lowest prevalence observed in Africa (13.4%) and Asia (32.1%), respectively (Stubbs et al., 2017). Importantly, older individuals were much more less likely to smoke in Europe than in order regions (Stubbs et al., 2017). In the overall sample, a one-unit increase in the perceived stress scale (in the range between 2 and 10) was associated with a 1.05 times higher likelihood of smoking (Stubbs et al., 2017). Overall, the perceived stress is significantly linked with the higher rates of smoking across countries with different levels of income.
A comprehensive study on the influence of smoking cessation attempts on the levels of stress was conducted by Kim et al. (2019), who suggested that even though smoking cessation can benefit both physical and mental health, the process of quitting is difficult and shows its relationship to stress levels. In the study, the researchers analyzed the connection between the attempts to stop smoking and stress levels. The scholars used data from Korean Community Health Survey that included 488,417 participants (Kim et al., 2019). Using the chi-square test and logistic regression, survey data was analyzed. It was found that the prevalence of stress among individuals who were unsuccessful at stopping smoking was 1.11-fold higher compared to those who made no attempts at quitting smoking (Kim et al., 2019).
The prevalence of stress levels in participants who were successful at stopping smoking was 0.87-fold lower compared to those who have not tried to quit smoking (Kim et al., 2019). Notably, the association was stronger in females than in males, which may explain why the two genders had variable success rates of smoking cessation. Such variables as income, the number of individuals in the family, and marital status were stratified to get analyzed (Kim et al., 2019). The results illustrate the trend that people who were unsuccessful at stopping smoking had a higher risk of stress in the majority of the strata, especially when it comes to men. Besides, it is shown that smoking cessation can reduce stress levels when the attempts have been successful (Twyman et al., 2019). However, quitting smoking can be harmful and result in increased stress if attempts fail.
In their study, Lawless et al. (2016) explored the perceived stress and smoking-associated levels and symptomology in both men and women. The research represented a retrospective analysis of 62 smokers who were screened, gave relevant sociodemographic information, and whose smoking behaviors and survey measures were carried completed (Lawless et al., 2016). It was found that males experienced a more significant negative association between the perceived levels of stress and the degree of smoking (measured in the number of cigarettes smoked each day). In females, the trend had the same direction, although the association between stress and smoking was not significant (Lawless et al., 2016). Such findings can be explained by the smoking behavior model that suggests that the acute deprivation of nicotine results in increased levels of stress. This means that those who smoke more cigarettes every day are subjected to fewer instances of nicotine deprivation and thus less stress. The study differs from the findings of Kim et al. (2019) because it does not show that heavy smokers have high rates of perceived stress. The discrepancy between the two articles may be linked to the fact that Lawless et al. (2016) used a smaller sample. Therefore, future research using a larger sample may be needed.
The behavioral and sociological perspectives have also been applied in order to study the connections between stress and smoking. In their study, Jahnel et al. (2019) explored everyday stress as a connective point between disadvantage and smoking. Through the social-ecological perspective, the sample of 194 daily smokers was examined. The participants were not attempting to quit smoking and recorded the information about smoking, including both situational and contextual factors, for three weeks. It was tested whether socioeconomic disadvantage, which was indicated by educational attainment, race, and income, exerts indirect effects on smoking, such as cigarettes smoked every day, via daily stress.
In their study, individuals with lower levels of education were much older compared to higher educated individuals, although no differences were found concerning gender and cigarettes smoked per day. Individuals who are disadvantaged socially in terms of their racial background and education are more likely to experience more daily stress. More everyday stress leads to more cigarettes smoked each day, which results in significant indirect effects of education and racial background of smoking as mediated by stress (Jahnel et al., 2019). While it can only be speculated, individuals with lower levels of educational attainment may be more vulnerable to daily stress because the stressors are much more severe and disruptive of their daily lives through the lack of material and psychological coping skills (Jahnel et al., 2019). For example, people of lower-income are more likely to experience long-term stress in the form of financial strain, which does not always have to result in the daily stress experiences but rather chronic stress. Therefore, the more socially disadvantaged a person is, the more likely are they to experience stress and engage in smoking behaviors.
Stress and Smoking in Veterans
While the studies discussed previously discussed the relationship between stress and smoking without a narrowed target population, it is essential to explore articles that focus on veterans as the target population. In their article, O’Toole et al. (2018) investigated the relationship between combat, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and smoking trajectory in a group of male Australian army veterans who served in Vietnam. A cohort of male Australian Vietnam veterans, which included 388 individuals, was interviewed using standardized psychiatric diagnostic and health interviews and the assessment of combat exposure. Over time, the smoking trajectory showed a spectrum of outcomes, which included veterans that never smoked, quit early, quit late, and continued smoking. Multivariate statistics were used for assessing the relative contributions of combat trauma exposure and PTSF while also controlling for potential confounders.
The analysis of the trajectory of smoking over time showed that 21.9% of veterans had never smoked, 45.1% had quit smoking by the time of the first wave, 16.2% were current smokers at first wave who had quit by the time of the second wave, 2.8% were late adopters and smoked currently while 13.9% were continuing smokers (O’Toole et al., 2018). Smoking was related to demographics in single-predictor models, as well as with intelligence, exposure to combat, PTSD symptoms, and alcohol disorders. The most significant finding related to the increased smoking levels due to the exposure to military combat and trauma. Smoking is used as a form of stress relief rather than post-stress disorder, which is more pertinent to smoking and the inability to quit.
In their study, Salas et al. (2022) explored increased smoking cessation among veterans with significant decreases in PTSD severity. The research was carried out because it was unknown whether the reduction of PTSD severity was linked to smoking cessation, an inadequate health behavior common in patients diagnosed with the disorder. To identify PTSD patients in need of specialty care, the Veterans Health Affairs medical record data was used (Salas et al., 2022). The scholars intended to find a relationship between clinically meaningful improvements in PTSD symptoms and the cessation of smoking within two years after baseline. On average, there was a clinically significant improvement of PTSD symptoms in 19.8% of participants who successfully quit smoking (Salas et al., 2022). It was found that patients with clinical diagnoses of PTSD had a meaningful improvement in their symptoms when they stopped smoking. Because patients with PTSD are likely to develop adverse physical and mental health conditions, it becomes of great importance to facilitate positive health behaviors.
The research by Peterson, Prochazka, and Battaglia (2015) explored smoking cessation and care management targeting veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder. The rationale for the research was that individuals with PTSD have higher rates of smoking and are less likely to quit because it relieves their symptoms (Pericot-Valverde et al., 2018). The study involved one hundred and twenty participants that were divided into control groups. The participants were engaged in an intervention that involved a telehealth PTSD program, a motivational interviewing-based smoking cessation program through a telehealth device, as well as weekly motivational interviewing counselling phone calls (Peterson et al., 2015). Motivational interviewing was shown to boost readiness for changing behaviors and smoking cessation care when it comes to the incorporation of in-person mental health care. Using the research, it is possible to combine a written smoking cessation curriculum and phone-based motivational interviewing counselling into a well-developed program that coordinates telehealth and self-care models.
Research Methods
The aim of the qualitative research is to gain an in-depth understanding of the real-world challenge that affects the target population of veterans. The significance of the study lies in need to address the health problem of smoking as a behavioral response to the increased stress levels among veterans. Veterans represent a vulnerable patient population that is at a higher risk of receiving medical care of lower quality, which results in worse medical outcomes compared to patients who have not experienced combat. Considering this healthcare limitation and the fact that smoking has an adverse effect on the physical health of individuals, it is essential to explore the relationship between smoking and stress in the veteran population. The purpose of the research is to evaluate the association between smoking and stress among veterans and determine whether such variables as gender and educational background have an influence on the relationship. The rationale for the research is connected to the issue that smoking is mistakenly used as a stress relief method while, in reality, it does not bring the desired results. From the socioeconomic perspective, it is essential to look at characteristic variables such as gender and educational background as possible predictors of increased smoking due to stress.
The study will involve veterans of different backgrounds, experiences, genders, and educational statuses. The research hypothesizes that the socioeconomic status of participants will have an influence on the relationship between stress and smoking, with veterans of lower educational levels and males being more likely to smoke due to stress. The research questions are the following:
What is the connection between stress and smoking in the target population of veterans?
Does the socioeconomic status (namely, gender and educational background) influence the likelihood of increased smoking due to stress?
Does smoking alleviate the symptoms of stress on a long-term basis?
What interventions can be put in place to improve the well-being of veterans who engage in smoking due to stress?
In contrast to the quantitative design, generalizability is not expected to be accomplished in the study. With the help of semi-structured interviews with focus groups, data will be gathered on participants’ perspectives on stress and smoking, with considerations of the socioeconomic status of respondents. The focus group design was selected because it can enable group discussions between study participants. This way, the veterans included in the study will be encouraged to share their views and experiences, thus facilitating a potential reflection in terms of hearing others. During the focus group interactions, veterans will be asked both open- and closed-ended questions to encourage discussions and interactions between the participants based on the researcher-supplied topic. The main goal of the focus group interviews is to evoke a certain degree of respondents’ feelings, attitudes, feelings, beliefs, reactions, and experiences that are otherwise not available using such methods as solely observations or one-on-one interviews.
The feelings, beliefs, and attitudes, which are expected to get revealed during focus group interactions may be somewhat independent of a group or its social setting. However, they are more likely to get revealed when participants, especially those with traumatic and stressful experiences of trauma, gather together and interact within a focus group that has common definitions. The focus group setting is especially useful in the current study because the experiences of veterans will range from one individual to another even though they share a similar language and culture. The degree of consensus on the given issue will be comprehensively explored during the focus groups. Due to this, it is essential that the interviewer ensures that the participants are open to sharing their specific experiences and opinions about the healthcare challenges of stress and smoking.
The qualitative study will be conducted in a community health center situated locally. Such organizations offer communities support through government-funded programs underpinned by integrated support and care models. The programs at community health centers can involve partnerships between non-governmental organizations specializing in veteran support as well as psychosocial support and other healthcare teams offering clinical care. The services aimed at helping veterans quit smoking varies within and across organizations, with most support provided with the help of outreach.
Because of the narrowly-defined target population of war veterans, the study will use purposive sampling to include as many participants as possible that fit the criteria of eligibility. Participants were eligible to participate in the focus groups if they had a former experience of combat and have engaged in smoking as a method of stress relief, being either ex-smokers or smoking currently. The initial surveys for participants assessed potential participants’ age, gender, socioeconomic status, educational background, and experiences associated with their time serving in the army and engaging in battles. The study subjects will not be reimbursed for participating in the research, with data being collected until the necessary level of information saturation is reached.
Discussions based on semi-structured interviews will be developed in such a way that is clear and understandable to the target population. They will be created by the research team based on the aims of the study. The guides for interview questions will cover such topics as stress developed as a result of trauma from battle (including PTSD), smoking history and current smoking behaviors, educational attainment experiences, as well as previous experiences with interventions aimed at smoking cessation and stress relief.
When it comes to the analysis of data, it will be collected, transcribed, and analyzed once the focus group discussions are fully complete. It is expected to carry out four focus group discussions over the course of two months, twice a month. Notably, the two week gaps between the focus groups are expected to give participants some time to think and reflect on what they and others have said. Besides, such gaps are necessary to ensure that the traumatic experiences of battle are not overwhelming and do not bring up the negative emotions and increase stress and smoking as a way of stress relief.
The transcripts of focus group discussions will be analyzed with the help of thematic analysis. The interviewer will develop summary notes of observations and talks after each focus group. The data will be continuously reviewed and compared for identifying patterns and themes in the data, participant groups and responses to specific questions asked by the interviewer. After all four focus groups are completed, each transcript will be reviewed for noting initial impressions and the understanding of the data. To develop a set of codes for thematic analysis, impressions and initial emerging themes will be discussed. The transcripts will have to be re-read and coded by the data analyst for relevant and meaningful sections and phases of the transcripts represented by themes and comments that several participants repeat in their discussions. Codes will be modified and revised as required in order to best represent the data to then arrange them based on emerging themes. Finally, solid themes will be reviewed and further discussed, with the study authors confirming the accuracy of data interpretation.
An important aspect of qualitative methodology is the reporting of strategies for ensuring the rigor of qualitative work. In the study, the researcher will consider how their experiences, professional background, and prior assumptions could influence data collection and the capacity to facilitate honest and open responses from the interviewed participants. It is important to be sensitive to the different priorities and values that researchers and study participants have. Bias is a common challenge of qualitative studies, but it is crucial to acknowledge the individual experiences and perspectives of participants.
Researchers will summarize, reflect, and give feedback on the information for confirming or clarifying data collected within focus groups. Data will be deliberately collected from sources that are quite different from one another, with varying demographic variables, geographic locations, and experiences, which can increase the transferability of study findings. Research findings’ dependability can be enhanced by involving another researcher in the processes of data collection and coding. The results will be presented in the form of tables summarizing relevant qualitative data for a better breakdown of information and illustration of findings.
In terms of research limitations, there are some challenges to be considered. The method of focus groups is limited by the dependency on the study design itself and can be addressed with the help of diligent planning. The limitations include less control over the produced data, limited leverage over the interactions within focus groups to keep participants focused on the topic, as well as difficulty assuring full anonymity and confidentiality as information is being shared within the veteran focus group. The relatively smaller number of study participants is another limitation in addition to bias stemming from self-reported data.
References
Choi, D., Ota, S., & Watanuki, S. (2015). Does cigarette smoking relieve stress? Evidence from the event-related potential (ERP). International Journal of Psychophysiology, 98(3), 470-476.
Jahnel, T., Ferguson, S. G., Shiffman, S., & Schuz, B. (2019). Daily stress as link between disadvantage and smoking: An ecological momentary assessment study. BMC Public Health, 19(1284).
Kim, S-J., Chae, W., Park, W-H., Park, M-H., Park, E-C., & Jang, S-I. (2019). The impact of smoking cessation attempts on stress levels. BMC Public Health, 19(267).
Lawless, M. H., Harrison, K. A., Grandits, G. A., Eberly, L. E., & Allen, S. S. (2015). Perceived stress and smoking-related behaviors and symptomatology in male and female smokers. Addictive Behaviors, 51, 80–83.
O’Toole, B., Kirk, R., Bittoun, R., & Catts, S. (2018). Combat, posttraumatic stress disorder, and smoking trajectory in a cohort of male Australian army Vietnam veterans. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 20(10), 1198-1205.
Pericot-Valverde, I., Elliott, R. J., Miller, M. E., Tidey, J. W., & Gaalema, D. E. (2018). Posttraumatic stress disorder and tobacco use: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Addictive Behaviors, 84, 238–247.
Peterson, J., Prochazka, A., & Battaglia, C. (2015). Smoking cessation and care management for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder: A study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. BMC Health Services Research, 15(46).
Salas, J., Gebauer, S., Gillis, A., van den Beck-Clark, C., Schneider, D., Schnurr, P., … Scherrer, J. (2022). Increased smoking cessation among veterans with large decreases in posttraumatic stress disorder severity. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 24(2), 178-185.
Stubbs, B., Veronese, N., Vancampfort, D., Prina, M., Lin, P-Y., Tseng, P-T., … Koyanagi, A. (2017). Perceived stress and smoking across 41 countries: A global perspective across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Scientific Reports, 7(7597).
Twyman, L., Cowles, C., Walsberger, S., Baker, A., Bonevski, B., & Tackling Tobacco Mental Health Advisory Group. (2019). ‘They’re going to smoke anyway’: A qualitative study of community mental health staff and consumer perspectives on the role of social and living environments in tobacco use and cessation. Frontiers in Psychiatry.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe mental condition that occurs due to single or repeated traumatic situations. Its cause can be any strong experience that causes an overstrain of the human nervous system: military conflicts, abduction, fire, and beating. Many parents are far from ideal because of a false idea about raising children. It is important to understand the reasons that led to such an opinion and summarize the solution to the problems that have arisen. This study analyzes the answers of ten parents to questions about their parenting style.
This quiz is designed to help parents better understand their parenting style. For each item, they indicate how much they agree or disagree with the statement. Ten parents of Americans took part in the interview, 3 of whom were men. The people selected for the interview were my acquaintances or passers-by who voluntarily agreed to participate. During the interview, several statements are voiced, with which parents must agree or disagree, and explain why. This paper analyzes several of the answers and reveals the theme of parenting style and post-traumatic diseases in children.
Some of the interview questions:
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being lowest and 10 being highest, how much do you believe that kids should make most of their own decisions without parental direction?
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being lowest and 10 being highest, how much do you believe that society would be better if parents were stricter with their kids?
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being lowest and 10 being highest, how much do you believe that kids need to learn early who the boss is in the family?
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being lowest and 10 being highest, how much do you believe that parents shouldn’t restrict children’s activities or decisions?
One of the most common and severe traumatic events for children, in most cases, is episodes of domestic violence. Teenagers can openly declare panic attacks – transient, spontaneous states with sudden feelings of fear and anxiety (Cloitre et al., 2021). The trigger can be anything – a word, a sound, a smell, an image, being in a certain space, or a touch. Such manifestations can be incredibly stable and persist for a long time (Cross et al., 2018). Difficulties in diagnosing post-traumatic stress disorder are associated with the limited verbal capabilities of children and the tendency of parents to underestimate the symptoms of the child (Greene et al., 2020). The behavior of children suffering from post-traumatic syndrome is aimed at avoiding situations that actualize memories of trauma (De Young, Landolt, 2018). An example of a trigger is the creaking of brakes, the sound of a gunshot, and the smell of certain medications. Memories arise more often at night, rarely during the day; they are easier to bear.
During the interview, 6 out of 10 parents agreed with the first statement. On average, they answered the first question 4/10 because they believed that parents should be directly involved in the child’s decisions. The parents found it difficult to answer the second question, but the average score for the answer was 4/10. Male parents were more likely to believe that discipline improves society. The parents answered the third question positively because they were sure that the child should perceive their parents as the authority and be afraid of them. Only 2 out of 10 people answered the last question positively. Therefore, it can be concluded that in most families, the authoritarian type of upbringing prevails.
By way of conclusion, it is important to note that it is necessary to ensure maximum child involvement in social relations: school attendance, social meetings, sports clubs, and active family recreation. Passion for the present is important – meetings, studies, creativity, and achievements. If a child wants to discuss a difficult event, you cannot refuse, but it is worth talking about it as a past experience. It is possible to reduce the likelihood of post-traumatic syndrome through the correct organization of life.
A 14-year-old girl arrives at an admission interview with a therapist with the primary complaint of being recently sad, restless, and aggressive. She was raped a year ago by an unidentified attacker. Her sleep is turbulent, she has rape nightmares, her mood is depressed, and her affect is congruent and constrained. The mental status examination informs that her general appearance is average, and her emotions reveal sadness. Her mental process is rational and linear, and her mental faculties are largely intact. Her judgment and emotional regulation remain unaffected.
The differential diagnoses for the patient include major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Laboratory testing would include blood tests to screen for medical conditions that may induce depression indications and causes, such as thyroid or maybe other hormones, and occasionally calcium and vitamin D levels. A screening test can be done, which is a two-part inquiry about the client’s onset of depression and current feelings. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 is possible as a diagnostic test, which is a self-assessment and severity measure based on the present major depression clinical guidelines. The treatment plan for the girl should prescribe Prozac since it is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. This medicine is used at the start of the course and has minimum impact on the organism while dealing with sleeping and concentration issues (Mayo Clinic, 2018). The patient will communicate with a therapist to identify and eliminate disturbing ideas and judgments that lead to sadness, anger, and irritation because it will help her express suppressed thoughts and relieve her stress.
Preventing future mental health disorders is most effective from infancy and early childhood. According to research, the first indicators of mental health problems might appear in infancy, who, as well as toddlers, can be vulnerable to mental health illnesses that require therapy (Izett et al., 2021). It encompasses an infant’s capacity to enjoy, control, and express feelings, to form deep and secure social interactions, and to develop and discover about their surroundings.