Stress Management Techniques Paper

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Discussion 2: Aligning Stress Management Techniques With Populations and Emerging Trends/Research in Stress Management

Often in the face of extreme stress or an external crisis, it is not uncommon to focus on being grateful for your health in an attempt to minimize the situation’s impact. However, as previous weeks of this course indicate, health is far more than just an absence of disease or injury. Rather, health includes a continuum of wellness influenced by many life characteristics.

Managing stress is as personal as the stressor itself. The populations health psychology professionals serve are changing, making the need for a variety of stress management techniques even more crucial to maintaining health. For example, people are living longer and require more chronic disease management. Also, there is an increase in the number of ethnic minority groups, those living with disabilities, and those living in poverty. As a result of merging cultures, health issues ripple across the globe.

Public policy, education, training, research, advocacy, and program development and application are all ways in which health psychology professionals can promote positive social change. As a future health psychology professional you should begin thinking about how you can apply topics within stress and coping to promote positive social change. Based on your interests you may choose to develop an education program on sleep hygiene or become an advocate for CAMs.

For this Discussion, review this week’s Learning Resources. Search the Walden Library for a stress management technique you have not previously researched in this course. Consider possible barriers to the effectiveness of this technique. Then select a topic within the area of stress and coping and consider how you might apply this topic to positive social change.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post by Day 4 a brief description of the stress management technique you selected that was not covered in this course and explain why it might be effective. Then describe at least one possible barrier to the effectiveness of this technique and explain how you might address that barrier. Be specific. Then, post a brief description of the topic you selected and explain how you might apply the topic to promote positive social change. Be specific and provide examples.

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.

Readings

  • Course Text: Rook, K. S., August, K. J., & Sorkin, D. H. (2011). Social network functions and health. In R. J. Contrada & A. Baum (Eds.), The handbook of stress science: Biology, psychology, and health (pp. 123–135). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

    Now with the understanding of social support as a coping mechanism as discussed in Week 6, please review Chapter 10, “Social Network Functions and Health” with this new perspective on the effects of social networks when underutilized among various populations.

  • Course Text: Uchino, B. N., & Birmingham, W. (2011). Stress and support processes. In R. J. Contrada & A. Baum (Eds.), The handbook of stress science: Biology, psychology, and health (pp. 111–121). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
  • Article: American Cancer Society. (2012). Sources of support. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.org/treatment/understandingyourdiagnosis/advancedcancer/advanced-cancer-sources-of-support
  • Article: Chao, R. C.-L. (2011). Managing stress and maintaining well-being: Social support, problem-focused coping, and avoidant coping. Journal of Counseling and Development, 89(3), 338–348.
    Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Academic Search Complete database.
  • Article: Committee on Education and Training, American Psychological Association Division 38. (2012). Becoming a health psychologist. Retrieved from http://www.health-psych.org/AboutHowtoBecome.cfm
  • Article: Hillenberg, J. B., & DiLorenzo, T. M. (1987). Stress management training in health psychology practice: Critical clinical issues. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 18(4), 402–404.
    Retrieved from the Walden Library using the PsycARTICLES database.
  • Article: Keefe, F. J., & Blumenthal, J. A. (2004). Health psychology: What will the future bring? Health Psychology, 23(2), 156–157.
    Retrieved from the Walden Library using the PsycARTICLES database.
  • Article: Kraft, P., & Yardley, L. (2009). Current issues and new directions in psychology and health: What is the future of digital interventions for health behavior change? Psychology and Health, 24(6), 615–618.
    Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Academic Search Complete database.
  • Article: Littrell, J. (2008). The mind-body connection: Not just a theory anymore. Social Work in Health Care, 46(4), 17–37.
    Retrieved from the Walden Library using the MEDLINE with Full Text database.
  • Article: Nielsen, K., Taris, T. W., & Cox, T. (2010). The future of organizational interventions: Addressing the challenges of today’s organizations. Work & Stress, 24(3), 219–233.
    Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Academic Search Complete database.
  • Article: Nauert, R. (2011, January 21). Social support helps women beat breast cancer. Psych Central. Retrieved from http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/01/21/social-support-helps-women-beat-breast-cancer/22830.html
  • Article: Schaufeli, W. B., (2004). The future of occupational health psychology. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 53(4), 502–517.
    Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Academic Search Complete database.
  • Article: Uchino, B. N. (2006). Social support and health: A review of physiological processes potentially underlying links to disease outcomes. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 29(4), 377–387.
    Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Academic Search Complete database.
  • Article: Wells, J. R., & Anderston, S. T. (2011). Self-efficacy and social support in African Americans diagnosed with end stage renal disease. The ABNF Journal, 22(1), 9–12.
    Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Academic Search Complete database.
  • Article: Yali, A. M., & Revenson, T. A. (2004). How changes in population demographics will impact health psychology: Incorporating a broader notion of cultural competence into the field. Health Psychology, 23(2), 147–155.
    Retrieved from the Walden Library using the PsycARTICLES database.
  • Website: American Psychological Association Division 38: Health Psychology. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.health-psych.org/
  • Web Resource: American Cancer Society. (2012). Find support groups and services in your area. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/SupportProgramsServices/index
  • Web Resource: American Psychological Association. (n.d.). International Journal of Stress Management. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/str/index.aspx
  • Web Resource: National Institutes of Health. (n.d.). Health information: Stress. Retrieved from http://health.nih.gov/topic/Stress