Coping process for stress in older adults
Keywords:
stress, older adult, coping processAbstract
Introduction: The World Health Organization has recognized stress as one of the four greatest threats to human health, linking it to six of the leading causes of death and a high number of physical, mental, and emotional disorders.
Objective: To summarize the essential elements of the coping process for stress.
Methods: A review of articles published in the databases PubMed, MEDLINE, SciELO, Scopus, Lilacs, and BVS was conducted regarding the coping process for stress. The selection criteria included: systematic reviews, meta-analyses, clinical trials, clinical practice guidelines, and literature reviews.
Development: Stress is defined as a nonspecific response of the organism to any demand, viewed as a transactional process between the stimulus and the person responding. Coping with stress in older adults is influenced by various factors, including those related to the evaluation of the stressor, such as the desirability-undesirability of the event, whether it is anticipated or not, the role of similar prior experiences, and social support. Among the influential personal factors are cognitive functioning, self-esteem, and self-concept, which are considered relevant.
Conclusions: Stress is one of the main risk factors affecting the health of the population. Coping strategies involve conscious effort to solve a problem. Coping with stress in the elderly is influenced by both factors related to the evaluation of the event and personal factors.
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