ABSTRACT
This chapter is intended to provide the reader with an overview of: (1) stress and stressors; (2) the psychological reaction to having a serious or chronic illness; and (3) the reaction to dying and death.
This will include an idea about what is meant by stress and stressors, general adaptation syndrome (GAS), explaining the effect of stress on the endocrine system and the immune system, describing types of stressors, identifying stress outcomes, describing the relation between stress and mental health, describing the relation between stress and health behaviors, identifying factors that influence the response to stress, coping resources, and coping strategies.
In the overview of psychological reaction to having a serious or chronic illness, the factors affecting this reaction, coping tasks in the face of illness, and how to manage maladaptive responses are discussed.
Also, this chapter is intended to provide an overview or reaction to death and dying. This involves Bowlby’s view and phases of grief, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s stages of grief, how children cope with the death of a parent or sibling, the physician’s response to death, and cultural influences on bereavement.
