Introduction
Healthcare is a complex system that encompasses many various concepts concerning health and medicine. From these considerations, it is essential to have a deep understanding of the theories and ideas in nursing, and concept analysis is an efficient tool to define the wide range of notions. It can help experts understand the concept’s scope, including its definitions and attributes across diverse frameworks. Ultimately, concept analysis is a highly productive method of advancing nursing theories and could be used to better comprehend various notions.
Concept Overview
The selected concept ‘coping’ is essential to understanding human behavior, emotional status, subconscious, and mental health problems. In healthcare, coping is defined as the adaptation process (Frydenberg, 2017). It is a highly prominent term in psychology and generally refers to specific conscious and unconscious strategies to relieve emotional stress (Frydenberg, 2017). Coping is frequently discussed in the context of ‘coping methods’, emphasizing its practical usage and significance in each individual’s life. Nevertheless, coping is also a highly complex concept that has diverse implications, depending on the definition, usage, and situation. Therefore, the purpose of the current analysis is to achieve a deeper understanding of the concept and examine its uses in various contexts, particularly in healthcare.
Besides psychology, the concept of coping is used in a large variety of other areas and theoretical frameworks. The term is frequently utilized in social sciences, economics, politics, and education. The mentioned areas use the concept of coping to explain the adaptation process of a specific entity or the development of an environment (Vakola & Petrou, 2018). For instance, Vakola and Petrou (2018) utilize coping to examine both the organizational change as the transformation of an entity and adaptation methods of employees within the environment. Thus, in this context, an organization and an individual are perceived as separate entities that have a unique reaction to the change and adapt accordingly (Vakola & Petrou, 2018). Similarly, economics and politics understand coping as the reaction of an ‘organism’ that these respective areas study. For instance, a coping strategy of a political party and a coping method of the national economy are two possible examples of the concept’s usage. From the initial analysis, it is possible to emphasize certain aspects of the concept:
Attributes – clusters of characteristics across various frameworks and professions: an organism, adaptation, internal motivation to change, and defense.
Antecedents – what should occur before ‘coping’: a problem or a stressor, health (physical, emotional, organizational, economical, etc.) impairment, hostile environment.
Consequences – what occurs after ‘coping’: stress reduction, increased resilience, reflection.
Empirical Methods of Assessment – evaluation techniques of the concept’s effectiveness: measurement of mental resilience via adolescent and adult coping scale, behavior observation, thoughtful conversations (Frydenberg, 2017).
Model Case
The three hypothetical case studies below demonstrate the usage of the concept in the context of psychology. The model case represents all attributes of the term and refers to a more canonical understanding of coping strategies that can be found in nursing literature and clinical practice. The scenario is the following: M. E. is a 17-year old male high school student preparing to continue his higher education in one of the universities in the local city. His parents pressure him to adopt the family business and choose the appropriate curriculum. M. E. is hesitant about his future career choice, stressed out due to a lack of personal interests, and his mental health is gradually deteriorating. He feels that his family perceives him as an instrument for their desires and detests this attitude. Nevertheless, he attempts to find a consensus with his parents and asks them for gap-year permission to better understand himself and potentially identify any long-term interests and objectives. After an extensive discussion, the family members conclude that forced education is an inadequate solution and might lead to negative consequences.
The current model case is an example of a conscious problem-focused coping strategy. M. E. demonstrated all four of the examined attributes and three antecedents and deliberately concentrated on finding a solution to the problem. In general, problem-focused coping is one of the most effective methods to reduce emotional stress (Leipold et al., 2019). However, it requires significant mental strength, problem-solving competencies, and solid internal motivation to change (Leipold et al., 2019). Ultimately, M. E. was able to consciously apply a problem-focused coping strategy and find the appropriate solution, reducing his emotional load and successfully achieving ‘coping consequences’.
Similar Case
A similar case represents a scenario in which not all attributes or antecedents are present. The case study is the following: M. S. is a 25-year old female working in the retail industry. She is experiencing the first mild burnout from work and doubts her education and career choice. She finds comfort in late parties with her close friends and drinks extensively. Her parents are supportive, but they start worrying that this behavior might lead to unhealthy habits. M.S. is stressed out but hesitant to change the situation, resulting in an even higher degree of resentment toward her job. She is anxiously waiting for the reunions with her friends and occasionally drinks alone in the meantime.
The current scenario represents an unconscious maladaptive coping strategy. The situation also demonstrates the three attributes (except for internal motivation to change) and two antecedents (except for hostile environment), making it a borderline case. In general, maladaptive coping is a highly prominent choice, specifically among people with a history of substance usage (Tartaglia & Bergagna, 2020). However, the consequences of this approach are frequently negative and might cause irreversible damage to mental and physical health.
Opposite Case
The opposite case represents a scenario that cannot be described by the concept of coping. The situation is the following: I. L. is a 38-year old male diagnosed with schizophrenia. The patient experiences severe and highly vivid hallucinations and cannot distinguish them from reality. I. L. believes that his mental health is stable and resents hospitalization, medication, or any professional help. However, after the recent episode of delusions, resulting in violence, he is hospitalized and provided with forced treatment.
Despite the severe health impairment, hostile environment, and emotional stressors, the current scenario does not represent coping. Schizophrenia is a mental health disorder that might require immediate hospitalization, depending on the severity of the problem (Vita & Barlati, 2018). Furthermore, in the current case, the patient cannot recognize the problem; thus, he has no internal motivation to adapt neither consciously nor unconsciously. The primary attributes of coping are not present, implying the patient’s inability to understand the complication. As a result, I. L. needs external help and professional treatment, making this scenario an opposite case.
Conclusion and Practice Implications
Coping is a complex concept which is frequently utilized in the fields of psychology, social sciences, and person-centered nursing theories. The examined three cases demonstrate the importance of four identified attributes and three antecedents to define the concept of coping. Concerning practical implications, the concept analysis might be used to educate nurses about the diverse coping strategies and differentiation of the term from other types of clinical treatment.
References
Frydenberg, E. (2017). Coping and the challenge of resilience. Palgrave Macmillan UK.
Leipold, B., Munz, M., & Michéle-Malkowsky, A. (2019). Coping and resilience in the transition to adulthood. Emerging Adulthood, 7(1), 12-20.
Tartaglia, S., & Bergagna, E. (2020). Alcohol consumption as a maladaptive coping strategy to face low life satisfaction. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 27(4), 306-311.
Vakola, M., & Petrou, P. (2018). Organizational change: Psychological effects and strategies for coping. Routledge.
Vita, A., & Barlati, S. (2018). Recovery from schizophrenia: Is it possible. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 31(3), 246-255.