Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome Theory in Cardiovascular Disease

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When adapting nursing care for particular clients, it is important to consider applicable theories used in guiding practice. Hans Selye's theory of general adaptation syndrome or stress response for instance, is helpful to consider when caring for patients whose challenges may be partially caused or exacerbated by many overlapping factors within both the internal and external environments. Important also to nursing is the metaparadigm which forms the framework of nursing theories. The metaparadigm for nursing revolves around the concepts of the client as recipient, the environment, health, and nursing, all of which can be used in discussing any nursing endeavor (Berman and Snyder, 2012, Chapter 3, p. 41).
Selye's study of stress and the body's natural responses to factors which cause “stress” or “stressors”, led to his establishment of the theory of “general adaptation syndrome” due to an observed pattern of responses common to exposure to any form of stress (Selye, 1950). Within Selye's idea of general adaptation syndrome he differentiates three stages of response undergone when encountering a stressor (alarm, resistance and exhaustion) as well as some of the physical symptoms which have come to be associated with experiencing general adaptation syndrome (Selye, 1950). The physiological changes occurring in the body are due to the effects of sympathetic nervous system activation and the release of hormones which prepare the body to take action, or to “fight or flight”. This process occurs regardless of the stressor encountered. Since the effects of general adaptation syndrome are so widespread in the body, they can be responsible for many different degrees of illness.
As one can imagine, the clients seen by nurses all ex...

... middle of paper ...

...sing interventions are based on assessment of the client and are enacted to promote the health of the client and help prevent future progression of cardiovascular complications.

References

Berman, A., & Snyder, S. (2012). Kozier & Erb's Fundamentals of nursing Concepts, process, and practice (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Franco, G. P., De Barros, A. L. B. L., Noguiera-Martins, L. A., & Michel J. L. M., (2003). Stress influence on genesis, onset and maintenance of cardiovascular diseases: Literature review. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Journal of Advanced Nursing 43(6), 548–554
Selye, H. (1950). Stress and the general adaptation syndrome. June 17, 1950, British Medical
Journal, 1383-1392.
VanMeter, K. C., & Hubert, R. J. (2014). Gould's pathophysiology for the health professions
(5thed.). St. Louis, Mo: Saunders, Elsevier Inc.

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