Development of Maladaptive Coping: A Functional Adaptation to Chronic,

Uncontrollable Stress
Martha E. Wadsworth by The Pennsylvania State University

Introduction

Maladaptive coping generally increases stress and anxiety, with examples

including self-harm, binge eating and substance abuse. The more maladaptive
behavior, the more risk a patient faces in either sustaining or increasing the severity of
their disorder. Health disparities are rooted in childhood and stem from adverse early
environments that damage physiologic stress-response systems. Developmental
psychobiological models of the effects of chronic stress account for both the negative
effects of a stress-response system calibrated to a dangerous and unpredictable
environment from a health perspective, and the positive effects of such an adaptively
calibrated stress response from a functional perspective.

Summary

Some theory and research have addressed how children develop their
characteristic ways of coping, whether adaptive or maladaptive. According to the
Responses to Stress model, children’s earliest attempts to regulate themselves begin in
infancy in symbiotic coregulation with a caregiver. Early self-soothing (thumb sucking)
and regulation behaviors (looking away) emerge during the first year, setting in motion a
process that unfolds over the next two decades (and beyond) wherein children become
increasingly independent in their ability to manage difficult situations and soothe
themselves. The ingredients necessary for children to develop a healthy repertoire of
coping skills apparently are the presence of mild and moderate stress, positive coping
models, and age-appropriate scaffolding.

Bringing coping into the conversation illuminates psychosocial pathways to repair

damaged biological stress systems, thereby providing clear and practical directions for
intervention. An intervention that teaches children about active, avoidant, and
accommodative coping skills with which to tackle both controllable and uncontrollable
stress and addresses when to use each type of coping or a combination of strategies
may help counteract health disparities. In addition, an intervention informed by the
functional adaptation perspective would recognize that many children’s behaviors that
lead to serious negative consequences (e.g., delinquency and substance use) are the
tradeoffs that accompany adapting successfully to a childhood marked by adversity.

Relevance
Hospital/Clinical Setting

The hospital is a place where different conditions and illnesses are found. One of
these conditions is mental and physical health problems. Knowing the different
symptoms and management of the disorder is vital to be able to come up with a suitable
care for the patient. Giving the patient an environment that is conducive for coping is
also important in the area to give the patient a better coping process.

In the Nursing Profession

A nurse is a versatile and flexible individual. A nurse makes sure that his/her
patients are well taken care of. This disorder may cause the patient to create a mess in
the area. A nurse’s responsibility is to be able to come up with a method of working in
the area as not to make the patient feel bad and at the same time not disturb the
neighboring patients. Building rapport with the patient is also a vital tool to be able to
perform nursing responsibilities more efficiently.

In Nursing Education

Nurses are also called to be educators (health educators). We should be able to

inform or educate our patients to learn accommodative coping skills and their family on
the proper treatment and to be able to create a conducive and appropriate results. This
way, the patient and family can also have ideas on the decisions that they will make.

In Research

More research needs to be done to advance the knowledge and information on

maladaptive behavior. We need more research to also be able to discover new methods
of care for our patients to give them a better coping experience.

Conclusion/Learning Insights

A standard management of maladaptive behavior follows a step by step

approach to achieve satisfactory care for the patient with the most minimal therapeutic
intervention. It was recommended to consult a specialist in this field to know the proper
diagnosis and treatment for the patient.

Source:

Wadsworth M. E. (2015). Development of Maladaptive Coping: A Functional Adaptation

to Chronic, Uncontrollable Stress. Child development perspectives, 9(2), 96–100.
https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12112