The ICU environment itself is inherently stressful, both for patients and their families. Patients are often critically ill, ...

By treating all adversity as inherently negative, we are doing a disservice to children and their ability to develop adaptive coping mechanisms that can help protect them in future cases of adversity.

However, the fact remains that the “good” defense mechanisms are just as adaptive as the “good” coping strategies. It may not be such a deficiency to be high on at least a certain type of ...

Importantly, not all coping mechanisms are good – or adaptive. Many are maladaptive. For example, the development of a drinking problem is a classic example of a maladaptive coping mechanism.

Build your internal coping mechanisms (Photo: iStock) Encountering problems and periods of distress is part of life and we all go through them. While professional counselling offers invaluable ...

By treating all adversity as inherently negative, we are doing a disservice to children and their ability to develop adaptive coping mechanisms that can help protect them in future cases of adversity.