Jennifer Case

Case Studies

Jennifer is a 29-year-old administrative assistant married to Antonio, an Italian engineer, whom Jennifer met four years earlier while on a business trip for her marketing company. The couple now lives in Nebraska, where Antonio works for the county's transportation department and Jennifer commutes an hour each way to her marketing office. They have been trying to start a family for over a year. Eight months ago, Jennifer miscarried in her second month of pregnancy. Antonio's parents love Jennifer and often ask her if she is expecting again, hoping to encourage her to focus on her next baby. Jennifer's mother passed away two years ago and her father's health is rapidly deteriorating. Jennifer faces the probability of placing her father in a skilled nursing care facility within the next few months, against his wishes.

At work, Jennifer runs a tight ship. She is organized and prepares lists to assure that everything is done according to schedule. Everyone counts on Jennifer and she takes pride in never letting people down.

Jennifer has visited her physician numerous times in the last six months, complaining of headaches, backaches, and indigestion. Jennifer insists that she is happy and is not feeling stressed, yet she finds herself making more mistakes at work, unable to keep up with housework, and feeling tired and overwhelmed; she has begun to question her effectiveness as an employee, wife, daughter, and potential mother. Her pains seem to be increasing, but her doctor cannot find a physical cause for her discomfort.

What are the causes of stress in Jennifer's life?

Nevid and Rathus (2005) define stress as, "An event that exerts physical or psychological force or pressure on a person. The demand made on an organism to adjust" (p.79). The sources of stress are many. Daily life, physical pain, conflict, life changes, and irrational beliefs are just a few sources of stress. Stress can pile up until a person just can't take it anymore. Stress can cause physical, emotional, and physiological problems to a person.

Jennifer is under a lot of pressure and stress even if she does not believe she is. Reviewing Jennifer's information in the case study notes, one can easily see she has a difficult couple years. Many events in the last four years including the marriage to her husband have had an impact on Jennifer. Two years ago Jennifer's lost her mother. The health of Jennifer's father is deteriorating and she is coming to the realization the time is near to determine placement for her father. The father does not want to go to a nursing home; the difference of wants and needs is a stressor for Jennifer. Having to make decisions regarding a parent's care plan is never easy.

Jennifer also miscarried eight months ago. Her husband's family is trying to encourage her to get pregnant again; however their constant encouraging and questioning about when she is going to have another baby is stressful. Jennifer also has the stressors of everyday life such as cleaning, cooking, and making time for her husband. In between the cleaning, cooking and husband time, Jennifer works full-time in a marking office. The commute to work is one hour that is a total of two hours a day just driving. Working in itself is stressful but Jennifer is what some would consider a perfectionist at her work. That is making her job twice as stressful.

How is stress affecting Jennifer's health?

The stress factors keep adding up and adding up. The weight of the different stressors is taking a toll on Jennifer. Jennifer has seen the doctor several time over the past couple months because she is experiencing headaches, backaches, and indigestion. The doctor cannot find anything medically wrong that would cause the symptoms Jennifer is complaining about. Jennifer states she does not feel depressed; however, Jennifer states she is tired and feeling overwhelmed. Jennifer in unable to complete housework and he performance is slipping at work. Jennifer could experience even more stress because she cannot complete tasks as she once could or as she believes she should. The medical complaints will only continue to increase if Jennifer does not actively work on reducing her stressor.

Headaches are the most common complaint that comes with stress. Nevid and Rathus (2005) state stress has a direct connection with muscle tension headaches and migraine headaches. Almost 20% of Americans are victims of server headaches. The most common type of headache is muscle-tension headaches. Muscle-tension headaches often begin with the contacting of the neck, shoulders, and head contracting. The constant contracting of muscles in individuals under the pressure of stress can lead to muscle-tension headaches. Constantly blowing events out of proportion can also cause tension headaches. Learning to manage stress can help reduce the amount of headaches one has.

How are these stressors affecting Jennifer's self-concept?

Nevid and Rathus (2005) define self-concept as a person's impression or concept of themselves. A person's self-concept has a direct effect on their self-esteem. Stress can jeopardize a person's self-concept. Jennifer believes she is unable to keep up with the demands and responsibilities of family and work. Jennifer prides herself on not letting people down. Jennifer believes she is letting her co-workers down with the increasing mistakes at work. Jennifer may also believe her body is inadequate because she miscarried and is not pregnant again. Jennifer may also feel she is letting her husband and his family down by not getting pregnant and the loss of the baby. The declining health of Jennifer's father and his placement in a facility may also affect Jennifer's self-concept because she may feel like she should take care of him. Jennifer holds herself to such high standards and almost a perfectionist standard, this level of self-concept is almost setting her up for emotional defeat. Since Jennifer is not performing to her own expectations and to the expectations she believes her husband and his family hold for her, she is feeling inadequate. The inadequate feelings lead to lower self-esteem.

How are these stressors affecting Jennifer's and self-esteem?

A person's self-esteem can change depending on external events. Jennifer holds a rather high image about herself. Over the last four years Jennifer has had several traumatic and stressful events unfold in her life. The events piling up one on top of the other leaves Jennifer questioning herself and her abilities as a potential mother, wife, daughter, and employee. Jennifer feels

...