maintenance activities. Empirical referents were provided to show existence of the concept. To provide the reader with a better understanding of learned helplessness an example of case illustrations is presented. Implications in the practice of nursing regarding the care of patients facing chronic illness or debilitating injury are discussed. It is important for nurse practitioners to recognize learned helplessness early because it can have detrimental health effects on their patients. Care is aimed at educating the patients regarding self-management skills related to their disease process and also controlling the aspects of the disease that can be controlled. Increasing the patient’s knowledge can help decrease the feelings of helplessness. A Concept Analysis of Learned Helplessness When experience with uncontrollable events leads to the expectation that future events will also be uncontrollable, disruption in motivation, emotion, and learning may occur (Peterson, Maier, & Seligman, 1993). This is a psychophysiological phenomenon known as learned helplessness. The concept was originally applied in the training of dogs; however the concept was later applied to humans. It is an important concept to understand in persons who are battling chronic illness, as these people are often faced with repeated negative, uncontrollable disease related events (McLaughlin, Lafaivre, & Cummings, 2009). Learned helplessness can be seen as a coping mechanism some people employ in order to survive difficult circumstances. In people of all ages, learned helplessness can lead to symptoms of depression. Health behavior includes actions performed by individuals to maintain optimal health status. A person with a helpless attitude towards their health status might be less likely to participate in health promotion activities because they believe there is nothing that they can do to affect their health status. They
maintenance activities. Empirical referents were provided to show existence of the concept. To provide the reader with a better understanding of learned helplessness an example of case illustrations is presented. Implications in the practice of nursing regarding the care of patients facing chronic illness or debilitating injury are discussed. It is important for nurse practitioners to recognize learned helplessness early because it can have detrimental health effects on their patients. Care is aimed at educating the patients regarding self-management skills related to their disease process and also controlling the aspects of the disease that can be controlled. Increasing the patient’s knowledge can help decrease the feelings of helplessness. A Concept Analysis of Learned Helplessness When experience with uncontrollable events leads to the expectation that future events will also be uncontrollable, disruption in motivation, emotion, and learning may occur (Peterson, Maier, & Seligman, 1993). This is a psychophysiological phenomenon known as learned helplessness. The concept was originally applied in the training of dogs; however the concept was later applied to humans. It is an important concept to understand in persons who are battling chronic illness, as these people are often faced with repeated negative, uncontrollable disease related events (McLaughlin, Lafaivre, & Cummings, 2009). Learned helplessness can be seen as a coping mechanism some people employ in order to survive difficult circumstances. In people of all ages, learned helplessness can lead to symptoms of depression. Health behavior includes actions performed by individuals to maintain optimal health status. A person with a helpless attitude towards their health status might be less likely to participate in health promotion activities because they believe there is nothing that they can do to affect their health status. They