STRESS AND COPING-REVIEW
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
A patient who is having difficulty managing his diabetes mellitus responds to the news that his
hemoglobin A1C, a measure of blood sugar control over the past 90 days, has increased by saying,
"The hemoglobin A1C is wrong. My blood sugar levels have been excellent for the last 6 months."
Which defense mechanism is the patient using?
1. Denial
2. Conversion
3. Dissociation
4. Displacement ✅✅CORRECT ANSW-1. Denial
Rationale: Denial is avoiding emotional stress by refusing to consciously acknowledge anything that
causes intolerable anxiety. This patient's statements reflect denial about poorly controlled blood
sugars.
When doing an assessment of a young woman who was a victim of a home invasion 3 months
earlier, the nurse learns that the woman has vivid images of the crash whenever she hears loud
yelling or a sudden noise. The nurse recognizes this as_________________. ✅✅CORRECT ANSW-
PTSD
A grandfather living in Japan worries about his two young grandchildren who disappeared after a
tsunami. This is an example of:
1. A situational crisis
2. A maturational crisis
3. An adventitious crisis
4. A developmental crisis ✅✅CORRECT ANSW-3. An adventitious crisis
Rationale: An adventitious crisis is a type of crisis resulting from a natural disaster such as a tsunami.
During the assessment interview of an older woman who is recently widowed, the nurse suspects
that this woman is experiencing a developmental crisis. Which of the following questions provide
information about the impact of this crisis? (select all that apply)
, 1. With whom do you talk on a routine basis?
2. What do you do when you feel lonely?
3. How is having diabetes affecting your life?
4. I know this must be hard for you. Let me tell you what might help.
5. Do you have any changes in lifestyle habits: sleeping, eating, smoking, and drinking?
✅✅CORRECT ANSW-1,2,5
Rationale: A developmental crisis occurs as a person moves through the stages of life, including
widowhood. It is important to gather information about how this crisis affects her interactions,
coping with loneliness, and any changes in lifestyle habits. Although stress can affect diabetes, there
is nothing in this situation that states that the woman has diabetes. Saying, "I know this must be
hard for you. Let me tell you what might help" is unacceptable, because the whole purpose of
assessment is to gather data and let the patient tell his or her story.
When teaching a patient about the negative feedback response to stress, the nurse indicates which
of the following to describe the benefits of this stress response?
1. Results in neurophysiological response
2. Reduces body temperature
3. Causes a person to hypervigilant
4. Reduces level of consciousness to conserve energy ✅✅CORRECT ANSW-1. Results in
neurophysiological response
Rationale: Negative feedback senses an abnormal state such as lowered body temperature and
makes an adaptive response such as shivering to generate body heat to return the body to hormonal
homeostasis.
The nurse is interviewing a patient in the community clinic and gathers the following information
about her: she is intermittently homeless, a single parent with two children who have
developmental delays, and is suffering from chronic asthma. She does not laugh or smile, does not
volunteer any information, and at times appears close to tears. She has no support system and does
not work. She is experiencing an allostatic load. As a result, which of the following would be present
during complete patient assessment?
1. PTSD
2. Rising hormone levels
3. Chronic illness
4. Return of vital signs to normal
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
A patient who is having difficulty managing his diabetes mellitus responds to the news that his
hemoglobin A1C, a measure of blood sugar control over the past 90 days, has increased by saying,
"The hemoglobin A1C is wrong. My blood sugar levels have been excellent for the last 6 months."
Which defense mechanism is the patient using?
1. Denial
2. Conversion
3. Dissociation
4. Displacement ✅✅CORRECT ANSW-1. Denial
Rationale: Denial is avoiding emotional stress by refusing to consciously acknowledge anything that
causes intolerable anxiety. This patient's statements reflect denial about poorly controlled blood
sugars.
When doing an assessment of a young woman who was a victim of a home invasion 3 months
earlier, the nurse learns that the woman has vivid images of the crash whenever she hears loud
yelling or a sudden noise. The nurse recognizes this as_________________. ✅✅CORRECT ANSW-
PTSD
A grandfather living in Japan worries about his two young grandchildren who disappeared after a
tsunami. This is an example of:
1. A situational crisis
2. A maturational crisis
3. An adventitious crisis
4. A developmental crisis ✅✅CORRECT ANSW-3. An adventitious crisis
Rationale: An adventitious crisis is a type of crisis resulting from a natural disaster such as a tsunami.
During the assessment interview of an older woman who is recently widowed, the nurse suspects
that this woman is experiencing a developmental crisis. Which of the following questions provide
information about the impact of this crisis? (select all that apply)
, 1. With whom do you talk on a routine basis?
2. What do you do when you feel lonely?
3. How is having diabetes affecting your life?
4. I know this must be hard for you. Let me tell you what might help.
5. Do you have any changes in lifestyle habits: sleeping, eating, smoking, and drinking?
✅✅CORRECT ANSW-1,2,5
Rationale: A developmental crisis occurs as a person moves through the stages of life, including
widowhood. It is important to gather information about how this crisis affects her interactions,
coping with loneliness, and any changes in lifestyle habits. Although stress can affect diabetes, there
is nothing in this situation that states that the woman has diabetes. Saying, "I know this must be
hard for you. Let me tell you what might help" is unacceptable, because the whole purpose of
assessment is to gather data and let the patient tell his or her story.
When teaching a patient about the negative feedback response to stress, the nurse indicates which
of the following to describe the benefits of this stress response?
1. Results in neurophysiological response
2. Reduces body temperature
3. Causes a person to hypervigilant
4. Reduces level of consciousness to conserve energy ✅✅CORRECT ANSW-1. Results in
neurophysiological response
Rationale: Negative feedback senses an abnormal state such as lowered body temperature and
makes an adaptive response such as shivering to generate body heat to return the body to hormonal
homeostasis.
The nurse is interviewing a patient in the community clinic and gathers the following information
about her: she is intermittently homeless, a single parent with two children who have
developmental delays, and is suffering from chronic asthma. She does not laugh or smile, does not
volunteer any information, and at times appears close to tears. She has no support system and does
not work. She is experiencing an allostatic load. As a result, which of the following would be present
during complete patient assessment?
1. PTSD
2. Rising hormone levels
3. Chronic illness
4. Return of vital signs to normal
