Question

A nurse is preparing to provide an educational seminar on stress to other nursing staff. Which of the following is appropriate to include in the discussion?

A. Excessive stressors cause the client to experience distress.
B. The body's initial adaptive response to stress is denial.
C. The absence of stressors results in homeostasis.
D. Negative, rather than positive, stressors produce a biological response.

ATI RN Mental Health Nursing Modules Ch. 9 Notes

Answer 1

Excessive stressors can cause individuals to experience distress, especially when the stress response is chronic. Chronic stress can lead to a maladaptive physiological state, weakening the immune system and making the body more susceptible to diseases.

Step-by-step explanation:

In preparing an educational seminar on stress for nursing staff, it is important to include the fact that excessive stressors can cause clients to experience distress. This is because chronic or extreme stress can lead to cumulative wear and tear on the body, much like running an air conditioner on full blast all summer might damage it. Situations like significant job strain or high levels of the stress hormone cortisol might weaken the immune system, making an individual more vulnerable to infection or disease.

Conversely, short-term stress can be physiologically adaptive and necessary for survival in face of immediate threats. However, the persistent response to long-term chronic stress is generally maladaptive and can disrupt various body systems including the immune system.

The educational seminar should thus clarify the difference between acute and chronic stressors. Acute stressors are brief but can be overwhelming, while chronic stressors persist over an extended period and can suppress immune responses. The discussion should emphasize how modern-day stresses, unlike the immediate fight-or-flight situations faced by our ancestors, do not resolve quickly and can impact nearly every organ system, most notably the immune system.