You are a community nurse who is attending a clinic at the local senior center. An elderly man approaches you and shares his concern that his stress level is affecting his ability to cope with many of his activities of daily living

Question

The man tells you that while he was growing up, his family didn't get along well, and the man feels that this is the reason he has "struggled with his emotions in the past." What would be your best response to this patient?
A) "Family experience and early childhood experiences often have little influence on our coping ability, and stress is often related to needless worry."
B) "Coping is determined by our own attitude and how we decide to view our family life today; you need to try to take control of your behavior to decrease your stress level."
C) "Family experience and early childhood experiences will often influence a person's ability to cope, and exploring these issues may help relieve stress."
D) "Children raised in dysfunctional homes may become mentally ill later in life and need to be medicated; do you feel like medication may help?"

Answer 1

Ans: C
Feedback: Coping ability is strongly influenced by family and childhood experiences. Typically, people revert to the strategies observed early in life used by their family members. The patient is already exploring the issue and has connected being "raised in a family that did not get along well" with coping and is now struggling with his emotions, which is an appropriate coping strategy. Option A is incorrect; coping ability is strongly influenced by family and childhood experiences, and telling the patient "stress is often related to needless worry," minimizes his concern. Option B is incorrect; coping is not determined by our own attitude; it is a continuous dynamic process. Option D is incorrect; the answer offers misinformation and assumes the patient is mentally ill and then offers an intervention without sufficient evidence.