A client states that she copes with her anxiety by cleaning compulsively, a practice that greatly irritates her husband. How should the nurse categorize this behavior?
A) Maladaptive, because it is an avoidance response
B) Maladaptive, because it bothers her husband
C) Adaptive, because she chooses to clean
D) Adaptive, because her behavior is not harming anyone
Ans: A
Feedback:
Clients learn to reduce the anxiety they feel in either functional or dysfunctional ways. Functional responses tend to be voluntary, conscious behaviors that address and acknowledge the stressful situation and help clients to find solutions. Dysfunctional responses tend to be involuntary, inflexible, avoidance-type solutions that impair productivity. The nurse should not ask the client to give up coping mechanisms, even maladaptive ones, without offering other adaptive mechanisms. In other words, it is not appropriate to expect a client to just stop worrying, compulsively checking doors, or otherwise trying to cope with anxiety.
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