Chapter 6: Individual and Family Homeostasis, Stress, and Adaptation - Nurselytic

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: Four conceptsâ??constancy, homeostasis, stress, and adaptationâ??are key to the understanding of steady state. Homeostasis is maintained through emotional, neurologic, and hormonal measures; stressors create pressure for adaptation. Sometimes too many stressors disrupt homeostasis, and, if adaptation fails, the result is disease. If a person is overwhelmed by stress, he or she may never adapt. Acute anxiety and depression are frequently associated with stress.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Indicators of stress and the stress response include both subjective and objective measures. They are psychological, physiologic, or behavioral and reflect social behaviors and thought processes. The physiologic and psychological processes that people use to adapt to stress are the essence of the coping process. Coping is both a physiologic and psychological process used to adapt to change.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The sympathetic nervous system responds rapidly to stress; norepinephrine is released at nerve ending causing the organs to respond (i.e., heart rate increases, eyes dilate, and blood pressure increases). The limbic system is a mediator of emotions and behavior that are critical to survival during times of stress. The hypothalamic-pituitary response regulates the cortisol-induced metabolic effect that results in elevated blood sugars during stressful situations. Local adaptation syndrome is a tissue-specific inflammatory reaction.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: During stressful situations, ACTH stimulates the release of cortisol from the adrenal gland, which creates protein catabolism releasing amino acids and stimulating the liver to convert amino acids to glucose; the result is elevated blood sugars. Antidiuretic hormone is released during stressful situations and stimulates reabsorption of water in the distal and collecting tubules of the kidney. Assuming the patient had diabetes prior to surgery demonstrates a lack of understanding of stress-induced hyperglycemia. No evidence presented in the question other than elevated blood sugars would support a diagnosis of diabetes.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: A simple stress response will temporarily elevate a blood pressure and heart rate. Long-term blood pressure response is controlled by negative feedback systems. For a science teacher, this would be an appropriate level of teaching/learning and would serve to promote health. The nurse would be incorrect in assuming the patients blood pressure is good based on only two blood pressure readings. The stress of a respiratory infection could account for the elevated blood pressure, but assuring the patient that, with treatment, her blood pressure will return to normal may not be true.