Brunner & Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing 14e (Hinkle 2017) - Individual and Family Homeostasis, Stress, and Adaptation Related

Review Brunner & Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing 14e (Hinkle 2017) - Individual and Family Homeostasis, Stress, and Adaptation related questions and content

To what would you attribute this phenomenon?

  • A. Cortisol levels are decreasing.
  • B. Endocrine activity has increased.
  • C. The patient is adapting to noxious stressors.
  • D. The sympathetic response has been activated.
Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Selye developed a theory of adaptation to biologic stress that he named the general adaptation syndrome (GAS), which has three phases: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. During the alarm phase, the sympathetic fight-or-flight response is activated with release of catecholamines and the onset of the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) adrenal cortical response. The alarm reaction is defensive and anti-inflammatory but self-limited. Because living in a continuous state of alarm would result in death, people move into the second stage, resistance. During the resistance stage, adaptation to the noxious stressor occurs, and cortisol activity is still increased.