A client approaches the nurse in the health clinic and states,"I have been dealing with my husband's illnesses for years.Now my children want me to start babysitting for my grandchildren.I don't know whether I can handle all this." What is the nurse's interpretation of this woman's statements?

A) Some events are producing more stress for her than other events.
B) Her coping abilities are extended to her limit and she is unable to cope.
C) When there are many stressors or when stressors continue for a long period of time, adaptation is more likely to fail.
D) Coping strategies that she has used in the past are no longer successful for her now.

When there are many stressors or when stressors continue for a long period of time,adaptation is more likely to fail.In this item,the client is verbalizing both a concern in caring for a family member over a long period of time and the possibility of dealing with a new stressor: babysitting grandchildren.Some events produce more stress than others.However,a person with good coping skills can usually adapt to a single stressful event,even a demanding one.This client has been managing one stressful event.It is the addition of another that is concerning her.In this item,we are unable to determine that coping strategies are no longer successful because we do not have any information on past coping strategies.Additionally,we cannot determine that she is unable to cope because she states,"I don't know whether I can handle all this."