A spouse brings the children in to visit their mother in the hospital. The nurse asks how the family is doing. The husband states, "None of her jobs are getting done, and I don't do those jobs, so the house and the kids are falling apart." How will the nurse interpret this finding?

A) The family structure is resilient.
B) The family structure is flexible.
C) The family structure is hardy.
D) The family structure is rigid.

A rigid structure specifically dictates who is able to accomplish different tasks and also limits the number of persons outside the immediate family allowed to assume these tasks. Resiliency helps to evaluate healthy responses when individuals and families are experiencing stressful events. An extremely flexible structure also presents problems for the family. There is sometimes an absence of stability that would otherwise lead to automatic action during a crisis or rapid change. Hardiness is the internal strength and durability of the family unit characterized by a sense of control over the outcome of life and an active, rather than passive, orientation in adapting to stressful events.