A nurse is conducting a blind review of medical records at a local acute care facility to gather data for a research study on stress responses. Which of the following clients should the nurse identify as being in the general adaptation syndrome stage of exhaustion?

A. This represents an acute, immediate stress response rather than prolonged stress. The reaction occurs in the alarm stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS), where the body initiates a fight-or-flight response to an immediate threat, activating the sympathetic nervous system. B. The exhaustion stage of GAS occurs after prolonged stress, when the body’s adaptive mechanisms are depleted. Chronic stress can lead to physiological complications, such as peptic ulcers, hypertension, or immunosuppression. In this case, chronic stress related to alcohol use and other lifestyle factors contributes to the development of a duodenal ulcer, indicating exhaustion of the body’s adaptive capacity. C. This is indicative of the alarm stage, where physiological responses (e.g., tachycardia, increased blood pressure, elevated epinephrine) occur immediately in response to a stressor. It does not reflect prolonged stress or depletion of adaptive resources, which is characteristic of the exhaustion stage.