During a one-to-one session with the nurse, a female client admitted for chronic depression and attempted suicide discloses experiences of sexual promiscuity and prostitution. When the nurse asks the client if she was ever sexually abused as a child, the client says, “I don’t remember, but my mother ran my father off when I was five.” The nurse should recognize that the client may be using which defense mechanism?

A. Regression involves reverting to an earlier stage of development in response to stress, which is not evident in the client's response. B. Projection involves attributing one's thoughts or feelings to another person, which is not evident in the client's response. C. Denial involves refusing to acknowledge the existence of something unpleasant, which is not evident in the client's response. D. Repression involves unconsciously blocking out memories or feelings, and the client's statement of not remembering past sexual abuse may indicate the use of repression as a defense mechanism.