A nurse is caring for a patient with post-traumatic stress disorder who is considering prolonged exposure therapy.
The patient asks, “How does this therapy work?” Which of the following responses accurately describes this type of therapy?

Choice A rationale
Families that are isolated from other people, such as extended family, friends, and neighbors, are not typically considered a protective factor against adverse childhood experiences. Social isolation can actually increase the risk of mental health issues, as it can lead to feelings of loneliness and lack of social support.
Choice B rationale
Families where caregivers have college degrees or higher can often provide a more stable environment, both emotionally and financially. Higher levels of education are often linked to

better understanding of child development and more effective parenting strategies. Additionally, higher education is often associated with higher income, which can reduce stressors related to financial instability.
Choice C rationale
Families that include young caregivers or single parents can face additional stressors, such as financial strain and lack of social support, which can increase the risk of adverse childhood experiences. Therefore, this is not typically considered a protective factor.
Choice D rationale
Children who don’t feel close to their guardians and don’t feel loved are at a higher risk of developing mental health disorders. Feeling unloved and uncared for can lead to feelings of insecurity, low self-esteem, and difficulty forming healthy relationships later in life.

Choice A rationale
While it’s true that some mutations can allow a virus to survive longer in the environment, this doesn’t necessarily increase the virus’s communicability, or its ability to spread from person to person.
Choice B rationale
A mutation that causes more severe disease can make an illness more dangerous, but it doesn’t necessarily make the virus more communicable. In fact, viruses that cause severe disease can sometimes be less communicable, because severely ill individuals are less likely to be moving around and spreading the virus.
Choice C rationale
The new mutation spreads easier from one individual to another. This is the definition of increased communicability. When a virus mutates in a way that allows it to spread more easily between individuals, this can lead to more cases of the disease, especially if the population is not immune to the new strain.
Choice D rationale

A mutation that requires a larger amount of the virus to cause disease would actually decrease the virus’s communicability. If more viral particles are needed to cause an infection, the virus would be less likely to spread from person to person.