A nurse is providing care to a client with PTSD. The client avoids going to the site where the traumatic event occurred. This behavior is an example of which symptom cluster of PTSD?

Physical signs.

Choice A rationale:

Psychological signs involve cognitive and mental aspects of PTSD, such as flashbacks and intrusive thoughts.

Choice B rationale:

Emotional signs encompass mood-related manifestations like fear, anger, and guilt.

Choice D rationale:

Social signs refer to difficulties in interpersonal relationships and isolation. In contrast, Choice C, physical signs, include symptoms like headaches and chronic pain which are commonly associated with PTSD due to the physiological stress response triggered by the traumatic event. This response can lead to increased muscle tension and altered pain perception, resulting in these physical symptoms. Such somatic complaints are integral to the diagnosis of PTSD, and they often coexist with other psychological and emotional symptoms.

"I keep having nightmares about the accident."

Choice A rationale:

Feeling detached from others is a characteristic of the numbing/avoidance cluster of PTSD symptoms, not intrusion symptoms.

Choice C rationale:

Involuntary, distressing thoughts about the traumatic event are indicative of intrusion symptoms, which are encapsulated by Choice B.

Choice D rationale:

Feeling irritable and on edge falls under the hyperarousal symptom category. Choice B, the correct choice, relates to nightmares about the traumatic incident, a classic intrusion symptom. These nightmares can re-traumatize the individual, making sleep challenging and contributing to the overall distress associated with PTSD.