A Client Who Is in a Severely Abusive Relationship Is

A client who is in a severely abusive relationship is admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit. The client fears for her life. A staff nurse asks, "Why doesn't she just leave him?" Which reply by the nursing supervisor is most appropriate?

A) "These clients don't know life any other way, and change is not an option until they have improved insight."
B) "These clients have limited skills and few vocational abilities to be able to make it on their own."
C) "These clients often have a lack of financial independence to support themselves and their children, and most have religious beliefs prohibiting divorce and separation."
D) "These clients are paralyzed into inaction by a combination of physical threats and a sense of powerlessness."