The Mother of a Child Who Is Recovering from Surgery

The mother of a child who is recovering from surgery says to the nurse, "I don't understand why that other nurse told me to stroke his forehead when he is in pain. Why will that make him feel better?" The nurse's response will be based on the knowledge that:

A) Stroking the child's forehead reminds the child of the mother's continued presence, which is reassuring to the child.
B) Stroking causes a non-pain transmission to the brain that competes with the pain transmission and inhibits the pain message from reaching the brain.
C) Stroking causes the release of biochemicals, such as prostaglandins, which block pain transmission.
D) Stroking causes the release of endorphins, which reduce the perception of pain.