NCLEX-RN
Psychosocial Integrity NCLEX PN Questions
1. An older woman has lived alone since the death of her husband 10 years ago, and she has a long list of vague complaints. Which assessment is the priority for the home health nurse to perform?
- A. Assess for feelings of loneliness and isolation.
- B. Determine if the client has unresolved grief.
- C. Determine if there are safety issues.
- D. Ask about the availability of support systems.
Correct answer: C
Rationale: The priority assessment for the home health nurse in this scenario is to determine if there are safety issues. The client is an older woman living alone with a long list of vague complaints, indicating several risk factors. Ensuring her safety should be the primary concern. While assessing for feelings of loneliness, isolation, or grief is important, ensuring the client's safety takes precedence due to her vulnerable situation. Although assessing the availability of support systems is essential in a home health assessment, safety issues must be addressed first given the client's profile.
2. When a man with dementia is admitted to a long-term care facility, his wife, who appears tired and angry, says in a sarcastic tone, 'Let's see what you can do with him.' Which response is therapeutic?
- A. It sounds like it's been difficult for you.'
- B. I don't understand what you mean.'
- C. 'I have experience with all types of clients.'
- D. It's too bad you didn't admit him sooner.'
Correct answer: A
Rationale: The correct response is to acknowledge the caregiver's feelings and challenges without blaming them. Option A, 'It sounds like it's been difficult for you,' shows empathy and opens the channel of communication. Options B and C, 'I don't understand what you mean' and 'I have experience with all types of clients,' are nurse-focused responses that block effective communication. Option D, 'It's too bad you didn't admit him sooner,' is a hostile response that shifts the blame to the caregiver, which is not therapeutic in this situation.
3. The client is in the maintenance stage based on the transtheoretical model of health behavior change. Which stage is the client in?
- A. Action
- B. Preparation
- C. Maintenance
- D. Contemplation
Correct answer: C
Rationale: The client is in the maintenance stage of human behavior change. During this stage, the client has successfully incorporated the changes into their lifestyle. The maintenance stage typically begins 6 months after the action stage and continues indefinitely. The action stage lasts for 6 months from when the client initially incorporates the changes. In the preparation stage, the client starts realizing that the benefits of change outweigh the disadvantages and starts making small changes to prepare for major changes in the following month. The contemplation stage involves the client considering whether to make changes in the next 6 months. Therefore, in this scenario, the client's consistent adherence to the diet and exercise program for 8 months places them in the maintenance stage of behavior change.
4. During her shift at the hospital, a nurse receives a stern reprimand from a physician over something over which she had no control. The nurse does not respond. When she returns home that evening, she sees her children's toys all over the floor, gets mad, and begins to yell at them. Which form of defense mechanism is this nurse using?
- A. Symbolization
- B. Suppression
- C. Displacement
- D. Projection
Correct answer: C
Rationale: Displacement is the process of redirecting feelings or impulses from one person to another. In this scenario, the nurse chose not to respond to the physician, but instead displaced her negative emotions onto her children, who are less threatening and more vulnerable. This defense mechanism allowed her to express her anger in a safer outlet. Symbolization involves representing unconscious feelings or impulses through symbols, not redirecting them. Suppression is the conscious effort to push unwanted thoughts or feelings out of awareness, not displacing them onto others. Projection involves attributing one's thoughts or emotions to someone else, which is not evident in this case.
5. Which term or description would the nurse use for a client who repeatedly performs ritualistic behaviors throughout the day to limit anxious feelings?
- A. Obsessions
- B. Compulsions
- C. Under personal control
- D. Related to rebelliousness
Correct answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is 'Compulsions.' A compulsion is an uncontrollable, persistent urge to perform an act repetitively to relieve anxiety. In this scenario, the client's repetitive ritualistic behaviors are indicative of compulsions. Obsessions, on the other hand, are persistent ideas, thoughts, or impulses that cannot be eliminated with logical reasoning. The behavior is not under personal control because avoiding it increases anxiety, making it a defense mechanism. It is not related to rebelliousness; instead, clients engage in these behaviors to reduce anxiety.
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