Answer Options:
a. Presents a clear danger to self or others.
b. Consistently noncompliant with medications at home.
c. Has no reliable support systems in the local community.
d. Develops new symptoms during the course of an illness.
Answer: a. Presents a clear danger to self or others.
Question: A Filipino-American patient avoided eye contact when interacting with the nurse. The nurse concluded that the patient had low self-esteem. Interventions were used to raise the patient’s self-esteem; however, after 3 weeks, the patient’s eye contact did not improve. What is the most accurate analysis of this scenario?
Answer Options:
a. The patient’s eye contact should have been directly addressed by role-playing to increase comfort with eye contact.
b. The nurse should not have independently embarked on treatment planning for this patient.
c. The patient’s poor eye contact is indicative of anger and hostility that remain unaddressed.
d. The nurse should have assessed the patient’s culture before concluding the patient had low self-esteem.
Answer: D. The nurse should have assessed the patient’s culture before concluding the patient had low self-esteem.
Question: Which central nervous system structures are most associated with anger and aggression? (Select all that apply.)
Answer Options:
a. Amygdala
b. Cerebellum
c. Basal ganglia
d. Temporal lobe
e. Parietal lobe
Answer: a. Amygdala
d. Temporal lobe
Question: A nurse documents: “Patient is mute, despite repeated efforts to elicit speech. Makes no eye contact. Is inattentive to staff. Gazes off to the side or looks upward rather than at the speaker.” Which nursing diagnosis should be considered?
Answer Options:
a. Defensive coping
b. Decisional conflict
c. Risk for other-directed violence
d. Impaired verbal communication
Answer: D. Impaired verbal communication
Question: Two staff nurses applied for promotion to nurse manager. Initially, the nurse not promoted had feelings of loss but then became supportive of the new manager by helping make the transition smooth and encouraging others. Which term best describes the nurse’s response?
Answer Options:
a. Altruism
b. Sublimation
c. Suppression
d. Passive aggression
Answer: A. Altruism
Question: An adolescent hospitalized after a violent outburst tells the nurse, “I’m going to kill my father, but I know you can’t tell anyone.” What is the nurse’s best response?
Answer Options:
a. “You’re required to share these kinds of thoughts with your psychiatrist.”
b. “Those kinds of thoughts will make your hospitalization even longer.”
c. “I am required to share information like this with my treatment team.”
d. “I am not required to share these kinds of thoughts with your treatment team.”
Answer: c. “I am required to share information like this with my treatment team.”
Question: Because an intervention is required to control a patient’s aggressive behavior, a critical incident debriefing takes place. Which topics should be the focus of the discussion? (Select all that apply.)
Answer Options:
a. Patient behavior associated with the incident
b. Genetic factors associated with aggression
c. Intervention techniques used by staff
d. Effect of environmental factors
e. Review of theories of aggression
Answer: a. Patient behavior associated with the incident
c. Intervention techniques used by staff
d. Effect of environmental factors
Question: A patient hospitalized with a mood disorder has demonstrated aggression, agitation, talkativeness, and irritability. A nurse begins the care plan based on the expectation that the health care provider is most likely to prescribe a medication from what classification?
Answer Options:
a. Anticholinergic
b. Mood stabilizer
c. Psychostimulant
d. Tricyclic antidepressant
Answer: b. Mood stabilizer
Question: A woman gave birth to a healthy newborn 1 month ago. The patient now reports she cannot cope and is unable to sleep or eat. She says, “I feel like a failure. This baby is the root of my problems.” What is the priority nursing diagnosis?
Answer Options:
a. Insomnia
b. Ineffective coping
c. Situational low self-esteem
d. Risk for other-directed violence
Answer: D. Risk for other-directed violence
Question: A supervisor assigns a worker a new project. The worker initially agrees but feels resentful. The next day, when asked about the project, the worker says, “I’ve been working on other things.” When asked 4 hours later, the worker says, “Someone else was using the copier, so I couldn’t finish it.” The worker’s behavior demonstrates the use of what mechanism?
Answer Options:
a. Acting out
b. Projection
c. Suppression
d. Passive aggression
Answer: D. Passive aggression
Question: A nurse’s neighbor asks, “Why aren’t people with mental illness kept in state institutions anymore?” What is the nurse’s best response?
Answer Options:
a. “Many people are still in psychiatric institutions. Inpatient care is needed because many people who are mentally ill are violent.”
b. “Less restrictive settings are now available to care for individuals with mental illness.”
c. “Our nation has fewer persons with mental illness; therefore, fewer hospital beds are needed.”
d. “Psychiatric institutions are no longer popular as a consequence of negative stories in the press.”
Answer: b. “Less restrictive settings are now available to care for individuals with mental illness.”