Nokea
The nurse overhears the supervisor reprimand the charge nurse for not discussing feelings with a client. Shortly after, a client asks the charge nurse for an extra blanket. The charge nurse angrily responds, 'Get it yourself!' The nurse recognizes the charge nurse is displaying which defense mechanism?
- A. Compensation.
- B. Displacement.
- C. Conversion.
- D. Projection.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Displacement involves redirecting emotions from one target to another. The charge nurse, upset from the reprimand, displaces anger onto the client by responding harshly to a simple request, rather than addressing the supervisor.
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A client diagnosed with a severe ulcer of the right foot is told that a right leg amputation may be necessary. Which signs or client behaviors indicative of anticipatory grief should the nurse monitor the client for?
- A. Stating a fear of the future and unknown
- B. Engaging in periods of weeping or raging
- C. Expressing anger at the medical professionals
- D. Expressing a feeling of unreality and disbelief
- E. Expressing a desire to run away from the situation
- F. Stating that he knows all he needs to know about his condition
Correct Answer: A,B,C,D,E
Rationale: Anticipatory grief refers to the intellectual and emotional responses and behaviors by which individuals, families, or communities work through the process of modifying self-concept based on the perception of potential loss. Signs of anticipatory grief include fears of the future and the unknown, periods of weeping or raging, anger at medical professionals, a feeling of unreality and disbelief, a desire to run away from the situation, feelings of emptiness or of being lost, a sense of being numb and fatigued, a need to oversee every detail of care, pronounced clinging to or dependency on other family members, and fear of going crazy. A statement by the client that he knows all he needs to know about his condition is not a sign of anticipatory grieving; it may indicate another client problem such as avoidance or fear.
A pregnant client receives news that the fetus has polycystic kidney disease. The client states to the nurse, 'I am so afraid my baby is going to die.' Which response by the nurse to the client is best?
- A. Finding out your baby has a serious health problem must be painful.
- B. How does your husband feel about this problem?
- C. How is your baby doing now?
- D. What you need to do is to focus on the present.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Acknowledging the client’s pain validates their fear and opens therapeutic communication, supporting emotional processing. Asking about others, focusing on the fetus’s status, or directing focus to the present dismisses the client’s expressed fear.
A prenatal client has been told during a primary health care provider office visit that she is positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The client cried and was significantly distressed regarding this news. Which client concern would this assessment data best support?
- A. Pain
- B. Nonadherence
- C. Anticipatory grieving
- D. High risk for infection
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: A life-threatening diagnosis such as HIV will stimulate the anticipatory grief response. Anticipatory grief occurs when the client, family, and loved ones know that the client will die. The prenatal HIV client is forced to make important changes in her life, frequently resulting in grief related to lost future dreams and diminished self-esteem as a result of an inability to achieve life goals. Although the remaining options may be appropriate problem statements, they do not address the information given in the question.
A client with a new diagnosis of type 1 diabetes mellitus has been seen for 3 consecutive days in the emergency department with hyperglycemia. During the assessment, the client states to the nurse, 'I'm sorry to keep bothering you every day, but I just can't give myself those awful shots.' Which therapeutic comment is most appropriate for the nurse to respond?
- A. I couldn't give myself a shot either.
- B. You must learn to give yourself the shots.
- C. Let me see if we can change your medication.
- D. Have you had instructions on injecting yourself?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: It is important to determine and deal with a client's underlying fear of self-injection. The nurse should determine whether a knowledge deficit exists. Positive reinforcement should occur rather than focusing on negative behaviors. Demanding that the client perform a behavior or skill is inappropriate. The nurse should not offer a change in regimen that cannot be accomplished.
The nurse is caring for a terminally ill woman who is dying from diagnosed breast cancer. The nurse should know which client behavior is characteristic of anticipatory grieving?
- A. Discusses thoughts and feelings related to loss
- B. Has prolonged emotional reactions and outbursts
- C. Verbalizes unrealistic goals and plans for the future
- D. Ignores untreated medical conditions that require treatment
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The nurse can determine the client's stage of anticipatory grief by observing the client's behavior. The remaining options are examples of dysfunctional grieving.