What explanation best describes how preschoolers react to the death of a loved one?
- A. Grief is acute but does not last long at this age.
- B. Children this age are too young to have a concept of death.
- C. Preschoolers may feel guilty and responsible for the death.
- D. They express grief in the same way that the adults in the preschoolers life are expressing grief.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Due to egocentric thinking, preschoolers may feel guilty, believing they caused the death. They have a limited concept of death as a temporary state, their grief may involve regression or joking, and their expressions differ from adults, reflecting their developmental stage.
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An 8-year-old girl has been uncooperative and angry since the diagnosis of cancer was made. Her parents tell the nurse that they do not know what to do because she is always so mad at us. What nursing action is most appropriate at this time?
- A. Explain to child that anger is not helpful.
- B. Help the parents deal with her anger constructively.
- C. Ask the parents to find out what she is angry about.
- D. Encourage the parents to ignore the anger at this time.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Helping parents manage the child?s anger constructively addresses her loss of control and promotes communication and coping. Explaining anger is unhelpful, finding the cause may be difficult for the child, and ignoring anger dismisses her emotional needs.
The nurse is providing support to a family that is experiencing anticipatory grief related to their childs imminent death. What statement by the nurse is therapeutic?
- A. Your other children need you to be strong.
- B. You have been through a very tough time.
- C. His suffering is over; you should be happy.
- D. God never gives us more than we can handle.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Acknowledging the family?s tough experience validates their grief in a nonjudgmental way. Suggesting strength for other children, implying happiness over the death, or referencing God may dismiss their emotions or conflict with their beliefs.
A 7-year-old child is in the end stages of cancer. The parents ask you how they will know when death is imminent. What physical sign is indicative of approaching death?
- A. Hunger
- B. Tachycardia
- C. Increased thirst
- D. Difficulty swallowing
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Difficulty swallowing is a physical sign of approaching death, reflecting declining bodily functions. Appetite and fluid intake decrease, and the pulse slows, not quickens, in the final stages.
At which developmental period do children have the most difficulty coping with death, particularly if it is their own?
- A. Toddlerhood
- B. Preschool
- C. School age
- D. Adolescence
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Adolescents, with their mature understanding of death, struggle most with their own mortality due to guilt, shame, and identity challenges. Toddlers fear separation, preschoolers feel guilt, and school-age children fear the unknown, but these are less intense than adolescent struggles.
The nurse is making a home visit 48 hours after the death of an infant from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). What intervention is an appropriate objective for this visit?
- A. Give contraceptive information.
- B. Provide information on the grief process.
- C. Reassure parents that SIDS is not likely to occur again.
- D. Thoroughly investigate the home situation to verify SIDS as the cause of death.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Providing information on the grief process helps parents navigate their loss, offering support and resources. Contraceptive information is inappropriate, reassuring about SIDS recurrence is premature and false, and investigating the home is not the nurse?s role post-death.
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