What situation makes the mourning process more difficult for the bereaved?
- A. They were relatively independent of the deceased.
- B. They have experienced many previous losses.
- C. They accept that death is expected for everyone.
- D. They had resolved conflicts with the deceased.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Factors that have negative effects on the mourning process include a high number of past losses or other recent losses.
You may also like to solve these questions
A nurse counsels a person whose spouse recently died. The nurse uses cheer and humor to lift the person's spirits. At one point, the widowed person smiles briefly. What analysis of this scenario is correct?
- A. The nurse's technique was effective.
- B. Use of humor should be added to the plan of care.
- C. This approach may prove useful in other, similar situations.
- D. The nurse needs help developing therapeutic communication skills.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The nurse needs help to arrive at a more therapeutic approach. Attempts at cheering up a patient who is grieving serve only to emphasize the disparity between the patient's mood and that of others. Active listening should be the technique used by the nurse.
A patient diagnosed with metastatic brain cancer says, 'I'm dying, but I'm still living. I want to be in control as long as I can.' Which reply shows the nurse was actively listening?
- A. Our staff will do their best to help you feel comfortable.'
- B. Most people do not know how to help and are afraid of death.'
- C. Although your body is frail, your mind and spirit are healthy.'
- D. You want people to stop focusing on your weaknesses.'
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The patient is asking for acknowledgment that he or she is not totally sick; even in the terminal state, strengths and capabilities are present.
A person whose spouse died 2 years earlier tells friends, 'I think I'm ready to start going out socially, maybe even take someone to dinner.' What does this comment best demonstrate about the individual's state of mind?
- A. Is denying the significance of the loss.
- B. Is in a period of grief resolution.
- C. Is actively working through grief.
- D. Is experiencing intrusion.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Toward the end of the grief process, the person renews his or her interest in people and activities. This behavior indicates resolution.
A child drowned while swimming in a local lake 4 years ago. Which behavior indicates that the parents are effectively coping with their loss?
- A. Prohibits their other children from going swimming.
- B. Sets a place for the deceased child at the family dinner table.
- C. Keeps their child's room exactly as the child left it 4 years ago.
- D. Throw flowers on the lake at each anniversary date of the accident.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The parents who throw flowers across the lake on each anniversary date of the accident are effectively using a ritual to express their feelings openly.
Which finding indicates the successful completion of an individual's grieving process?
- A. For 2 years, a person has kept the deceased spouse's belongings in their usual places.
- B. After 15 months, a widowed person realistically remembers both the pleasures and disappointments of the relationship with the spouse.
- C. 3 years after the death, a person talks about the spouse as if the spouse was still alive and weeps when others mention the spouse's name.
- D. 18 months after the spouse's death, a person says, 'I never cry or have feelings of loss even though we were always very close.'
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The work of grieving is over when the bereaved can remember the individual realistically and acknowledge both the pleasure and disappointments associated with the loved one.
Nokea