Deck 28: The Bereaved Individual

Question 1

Which of the following types of care should the interdisciplinary team of hospice provide?

A) Physical care available on a 24/7 basis
B) Counseling on the addictive properties of pain-management medications
C) Discussions related to death and dying
D) Explorations of new aggressive treatments
E) Assistance with obtaining spiritual support and guidance
Other

Answer 1

Physical care available on a 24/7 basis
Discussions related to death and dying
Assistance with obtaining spiritual support and guidance
Other

Question 2

A nurse assigns a client the nursing diagnosis of complicated grieving. According to Bowlby, which long-term outcome would be most appropriate for this nursing diagnosis?

A) The client will accomplish the recovery stage of grief by year one.
B) The client will accomplish the acceptance stage of grief by year one.
C) The client will accomplish the reorganization stage of grief by year one.
D) The client will accomplish the emotional relocation stage of grief by year one.

Answer 2

The client will accomplish the reorganization stage of grief by year one.

Question 3

A nurse assesses a woman whose husband died 13 months ago. She isolates herself, screams at her deceased spouse, and is increasingly restless. According to Bowlby, this widow is in which stage of the grieving process?

A) Stage I: Numbness or protest
B) Stage II: Disequilibrium
C) Stage III: Disorganization and despair
D) Stage IV: Reorganization

Answer 3

Stage III: Disorganization and despair

Question 4

A client is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Which situation represents Kübler-Ross's grief stage of "anger"?

A) The client registers for an Ironman marathon to be held in 9 months.
B) The client is a devout Catholic but refuses to attend church and states that his faith has failed him.
C) The client promises God to give up smoking if allowed to live long enough to witness a grandchild's birth.
D) The client gathers family in order to plan a funeral and make last wishes known.

Question 5

______________________ grieving is the experiencing of the feelings and emotions associated with the normal grief response before the loss actually occurs.

Question 6

Which is the most accurate description of the nursing diagnosis of dysfunctional grieving?

A) Inability to form a valid appraisal of a loss and to use available resources
B) The experience of distress, with accompanying sadness, which fails to follow norms
C) A perceived lack of control over a current loss situation
D) Aloneness perceived as imposed by others and as a negative or threatening state

Question 7

Order the stages of normal grief, according to J. William Worden.
________ Finding an enduring connection with the lost entity in the mist of embarking on a new life
________ Accepting the reality of the loss
________ Adjusting to a world without the lost entity
________ Processing the pain of grief

Question 8

A nurse is leading a bereavement group. Which of following members of the group should the nurse identify as being at high risk for complicated grieving?

A) A widower who has recently experienced the death of two good friends
B) A man whose wife died suddenly after a cerebrovascular accident
C) A widow who removed life support after her husband was in a vegetative state for a year
D) A woman who had a competitive relationship with her recently deceased brother
E) A young couple whose child recently died of a genetic disorder

Question 9

Order the stages of normal grief, according to John Bowlby.
________ Reorganization
________ Disequilibrium
________ Disorganization and despair
________ Numbness/protest

Question 10

A nurse is caring for an Irish client who has recently lost his wife. The client tells the nurse that he is planning an elaborate wake and funeral. According to George Engel, what purpose would these rituals serve?

A) To delay the recovery process initiated by the loss of the client's wife
B) To facilitate the acceptance of the loss of the client's wife
C) To avoid dealing with grief associated with the loss of the client's wife
D) To eliminate emotional pain related to the loss of the client's wife

Question 11

A nurse discharges a female client to home after delivering a stillborn infant. The client finds that neighbors have dismantled the nursery that she and her husband planned. According to Worden, how could this intervention affect the woman's grieving task

A) This intervention may hamper the woman from continuing a relationship with her infant.
B) This intervention would help the woman forget the sorrow and move on with life.
C) This intervention communicates full support from her neighbors.
D) This intervention would motivate the woman to look to the future and not the past.

Question 12

A teenager has recently lost a parent. Which grieving behavior should a school nurse expect when assessing this client?

A) Denial of personal mortality
B) Preoccupation with the loss
C) Clinging behaviors and personal insecurity
D) Acting-out behaviors, exhibited in aggression and defiance

Question 13

What term should a nurse use when assessing a response to grieving that includes a sudden physical collapse and paralysis, and which cultural group would be associated with this behavior?

A) "Falling out" in the African American culture
B) "Body rocking" in the Vietnamese American culture
C) "Conversion disorder" in the Jewish American culture
D) "Spirit possession" in the Native American culture

Question 14

An instructor is teaching nursing students about Worden's grief process. According to Worden, which of the following client behaviors would delay or prolong the grieving process?

A) Refusing to allow oneself to think painful thoughts
B) Indulging in the pain of loss
C) Using alcohol and drugs
D) Idealizing the object of loss
E) Recognizing that time will heal

Question 15

Which grieving behaviors should a nurse anticipate when caring for a Navajo client who recently lost a child?

A) Celebrating the life of a deceased person with festivities and revelry
B) Not expressing grief openly and reluctance to touch the dead body
C) Holding a prayerful vigil for a week following the person's death
D) Expressing grief openly and publicly and erecting an altar in the home to honor the dead

Question 16

A nursing instructor is teaching about the typical grieving behaviors of Chinese Americans. Which student statement would indicate that more instruction is necessary?

A) "In this culture, the color red is associated with death and is considered bad luck."
B) "In this culture, there is an innate fear of death."
C) "In this culture, emotions are not expressed openly."
D) "In this culture, death and bereavement are centered on ancestor worship."