Deck 42: Loss and Grieving

Question 1

The experience of parting with an object, person, belief, or relationship that one values is defined as:

A) loss.
B) bereavement.
C) grief.
D) death.

Answer 1

loss.

Question 2

The term bereavement is best defined as:

A) the physiologic response to a loss.
B) socially conventional behavior after a loss.
C) the event of death.
D) the state of desolation occurring after a loss.

Answer 2

the state of desolation occurring after a loss.

Question 3

Which stage of grieving is exhibited by the husband of a victim of sudden death who refuses to accept that she is dead?

A) Shock
B) Protest
C) Depression
D) Doubt

Answer 3

Shock

Question 4

A widow has just returned home from the funeral of her husband. She feels alone in her home. Her family has left to go back to their home in another area of the country. What stage of Engel's model does this represent?

A) Shock and disbelief
B) Developing awareness
C) Restitution
D) Resolving the grief

Question 5

In the Parkes model, a person uses denial as a psychological defense in the stage of:

A) numbness.
B) yearning.
C) disorganization.
D) reorganization.

Question 6

The nurse is providing care for a client who is increasingly depressed and withdrawn following the death of the client's spouse. According to Parkes, in what stage of grief is this client?

A) Shock
B) Protest
C) Disorganization
D) Reorganization

Question 7

A widower who continues to improve his level of functioning better than before the loss is best described at which stage of the grief cycle model?

A) Shock
B) Protest
C) Disorganization
D) Reorganization

Question 8

A pediatric nurse recognizes that preschoolers think of death as:

A) a long sleep.
B) irreversible.
C) inevitable.
D) natural.

Question 9

Which statement regarding perceptions of death by children is accurate?

A) Toddlers perceive death as irreversible and unnatural.
B) Preschool-age children view death as a spiritual release.
C) At about age 9, the child perceives death as irreversible.
D) Adolescents tend to respond better than adults with death.

Question 10

Which statement about grief should the nurse include in the teaching plan developed to address a group of young adults?

A) Individuals from lower socioeconomic classes tend to have a better outcome about loss.
B) Nutrition and wellness have little effect on the outcome of grief.
C) A family's developmental state does not affect the grief process.
D) Multiple losses may strain the individual's ability to cope effectively.

Question 11

As a nurse is assisting a client and family from a different culture with the death and dying process, the first action the nurse must take is to:

A) understand the client's cultural beliefs.
B) progress through the stages of grief.
C) experience death in his or her own life.
D) have felt distress and anger.

Question 12

Which manifestation of grief by the client who lost his wife 3 years earlier is considered abnormal?

A) Showing a photograph of the decedent
B) Talking about his wife's absent-mindedness
C) Telling the nurse how his life has changed
D) Leaving the wife's room and belongings intact

Question 13

A widow develops cancer within 6 months of her husband's death. This may be a result of:

A) social isolation.
B) alcohol intake.
C) bereavement.
D) multiple losses.

Question 14

The hospice nurse is caring for a client with lung cancer. The client's daughter states, "My mom isn't happy with anything I do for her. She is constantly yelling at me." The nurse understands that the client is in which stage of grief according to Kübler-Ross?

A) Depression
B) Anger
C) Bargaining
D) Denial

Question 15

A nurse has finished presenting information to a group of staff members on the factors that influence the grieving process. Which statement by a member would indicate a need for further education?

A) "The age of the grieving person can dramatically affect the grieving process."
B) "A death that occurs as a result of natural causes is just as stressful as a death from homicide or suicide."
C) "Some people find strength in dealing with loss through their religious beliefs, whereas others experience greater distress due to their beliefs."
D) "Absence of social supports can create additional stressors for the grieving person."

Question 16

The hospice nurse is assessing the wife of a client who died 14 months ago. The nurse is concerned that the wife is still grieving the death of her husband. Which objective assessment finding would suggest that the wife is resolving?

A) The wife states, "I think about him all of the time."
B) The wife has a weight loss of 40 lbs in the last 14 months.
C) The wife states, "I can't go on living like this."
D) The wife's hair is clean and styled.

Question 17

The nurse is preparing a care plan for a client with the nursing diagnosis of Dysfunctional Grieving. Which nursing intervention should the nurse include? Select all that apply.

A) Provide the client with information regarding a grief support group.
B) Encourage the client to have regular check-ups with the healthcare provider.
C) Avoid talking about the loss if it upsets the client.
D) Refer the client to a grief specialist.
E) Encourage the client to talk about only the positives of the deceased person.

Question 18

A nurse has just finished a presentation on hospice and palliative care. Which statement by a participant would indicate a need for further education?

A) "Palliative care provides pain relief and other distressing symptoms."
B) "Hospice care programs focus on quality rather than length of life."
C) "In hospice care, the nurses make most of the care decisions for the clients."
D) "Hospice focuses on treatments and care aimed only at relieving symptoms in the last few months of life"

Question 19

The nurse is preparing the body of a client who was killed in a car accident for the family to view. Which step would be contraindicated?

A) Removal of all IVs and other medical tubing.
B) Clean, position, and cover the client with a sheet, exposing only the head and a hand.
C) Inform the family that they can have as much time alone with the client as they wish.
D) Respect all religious and cultural practices of the family.

Question 20

The wife of recently deceased client states that she can't think of anything other than her husband. She wakes up at night and goes to look for him before realizing that he is dead. The nurse understands that the wife is in which stage of Demi's model of grief?

A) Shock
B) Protest
C) Disorganization
D) Reorganization

Question 21

The hospice nurse is visiting the wife of a client who died 10 months ago. The wife states, "My life is meaningless since my husband died." The nurse recognizes that the client is in which stage of grief?

A) Shock
B) Protest
C) Disorganization
D) Reorganization

Question 22

When reviewing a client's chart, the nurse notes that the client is in the disorganization stage of grief. Which assessment finding would support this diagnosis?

A) "A lot of the time I'm terrified that I'm going to die the same way."
B) "I haven't let my children out of my sight. I am afraid something will happen to them."
C) "I had a good time at my class reunion. It was nice to be out with other people again."
D) "I feel like I have absolutely no idea what to do next."

Question 23

"My father has been dead for over a year and my mother still can't talk about him without crying. Is that normal?" What is the best response by the nurse?

A) "The inability to talk about your dad without crying, even after a year, is still considered normal."
B) "It is not normal. Your mother needs to see a therapist about her grief."
C) "In fact, the more than someone cries about a loss, the better they're dealing with it."
D) "Did your mother cry a lot before your father died?"

Question 24

A nurse is caring for a client whose husband died over 4 years ago. The nurse suspects that the client has abnormal grief. Which assessment finding would support this?

A) Talking about her husband as if he were still alive
B) Keeping photos of her husband on her bedside table
C) Talking and laughing about the time when he forgot their anniversary
D) Crying on the anniversary of his death

Question 25

The nurse is preparing a presentation on preparing children for death. What information should the nurse include? Select all that apply.

A) Encourage forgetting of the deceased.
B) Encourage expression of feelings.
C) Provide for stability and safety.
D) Praise stoicism.
E) Talk openly about death and the feelings associated with it.

Question 26

The nurse is caring for a client who is dying and overhears the client saying, "God, if you will only let me live to see my daughter get married, I promise I will start going to church again." The nurse understands that the client is in which stage of grief according to Kübler-Ross?

A) Denial
B) Bargaining
C) Anger
D) Acceptance