Deck 14: Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders

Question 1

The nurse knows that which of the following are stages in Selye's general adaptation syndrome? Select all that apply.

A) Alarm reaction stage
B) Resistance stage
C) Coping stage
D) Exhaustion stage
E) Panic stage

Answer 1

Alarm reaction stage
Resistance stage
Exhaustion stage

Question 2

The nurse knows that which one of the following statements is true about stress and anxiety?

A) All people handle stress in the same way.
B) Stress is a person's reaction to anxiety.
C) Anxiety occurs when a person has trouble dealing with life situations, problems, and goals.
D) Stress is the wear and tear that life causes on the body.

Answer 2

Stress is the wear and tear that life causes on the body.

Question 3

The nursing student answers the test item correctly when identifying which one of the following statements is true?

A) Anxiety and fear are the same.
B) Anxiety is unavoidable.
C) Anxiety is always harmful.
D) Fear is feeling threatened by an unknown entity.

Answer 3

Anxiety is unavoidable.

Question 4

The student nurse correctly identifies that which one of the following statements applies to the parasympathetic nervous system?

A) It is activated during the alarm reaction stage.
B) It is activated during the resistance stage.
C) It is activated during the exhaustion stage.
D) It is commonly referred to as the fight, flight, or freeze response.

Question 5

The nurse plans to teach a client about dietary modifications to manage diabetes. Teaching would be most effective if the client displayed which one of the following characteristics?

A) Focusing only on immediate task
B) Faster rate of speech
C) Narrowed perceptual field
D) Heightened focus

Question 6

A client says to the nurse, I just can't talk in front of the group. I feel like I'm going to pass out. The nurse assesses the client's anxiety to be at which level?

A) Mild
B) Moderate
C) Severe
D) Panic

Question 7

A student is preparing to give a class presentation. A few minutes before the presentation is to begin, the student seems nervous and distracted. The student is looking at and listening to the peer speaker and occasionally looking at note cards. When the peer speaker asks a question of the group, the student is able to answer correctly. The professor understands that the student is likely experiencing which level of stress?

A) Mild
B) Moderate
C) Severe
D) Panic

Question 8

A client who suffers from frequent panic attacks describes the attack as feeling disconnected from himself. The nurse notes in the client's chart that the client reports experiencing

A) hallucinations.
B) depersonalization.
C) derealization.
D) denial.

Question 9

Which of the following statements about the use of defense mechanisms in persons with anxiety disorders are accurate? Select all that apply.

A) Defense mechanisms are a human's attempt to reduce anxiety.
B) Persons are usually aware when they are using defense mechanisms.
C) Defense mechanisms can be harmful when overused.
D) Defense mechanisms are cognitive distortions.
E) The use of defense mechanisms should be avoided.
F) Defense mechanisms can control the awareness of anxiety.

Question 10

Which one of the following can be a positive outcome of using defense mechanisms?

A) Defense mechanisms can inhibit emotional growth.
B) Defense mechanisms can lead to poor problem-solving skills.
C) Defense mechanisms can create difficulty with relationships.
D) Defense mechanisms can help a person to reduce anxiety.

Question 11

Which of the following best explains the etiology of anxiety disorders from an interpersonal perspective?

A) Anxiety is learned in childhood through interactions with caregivers.
B) Anxiety is learned throughout life as a response to life experiences.
C) Anxiety stems from an unconscious attempt to control awareness.
D) Anxiety results from conforming to the norms of a cultural group.

Question 12

Which of the following theories about anxiety is based upon intrapsychic theories?

A) A person's innate anxiety is the stimulus for behavior.
B) Anxiety is generated from problems in interpersonal relationships.
C) A nurse can help the client to achieve health by attending to interpersonal and physiologic needs.
D) Anxiety is learned through experiences.

Question 13

Which of the following are interpersonal theories regarding the etiologies of major anxiety disorders? Select all that apply.

A) Sigmund Freud's theory
B) Henry Stack Sullivan's theory
C) Hildegard Peplau's theory
D) Pavlov's theory

Question 14

The student nurse correctly identifies that according to Selye (1956, 1974), which stage of reaction to stress stimulates the body to send messages from the hypothalamus to the glands and organs to prepare for potential defense needs?

A) Resistance
B) Exhaustion
C) Alarm reaction
D) Autonomic

Question 15

A nurse is working with a client to develop assertive communication skills. The nurse documents achievement of treatment outcomes when the client makes a statement such as,

A) I'm sorry. I'm not picking this up very quickly.
B) I feel upset when you interrupt me.
C) You are pushing me too hard.
D) I'm not going to let people push me around anymore.

Question 16

A client experiences panic attacks when confronted with riding in elevators. The therapist is teaching the client ways to relax while incrementally exposing the client to getting on an elevator. This technique is called

A) systematic desensitization.
B) flooding.
C) cognitive restructuring.
D) exposure therapy.

Question 17

Which techniques would be most effective for a client who has situational phobias? Select all that apply.

A) Flooding
B) Reminding the person to calm down
C) Systematic desensitization
D) Assertiveness training
E) Decatastrophizing

Question 18

A client is currently experiencing a panic attack. Which of the following is the most appropriate response by the nurse?

A) Just try to relax.
B) There is nothing here to harm you.
C) You are safe. Take a deep breath.
D) What are you feeling right now?

Question 19

A client states, I will just die if I don't get this job. The nurse then asks the client, What will be the worst that will happen if you don't get the job? The nurse is using this response to

A) appraise his situation more realistically.
B) assist the client to make alternative plans for the future.
C) assess if the client has health problems compounded by stress.
D) clarify the client's meaning.

Question 20

Which of the following statements about the assessment of persons with anxiety and anxiety disorders is most accurate?

A) When an elder person has an onset of anxiety for the first time in his or her life, it is possible that the anxiety is associated with another condition.
B) Panic attacks are the most common late-life anxiety disorders.
C) An elder person with anxiety may be experiencing ruminative thoughts.
D) Agoraphobia that occurs in late life may be related to trauma experienced or anticipated.

Question 21

The nurse enters the client's room and finds the client anxiously pacing the floor. The client begins shouting at the nurse, Get out of my room! The best intervention by the nurse would be to

A) approach the client and ask, What's wrong?
B) call for help and say, Calm down.
C) turn and walk away from the room without saying anything.
D) stand at the doorway and say, You seem upset.

Question 22

Which of the following are cognitiveñbehavioral therapy techniques that may be used effectively with anxious clients? Select all that apply.

A) Positive reframing
B) Decatastrophizing
C) Assertiveness training
D) Humor
E) Unlearning

Question 23

The nurse is teaching about postoperative wound care. As the wound is uncovered, the client begins mumbling, breathing rapidly, and trying to get out of bed, and the client does not respond when the nurse calls his name. Which of the following should be the nurse's first action?

A) Ask the client to describe his feelings.
B) Proceed with wound care quickly.
C) Replace the dressing on the wound.
D) Get the assistance of another nurse.

Question 24

The nursing student understands correctly when identifying which objective is appropriate for all clients with anxiety disorders?

A) The client will experience reduced anxiety and accept the fact that underlying conflicts cannot be treated.
B) The client will experience reduced anxiety and develop alternative responses to anxiety-provoking situations.
C) The client will experience reduced anxiety and learn to control primitive impulses.
D) The client will experience reduced anxiety and strive for insight through psychoanalysis.

Question 25

When a client is experiencing a panic attack while in the recreation room, what interventions are the nurse's first priorities? Select all that apply.

A) Provide a safe environment.
B) Request a prescription for an antianxiety agent.
C) Offer the client therapy to calm down
D) Ensure the client's privacy.
E) Engage the client in recreational activities.

Question 26

A client is learning to cope with anxiety and stress. The expected outcome is that the client will

A) change reactions to stressors.
B) ignore situations that cause stress.
C) limit major stressors in his or her life.
D) avoid anxiety at all costs.

Question 27

A client asks the nurse, Why do I have to go to counseling? Why can't I just take medications? The best response by the nurse would be,

A) Both therapies are effective. You can eventually choose one or the other.
B) You cannot get the full effect of your medications without cognitive therapy as well.
C) As soon as your medications reach therapeutic level, you can omit the therapy.
D) Medications combined with therapy help you change how well you function.

Question 28

A client asks how his prescribed alprazolam (Xanax) helps his anxiety disorder. The nurse explains that antianxiety medications such as alprazolam affect the function of which neurotransmitter that is believed to be dysfunctional in anxiety disorders?

A) Serotonin
B) Norepinephrine
C) GABA
D) Dopamine

Question 29

The nurse is teaching a client with an anxiety disorder ways to manage anxiety. The nurse suggests which of the following schedules for practicing stress management techniques?

A) Practice the techniques each morning and night as part of a daily routine.
B) Use the techniques as needed when experiencing severe anxiety.
C) Practice the techniques when relatively calm.
D) Expect to practice the techniques when meeting with a therapist.

Question 30

The nurse is educating a client and family about managing panic attacks after discharge from treatment. The nurse includes which of the following in the discharge teaching? Select all that apply.

A) Continued development of positive coping skills
B) Weaning off of medications as necessary
C) Lessening the amount of daily responsibilities
D) Continued practice of relaxation techniques
E) Development of a regular exercise program

Question 31

When teaching a client with generalized anxiety disorder, which is the highest priority for the nurse to teach the client to avoid?

A) Caffeine
B) High-fat foods
C) Refined sugars
D) Sodium

Question 32

An anxiolytic agent, lorazepam (Ativan), has been prescribed for the client. Which of the following statements by the client would indicate to the nurse that client education about this medication has been effective?

A) My anxiety will be eliminated if I take this medication as prescribed.
B) This medication presents no risk of addiction or dependence.
C) I will probably always need to take this medication for my anxiety.
D) This medication will relax me, so I can focus on problem solving.

Question 33

Which of the following would be key points for the nurse to remember when working with persons who are suffering from anxiety disorders?

A) It is important for the nurse to fix the client's problems.
B) Remember to practice techniques to manage stress and anxiety in your own life.
C) If you have any uncomfortable feelings, do not tell anyone about them.
D) Remember that only people who suffer from anxiety disorders have stress that can interfere with daily life and work.

Question 34

Which of the following are reasons that the nurse must understand why and how anxiety behaviors work? Select all that apply.

A) To provide better care for the client
B) To help understand the role anxiety plays in performing nursing responsibilities
C) To help the nurse to mask his or her own feelings of anxiety
D) So the nurse can identify that his or her own needs are more important than the clients
E) To help nurses to function at a high level