After the nurse has taught the parents of a 5-year-old boy who has leukemia how to talk with their child about death and dying, which of the following would indicate that the parents have age-appropriate expectations about their child's reaction to his impending death:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A 5-year-old child is in the preoperational stage of cognitive development and thinks of death as temporary. Also, for a child this age, thinking about behavior often is believed to be magical; thus, the child may think that his behavior can cause death. Generally, children under 3 years of age are unable to differentiate death from temporary separation and are unable to understand what is happening.

After the Nurse Has Taught the Parents of a 5-Year-Old