A mother is concerned because her teenage son's father and grandfather are alcoholics.How should the nurse respond to this concern?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The best response is to acknowledge the mother's concern and provide reassurance that even if her son has a genetic predisposition towards alcoholism, there are still ways to mitigate the risk. The nurse can suggest that the mother focus on helping her son develop healthy coping mechanisms for stress and ensure that he has access to resources for addiction treatment if needed. Genetic testing is not necessary in this case, and the nurse should not dismiss the mother's concern by suggesting that her parenting alone will be enough to overcome any genetic or environmental factors. Likewise, the nurse should not suggest that genetics is an insurmountable obstacle that renders interventions useless.

A Mother Is Concerned Because Her Teenage Son's Father and Grandfather