Mental Health Question #16
Question
A client who lost a young child two months prior tells the nurse, “Don’t tell me you know what it’s like. You have no idea what it’s like!” The nurse will base a therapeutic communication response based on which factor?
Answers
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Aggressiveness is probably the underlying personality of the client.
- Rationale:
- Empathy is not possible with this client.
- Rationale:
- Hostility is a common behavior in response to grief.
- Rationale:
- The nurse is judgmental and needs to self-reflect.
- Rationale:
Overview
Explanation
Hostility may be a common behavior in response to grief. Parents may feel confused, inadequate, angry, hopeless, and fearful and negative feelings can be projected onto the nurse. Option A is incorrect since being hostile or angry does not make the person aggressive. Option B is incorrect since empathy is not only possible, but necessary. Option D is incorrect since nothing in the question pertains to the nurse’s judgment and the nurse has not even acted yet.
Learning Outcomes
Test Taking Tip