,Galen NSG 3450 Exam 1 | Mental Health Nursing
(2026) Actual Q&A PDF
1. Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which an individual:
A) Reaches their own potential, copes with normal stresses, works productively,
and contributes to the community
B) Is free from all emotional distress
C) Requires no social support
D) Has no history of mental illness
Correct Answer: Reaches their own potential, copes with normal stresses, works
productively, and contributes to the community
Rationale: The World Health Organization describes mental health as more than
the absence of illness. It includes the ability to realize one's abilities, cope with
life's normal stresses, work productively, and contribute to society. This holistic
view emphasizes functioning and well-being.
2. Resilience is best defined as the ability to:
A) Avoid all stressful situations
B) Secure the resources needed to support well-being and bounce back from
adversity
C) Deny the existence of problems
D) Maintain a constant state of happiness
Correct Answer: Secure the resources needed to support well-being and bounce
back from adversity
,Rationale: Resilience is the capacity to adapt positively to stress, trauma, or
adversity. It involves using internal and external resources to maintain or regain
mental health. It is not about avoiding stress or constant happiness but about
effective coping and resourcefulness.
3. The diathesis-stress model explains mental illness as the interaction between:
A) Early childhood experiences and adult relationships
B) Socioeconomic status and education
C) Biological predisposition and environmental stress or trauma
D) Medication and psychotherapy
Correct Answer: Biological predisposition and environmental stress or trauma
Rationale: The diathesis-stress model posits that mental disorders result from
the combination of a genetic or biological vulnerability (diathesis) and stressful
life events. Neither factor alone is sufficient; the interaction triggers the illness.
This is the most accepted explanation.
4. Which term refers to the ego's unconscious strategies to ward off anxiety by
preventing conscious awareness of threatening feelings?
A) Coping skills
B) Resilience factors
C) Cognitive distortions
D) Defense mechanisms
Correct Answer: Defense mechanisms
, Rationale: Defense mechanisms are unconscious psychological strategies used
to protect a person from anxiety arising from unacceptable thoughts or feelings.
Examples include denial, repression, and projection. They are distinct from
conscious coping skills.
5. According to Freud, repressed memories and unacceptable urges reside in
which part of the mind?
A) The unconscious
B) The conscious
C) The preconscious
D) The superego
Correct Answer: The unconscious
Rationale: Freud's topographical model divides the mind into conscious (current
awareness), preconscious (easily retrievable memories), and unconscious
(repressed, unacceptable material). The unconscious contains deeply buried
memories and drives that influence behavior.
6. Material that can be easily retrieved through conscious effort, such as a
recent memory, is stored in the:
A) Unconscious
B) Preconscious
C) Conscious
D) Subconscious
(2026) Actual Q&A PDF
1. Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which an individual:
A) Reaches their own potential, copes with normal stresses, works productively,
and contributes to the community
B) Is free from all emotional distress
C) Requires no social support
D) Has no history of mental illness
Correct Answer: Reaches their own potential, copes with normal stresses, works
productively, and contributes to the community
Rationale: The World Health Organization describes mental health as more than
the absence of illness. It includes the ability to realize one's abilities, cope with
life's normal stresses, work productively, and contribute to society. This holistic
view emphasizes functioning and well-being.
2. Resilience is best defined as the ability to:
A) Avoid all stressful situations
B) Secure the resources needed to support well-being and bounce back from
adversity
C) Deny the existence of problems
D) Maintain a constant state of happiness
Correct Answer: Secure the resources needed to support well-being and bounce
back from adversity
,Rationale: Resilience is the capacity to adapt positively to stress, trauma, or
adversity. It involves using internal and external resources to maintain or regain
mental health. It is not about avoiding stress or constant happiness but about
effective coping and resourcefulness.
3. The diathesis-stress model explains mental illness as the interaction between:
A) Early childhood experiences and adult relationships
B) Socioeconomic status and education
C) Biological predisposition and environmental stress or trauma
D) Medication and psychotherapy
Correct Answer: Biological predisposition and environmental stress or trauma
Rationale: The diathesis-stress model posits that mental disorders result from
the combination of a genetic or biological vulnerability (diathesis) and stressful
life events. Neither factor alone is sufficient; the interaction triggers the illness.
This is the most accepted explanation.
4. Which term refers to the ego's unconscious strategies to ward off anxiety by
preventing conscious awareness of threatening feelings?
A) Coping skills
B) Resilience factors
C) Cognitive distortions
D) Defense mechanisms
Correct Answer: Defense mechanisms
, Rationale: Defense mechanisms are unconscious psychological strategies used
to protect a person from anxiety arising from unacceptable thoughts or feelings.
Examples include denial, repression, and projection. They are distinct from
conscious coping skills.
5. According to Freud, repressed memories and unacceptable urges reside in
which part of the mind?
A) The unconscious
B) The conscious
C) The preconscious
D) The superego
Correct Answer: The unconscious
Rationale: Freud's topographical model divides the mind into conscious (current
awareness), preconscious (easily retrievable memories), and unconscious
(repressed, unacceptable material). The unconscious contains deeply buried
memories and drives that influence behavior.
6. Material that can be easily retrieved through conscious effort, such as a
recent memory, is stored in the:
A) Unconscious
B) Preconscious
C) Conscious
D) Subconscious
