NURS 201 MENTAL HEALTH AND
PSYCHIATRIC NURSING: WEEK 1 QUIZ
2026
1. A patient with a history of severe childhood trauma demonstrates the ability to maintain
employment and healthy relationships. Which concept best describes this patient’s mental
health characteristic?
A. Self-actualization
B. Altruism
C. Resilience
D. Sublimation
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: Resilience is the ability to adapt and effectively cope with stress
and trauma, allowing an individual to maintain functional integrity despite significant
adversity.
2. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5), differs
from previous versions primarily in which structural way?
A. It eliminates the multiaxial system of diagnosis
,B. It introduces a 7-axis diagnostic system
C. It focuses solely on biological etiologies of disease
D. It classifies disorders based on nursing interventions
Answer: A
Conceptual Explanation: The DSM-5 moved away from the multiaxial system (Axes I-V)
used in previous editions to a non-axial documentation of diagnosis.
3. Which nursing intervention represents ‘primary prevention’ in the field of community
mental health?
A. Leading a support group for newly widowed individuals
B. Providing stress-management education to high school students
C. Monitoring medication compliance in a halfway house
D. Conducting intake screenings at a crisis stabilization unit
Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: Primary prevention focuses on preventing the onset of mental
health issues through education and coping skill development before problems occur.
4. During an intake interview, a patient states, ‘I feel like I am always being watched by the
government.’ The nurse documents this under which section of the Mental Status
Examination (MSE)?
A. Thought Process
, B. Perception
C. Affect
D. Thought Content
Answer: D
Conceptual Explanation: Thought content refers to what the patient is actually thinking
about, such as delusions or obsessions. Thought process refers to the organization of
thoughts.
5. A nurse is working with a patient who reminds her of her deceased grandfather. The nurse
finds herself being extra lenient with the patient’s requests. This is an example of:
A. Transference
B. Boundary crossing
C. Positive reinforcement
D. Countertransference
Answer: D
Conceptual Explanation: Countertransference occurs when the healthcare provider
displaces onto the patient feelings related to people in the provider’s past.
6. According to Hildegard Peplau’s Theory of Interpersonal Relations, in which phase should
the nurse and patient set goals and establish a contract?
A. Orientation Phase
PSYCHIATRIC NURSING: WEEK 1 QUIZ
2026
1. A patient with a history of severe childhood trauma demonstrates the ability to maintain
employment and healthy relationships. Which concept best describes this patient’s mental
health characteristic?
A. Self-actualization
B. Altruism
C. Resilience
D. Sublimation
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: Resilience is the ability to adapt and effectively cope with stress
and trauma, allowing an individual to maintain functional integrity despite significant
adversity.
2. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5), differs
from previous versions primarily in which structural way?
A. It eliminates the multiaxial system of diagnosis
,B. It introduces a 7-axis diagnostic system
C. It focuses solely on biological etiologies of disease
D. It classifies disorders based on nursing interventions
Answer: A
Conceptual Explanation: The DSM-5 moved away from the multiaxial system (Axes I-V)
used in previous editions to a non-axial documentation of diagnosis.
3. Which nursing intervention represents ‘primary prevention’ in the field of community
mental health?
A. Leading a support group for newly widowed individuals
B. Providing stress-management education to high school students
C. Monitoring medication compliance in a halfway house
D. Conducting intake screenings at a crisis stabilization unit
Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: Primary prevention focuses on preventing the onset of mental
health issues through education and coping skill development before problems occur.
4. During an intake interview, a patient states, ‘I feel like I am always being watched by the
government.’ The nurse documents this under which section of the Mental Status
Examination (MSE)?
A. Thought Process
, B. Perception
C. Affect
D. Thought Content
Answer: D
Conceptual Explanation: Thought content refers to what the patient is actually thinking
about, such as delusions or obsessions. Thought process refers to the organization of
thoughts.
5. A nurse is working with a patient who reminds her of her deceased grandfather. The nurse
finds herself being extra lenient with the patient’s requests. This is an example of:
A. Transference
B. Boundary crossing
C. Positive reinforcement
D. Countertransference
Answer: D
Conceptual Explanation: Countertransference occurs when the healthcare provider
displaces onto the patient feelings related to people in the provider’s past.
6. According to Hildegard Peplau’s Theory of Interpersonal Relations, in which phase should
the nurse and patient set goals and establish a contract?
A. Orientation Phase
