Chapter 36. The Bereaved Individual
Multiple Choice
1. A client is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Which situation would the nurse assess
as reflecting Kbler-Rosss grief stage of anger?
A. The client registers for an iron-man marathon to be held in 9 months.
B. The client is a devoted Catholic but refuses to attend church and states that his faith
has failed him.
C. The client promises God to give up smoking if allowed to live long enough to witness
a grandchilds birth. D. The client gathers family in order to plan a funeral and make last
wishes known.
ANS: B
The nurse should assess that the client is in the anger stage of grieving when the client
refuses to attend church and states that his faith has failed him. Anger is the second
stage of Kbler-Rosss grief process, in which the reality of the situation is realized and
the individual has feelings of sadness, guilt, shame, helplessness, and hopelessness.
KEY: Cognitive Level: Application | Integrated Processes: Nursing Process:
Assessment | Client Need:
Psychosocial Integrity
2. A nurse is caring for an Irish client who has recently lost a spouse. The client states
to the nurse, Im planning an elaborate wake and funeral. According to George Engel,
what purpose would these rituals serve?
A. To delay the recovery process initiated by the loss of the clients spouse
, B. To facilitate the acceptance of the loss of the clients spouse
C. To avoid dealing with grief associated with the loss of the clients spouse D. To
eliminate emotional pain related to the loss of the clients spouse ANS: B
The nurse should anticipate that the purpose of these rituals is to facilitate the
acceptance of the loss of the clients spouse. Resolution of the loss is the fourth stage
in Engels grief process, in which the bereaved experiences a preoccupation with the
loss, which gradually decreases over time.
KEY: Cognitive Level: Application | Integrated Processes: Nursing Process: Evaluation |
Client Need:
Psychosocial Integrity
3. A woman returns home after delivering a stillborn infant to find that neighbors have
dismantled the nursery that she and her husband planned. According to Worden, how
should a nurse expect the neighbors action to affect the womans grieving task
completion?
A. This action may hamper the woman from accepting the reality of the loss. B. This
action would help the woman forget the sorrow and move on with life. C. This action
communicates full support from her neighbors.
D. This action would motivate the woman to look to the future and not the past.
ANS: A
The nurse should anticipate that this action could hinder the woman from accepting
the reality of the loss. The first task in Wordens grief process is to accept the reality of
the loss. It is common for individuals to refuse to believe that the loss has occurred.
Behaviors may include misidentifying an individual in the environment as their loved
one, retaining possessions of the lost loved one, and removing all reminders of the
loved one so as not to have to face reality. The bereaved person is considered an
Multiple Choice
1. A client is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Which situation would the nurse assess
as reflecting Kbler-Rosss grief stage of anger?
A. The client registers for an iron-man marathon to be held in 9 months.
B. The client is a devoted Catholic but refuses to attend church and states that his faith
has failed him.
C. The client promises God to give up smoking if allowed to live long enough to witness
a grandchilds birth. D. The client gathers family in order to plan a funeral and make last
wishes known.
ANS: B
The nurse should assess that the client is in the anger stage of grieving when the client
refuses to attend church and states that his faith has failed him. Anger is the second
stage of Kbler-Rosss grief process, in which the reality of the situation is realized and
the individual has feelings of sadness, guilt, shame, helplessness, and hopelessness.
KEY: Cognitive Level: Application | Integrated Processes: Nursing Process:
Assessment | Client Need:
Psychosocial Integrity
2. A nurse is caring for an Irish client who has recently lost a spouse. The client states
to the nurse, Im planning an elaborate wake and funeral. According to George Engel,
what purpose would these rituals serve?
A. To delay the recovery process initiated by the loss of the clients spouse
, B. To facilitate the acceptance of the loss of the clients spouse
C. To avoid dealing with grief associated with the loss of the clients spouse D. To
eliminate emotional pain related to the loss of the clients spouse ANS: B
The nurse should anticipate that the purpose of these rituals is to facilitate the
acceptance of the loss of the clients spouse. Resolution of the loss is the fourth stage
in Engels grief process, in which the bereaved experiences a preoccupation with the
loss, which gradually decreases over time.
KEY: Cognitive Level: Application | Integrated Processes: Nursing Process: Evaluation |
Client Need:
Psychosocial Integrity
3. A woman returns home after delivering a stillborn infant to find that neighbors have
dismantled the nursery that she and her husband planned. According to Worden, how
should a nurse expect the neighbors action to affect the womans grieving task
completion?
A. This action may hamper the woman from accepting the reality of the loss. B. This
action would help the woman forget the sorrow and move on with life. C. This action
communicates full support from her neighbors.
D. This action would motivate the woman to look to the future and not the past.
ANS: A
The nurse should anticipate that this action could hinder the woman from accepting
the reality of the loss. The first task in Wordens grief process is to accept the reality of
the loss. It is common for individuals to refuse to believe that the loss has occurred.
Behaviors may include misidentifying an individual in the environment as their loved
one, retaining possessions of the lost loved one, and removing all reminders of the
loved one so as not to have to face reality. The bereaved person is considered an
