NURSING • TESTBANK • PRACTICE QUESTIONS
TESTBANK
Mental Health &
Psychiatric Nursing
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
Answers shown after each question
© MOh T
Original Educational Practice Questions
For Nursing Students
© MOh T | @moht | Educational Use Only
,Testbank | Mental Health & Psychiatric Nursing | © MOh T @moht
1. Mental health is best described as:
A. Absence of all stress
B. A state of well-being in which a person realizes their abilities, can cope with normal stresses, work productively, and
contribute to the community
C. Only the absence of psychiatric diagnosis
D. Complete emotional numbness
Answer: B
2. Psychiatric nursing focuses on:
A. Only physical procedures
B. Care of people with mental health problems and promotion of mental health
C. Only administering medications without therapeutic relationship
D. Isolating all patients from society
Answer: B
3. The therapeutic nurse–patient relationship is based on:
A. Friendship and social sharing primarily
B. Trust, respect, empathy, and professional boundaries
C. Personal disclosure by the nurse as the main tool
D. Authority without collaboration
Answer: B
4. Empathy means:
A. Feeling exactly the same emotion as the patient in every case
B. Understanding and acknowledging the patient’s feelings from their perspective
C. Only sympathy without understanding
D. Avoiding emotional topics
Answer: B
5. Sympathy differs from empathy in that sympathy often involves:
A. Objective understanding only
B. Feeling sorry for the patient, which may not maintain therapeutic distance
C. No emotional response
D. Only clinical detachment
Answer: B
6. Professional boundaries protect:
A. Only the institution
B. Both the patient and the nurse by keeping the relationship therapeutic
C. Only the nurse’s personal life without patient benefit
D. Nothing important
Answer: B
7. Transference is:
A. The nurse’s feelings toward the patient based on the nurse’s past
B. The patient’s unconscious redirection of feelings from significant others onto the nurse
C. Only conscious liking
D. Always pathologic and untreatable
Answer: B
8. Countertransference is:
A. Only the patient’s feelings toward the nurse
B. The nurse’s emotional response to the patient based on the nurse’s own unresolved issues
C. Always helpful without reflection
D. Never relevant in practice
Answer: B
9. Therapeutic communication techniques include:
A. Giving false reassurance always
B. Active listening, open-ended questions, reflection, clarification, and summarization
C. Changing the subject when uncomfortable
D. Advising without assessment
Answer: B
© MOh T | @moht | Educational Use Only Page 1
, Testbank | Mental Health & Psychiatric Nursing | © MOh T @moht
10. Non-therapeutic communication includes:
A. Exploring and clarifying
B. Giving advice, false reassurance, probing, and approving/disapproving judgmentally
C. Only silence when used thoughtfully
D. Reflecting feelings
Answer: B
11. Silence can be therapeutic when it:
A. Is used to ignore the patient
B. Allows the patient time to think or express difficult emotions
C. Always creates awkwardness without benefit
D. Replaces all verbal communication
Answer: B
12. Open-ended questions encourage:
A. Yes/no answers only
B. Elaboration and expression of thoughts and feelings
C. Only factual closed data
D. Ending the conversation quickly
Answer: B
13. Closed questions are useful for:
A. Exploring deep feelings always
B. Obtaining specific information and clarifying details
C. Only building abstract discussion
D. Avoiding all structure
Answer: B
14. Reflection involves:
A. Ignoring content
B. Directing the patient’s words or feelings back to encourage further expression
C. Only giving solutions
D. Changing the topic
Answer: B
15. Clarification is used when:
A. Everything is already clear
B. The nurse needs to ensure understanding of the patient’s message
C. Only at discharge
D. Never needed
Answer: B
16. Summarization helps to:
A. Confuse the patient
B. Organize key points and check mutual understanding
C. Only fill time
D. Avoid documentation
Answer: B
17. Mental status examination (MSE) typically includes:
A. Only laboratory tests
B. Appearance, behavior, speech, mood, affect, thought, perception, cognition, and insight/judgment
C. Only physical exam without mental components
D. Only family history
Answer: B
18. Mood is:
A. The observable expression of emotion
B. The patient’s sustained internal emotional state (subjective)
C. Only momentary facial expression
D. Identical to affect always
Answer: B
19. Affect is:
© MOh T | @moht | Educational Use Only Page 2
TESTBANK
Mental Health &
Psychiatric Nursing
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
Answers shown after each question
© MOh T
Original Educational Practice Questions
For Nursing Students
© MOh T | @moht | Educational Use Only
,Testbank | Mental Health & Psychiatric Nursing | © MOh T @moht
1. Mental health is best described as:
A. Absence of all stress
B. A state of well-being in which a person realizes their abilities, can cope with normal stresses, work productively, and
contribute to the community
C. Only the absence of psychiatric diagnosis
D. Complete emotional numbness
Answer: B
2. Psychiatric nursing focuses on:
A. Only physical procedures
B. Care of people with mental health problems and promotion of mental health
C. Only administering medications without therapeutic relationship
D. Isolating all patients from society
Answer: B
3. The therapeutic nurse–patient relationship is based on:
A. Friendship and social sharing primarily
B. Trust, respect, empathy, and professional boundaries
C. Personal disclosure by the nurse as the main tool
D. Authority without collaboration
Answer: B
4. Empathy means:
A. Feeling exactly the same emotion as the patient in every case
B. Understanding and acknowledging the patient’s feelings from their perspective
C. Only sympathy without understanding
D. Avoiding emotional topics
Answer: B
5. Sympathy differs from empathy in that sympathy often involves:
A. Objective understanding only
B. Feeling sorry for the patient, which may not maintain therapeutic distance
C. No emotional response
D. Only clinical detachment
Answer: B
6. Professional boundaries protect:
A. Only the institution
B. Both the patient and the nurse by keeping the relationship therapeutic
C. Only the nurse’s personal life without patient benefit
D. Nothing important
Answer: B
7. Transference is:
A. The nurse’s feelings toward the patient based on the nurse’s past
B. The patient’s unconscious redirection of feelings from significant others onto the nurse
C. Only conscious liking
D. Always pathologic and untreatable
Answer: B
8. Countertransference is:
A. Only the patient’s feelings toward the nurse
B. The nurse’s emotional response to the patient based on the nurse’s own unresolved issues
C. Always helpful without reflection
D. Never relevant in practice
Answer: B
9. Therapeutic communication techniques include:
A. Giving false reassurance always
B. Active listening, open-ended questions, reflection, clarification, and summarization
C. Changing the subject when uncomfortable
D. Advising without assessment
Answer: B
© MOh T | @moht | Educational Use Only Page 1
, Testbank | Mental Health & Psychiatric Nursing | © MOh T @moht
10. Non-therapeutic communication includes:
A. Exploring and clarifying
B. Giving advice, false reassurance, probing, and approving/disapproving judgmentally
C. Only silence when used thoughtfully
D. Reflecting feelings
Answer: B
11. Silence can be therapeutic when it:
A. Is used to ignore the patient
B. Allows the patient time to think or express difficult emotions
C. Always creates awkwardness without benefit
D. Replaces all verbal communication
Answer: B
12. Open-ended questions encourage:
A. Yes/no answers only
B. Elaboration and expression of thoughts and feelings
C. Only factual closed data
D. Ending the conversation quickly
Answer: B
13. Closed questions are useful for:
A. Exploring deep feelings always
B. Obtaining specific information and clarifying details
C. Only building abstract discussion
D. Avoiding all structure
Answer: B
14. Reflection involves:
A. Ignoring content
B. Directing the patient’s words or feelings back to encourage further expression
C. Only giving solutions
D. Changing the topic
Answer: B
15. Clarification is used when:
A. Everything is already clear
B. The nurse needs to ensure understanding of the patient’s message
C. Only at discharge
D. Never needed
Answer: B
16. Summarization helps to:
A. Confuse the patient
B. Organize key points and check mutual understanding
C. Only fill time
D. Avoid documentation
Answer: B
17. Mental status examination (MSE) typically includes:
A. Only laboratory tests
B. Appearance, behavior, speech, mood, affect, thought, perception, cognition, and insight/judgment
C. Only physical exam without mental components
D. Only family history
Answer: B
18. Mood is:
A. The observable expression of emotion
B. The patient’s sustained internal emotional state (subjective)
C. Only momentary facial expression
D. Identical to affect always
Answer: B
19. Affect is:
© MOh T | @moht | Educational Use Only Page 2
