NUR 405 EXAM 1 AND 2
1. A nurse is assessing a client who is experiencing occasional feelings of
sadness because of the recent death of a beloved pet. The client's
appetite, sleep patterns, and daily routine have not changed. How
should the nurse interpret the client's behaviors?
• D. The client's behaviors demonstrate no functional impairment,
indicating no mental illness.
2. At what point should the nurse determine that a client is at risk for
developing a mental disorder?
• B. When maladaptive responses to stress are coupled with
interference in daily functioning
3. A nurse is assessing 15-year-old identical twins who respond very
differently to stress. One twin becomes anxious and irritable, while the
other withdraws and cries. How should the nurse explain these
different responses to stress to the parents?
• Reactions to stress are relative rather than absolute; individual
responses to stress vary.
4. A client has a history of excessive drinking, which has led to multiple
arrests for driving under the influence (DUI). The client states, "I work
hard to provide for my family. I don't see why I can't drink to relax." The
nurse recognizes the use of which defense mechanism?
• B. Rationalization
,5. Which client should the nurse anticipate to be most receptive to
psychiatric treatment?
• A Jewish, female journalist
6. A new psychiatric nurse states, "This client's use of defense
mechanisms should be eliminated." Which is a correct evaluation of
this nurse's statement?
• Defense mechanisms can be self-protective responses to stress
and need not be eliminated.
7. During an intake assessment, a nurse asks both physiological and
psychosocial questions. The client angrily responds, "I'm here for my
heart, not my head problems." Which is the nurse's best response?
• C. "Psychological factors, like excessive stress, have been found
to affect medical conditions."
8. Which statement reflects a student nurse's accurate understanding
of the concepts of mental health and mental illness?
• B. "The concepts are multidimensional and culturally defined."
9. A mental health technician asks the nurse, "How do psychiatrists
determine which diagnosis to give a patient?" Which of these
responses by the nurse would be most accurate?
, • Psychiatrists use pre-established criteria from the APA's
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).
10. The nurse is preparing to provide medication instruction for a
patient. Which of the following understandings about anxiety will be
essential to effective instruction?
• B. Learning is enhanced when anxiety is mild.
11. Which of the following are identified as psychoneurotic responses
to severe anxiety as they appear in the DSM-5?
• Somatic symptom disorders
12. An employee uses the defense mechanism of displacement when
the boss openly disagrees with suggestions. What behavior would be
expected from this employee?
• C. The employee criticizes a coworker
13. A teenage boy is attracted to a female teacher. Without objective
evidence, a school nurse overhears the boy state, "I know she wants
me." This statement reflects which defense mechanism?
• B. Projection
14. A fourth-grade boy teases and makes jokes about a cute girl in his
class. This behavior should be identified by a nurse as indicative of
which defense mechanism?
, • C. Reaction formation
15. Which nursing statement about the concept of neuroses is most
accurate?
• B. "An individual experiencing neurosis feels helpless to change
his or her situation."
16. Which nursing statement about the concept of psychoses is most
accurate?
• B. "Individuals experiencing psychoses experience little
distress."
17. When under stress, a client routinely uses an excessive amount of
alcohol. Finding her drunk, her husband yells at her about the chronic
alcohol abuse. Which reaction should the nurse recognize as the use of
the defense mechanism of denial?
• D. Saying to the spouse, "I don't drink too much!
The nurse should associate the client statement "I don't drink too
much!" with the use of the defense mechanism of denial. The client
who refuses to acknowledge the existence of a real situation and the
feelings associated with it is using the defense mechanism of denial.
1. A nurse is assessing a client who is experiencing occasional feelings of
sadness because of the recent death of a beloved pet. The client's
appetite, sleep patterns, and daily routine have not changed. How
should the nurse interpret the client's behaviors?
• D. The client's behaviors demonstrate no functional impairment,
indicating no mental illness.
2. At what point should the nurse determine that a client is at risk for
developing a mental disorder?
• B. When maladaptive responses to stress are coupled with
interference in daily functioning
3. A nurse is assessing 15-year-old identical twins who respond very
differently to stress. One twin becomes anxious and irritable, while the
other withdraws and cries. How should the nurse explain these
different responses to stress to the parents?
• Reactions to stress are relative rather than absolute; individual
responses to stress vary.
4. A client has a history of excessive drinking, which has led to multiple
arrests for driving under the influence (DUI). The client states, "I work
hard to provide for my family. I don't see why I can't drink to relax." The
nurse recognizes the use of which defense mechanism?
• B. Rationalization
,5. Which client should the nurse anticipate to be most receptive to
psychiatric treatment?
• A Jewish, female journalist
6. A new psychiatric nurse states, "This client's use of defense
mechanisms should be eliminated." Which is a correct evaluation of
this nurse's statement?
• Defense mechanisms can be self-protective responses to stress
and need not be eliminated.
7. During an intake assessment, a nurse asks both physiological and
psychosocial questions. The client angrily responds, "I'm here for my
heart, not my head problems." Which is the nurse's best response?
• C. "Psychological factors, like excessive stress, have been found
to affect medical conditions."
8. Which statement reflects a student nurse's accurate understanding
of the concepts of mental health and mental illness?
• B. "The concepts are multidimensional and culturally defined."
9. A mental health technician asks the nurse, "How do psychiatrists
determine which diagnosis to give a patient?" Which of these
responses by the nurse would be most accurate?
, • Psychiatrists use pre-established criteria from the APA's
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).
10. The nurse is preparing to provide medication instruction for a
patient. Which of the following understandings about anxiety will be
essential to effective instruction?
• B. Learning is enhanced when anxiety is mild.
11. Which of the following are identified as psychoneurotic responses
to severe anxiety as they appear in the DSM-5?
• Somatic symptom disorders
12. An employee uses the defense mechanism of displacement when
the boss openly disagrees with suggestions. What behavior would be
expected from this employee?
• C. The employee criticizes a coworker
13. A teenage boy is attracted to a female teacher. Without objective
evidence, a school nurse overhears the boy state, "I know she wants
me." This statement reflects which defense mechanism?
• B. Projection
14. A fourth-grade boy teases and makes jokes about a cute girl in his
class. This behavior should be identified by a nurse as indicative of
which defense mechanism?
, • C. Reaction formation
15. Which nursing statement about the concept of neuroses is most
accurate?
• B. "An individual experiencing neurosis feels helpless to change
his or her situation."
16. Which nursing statement about the concept of psychoses is most
accurate?
• B. "Individuals experiencing psychoses experience little
distress."
17. When under stress, a client routinely uses an excessive amount of
alcohol. Finding her drunk, her husband yells at her about the chronic
alcohol abuse. Which reaction should the nurse recognize as the use of
the defense mechanism of denial?
• D. Saying to the spouse, "I don't drink too much!
The nurse should associate the client statement "I don't drink too
much!" with the use of the defense mechanism of denial. The client
who refuses to acknowledge the existence of a real situation and the
feelings associated with it is using the defense mechanism of denial.
