C HAPTER 36: L OSS AND G RIEF
Fundamentals of Nursing 10th Edition; Potter Perry
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. A terminall y ill client shares with the nurse that he, needs to tell someone
what I want when the end comes. The nurses most therapeutic response is:
A. We can talk about that now if you want to. Let me close the door
and pull up a chair.
B. I imagine you would like to discuss matters with your primary care
provider. I’ll let him know you want to talk.
C. Let me finish with my client care, I’ll be back in 10 minutes, and
we can talk as long as you need to.
D. If you haven ’t discussed your feelings with your famil y yet, I ’d
suggest you do that when they visit this evening.
ANS: A
Avoid communication barriers such as de nying the clients grief,
providing false reassurance, or avoiding discussion of sensitive issues.
When you sense that a client wants to talk about something, make time
right then, if at all possible.
PTS: 1 DIF: C REF: 469 -470 OBJ: Anal ysis TOP: Nursing
Process: Implementation MSC: NC LEX test plan
designation: Safe, Effective Care Environment
,2. The wife of a client recentl y diagnosed with end -stage renal failure shares
with the nurse that, He just accepts this; I want a second opinion. The
nurse recognizes that while the client has reached the acceptance stage of
grieving, his wife is experiencing the:
A. Anger stage
B. Denial stage
C. Depression stage
D. Bargaining stage
ANS: A
In the denial stage, a person acts as though nothing has happened and
refuses to accept the fact of the loss. The person shows no
understanding of what has occurred. When experiencing the anger stage
of adjustment to loss, a person expresses resistance and sometimes
feels intense anger at God, other people, or the situation. Bargaining
cushions and postpones awareness of the loss by trying to prevent it
from happening. Grieving or dying people make promises to self, God,
or loved ones that they will live or believe differentl y if they can be
spared the dreaded outcome. When a person realizes t he full impact of
the loss, depression occurs. Some individuals feel overwhelmingl y sad,
hopeless, and lonel y. Resigned to the bad outcome, they sometimes
withdraw from relationships and life. In acceptance, the person
incorporates the loss into life and f inds ways to move forward.
PTS: 1 DIF: A REF: 464 OBJ: Comprehension TOP: Nursing
Process: Assessment MSC: NC LEX test plan designation:
Safe, Effective Care Environment
, 3. The mother of a child who was killed in an automobile accident is
diagnosed with ex cessive grief. The nurse realizes that this diagnosis
increases her risk of:
A. Attempting suicide
B. Developing anorexia nervosa
C. Becoming chronically depressed
D. Developing a psychiatric phobia
ANS: A
Normal grief responses, when experienced in excess, become
overwhelming. People who exhibit very intense emotions and severe
s ymptoms lose control, appear deepl y traumatized, or may become
suicidal, requiring medication or stabilization before they are able to
begin the healing process. Depression is possible but i s triggered by a
variet y of events. Grief is not the t ypical trigger for either anorexia
nervosa or phobias.
PTS: 1 DIF: A REF: 463 OBJ: Comprehension TOP: Nursing
Process: Assessment MSC: NC LEX test plan designation:
Safe, Effective Care Environment
4. The nurse recognizes that which of the following clients is at greatest risk
for complicated (dysfunctional) grief?
A. A 26-year-old who is diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis
B. The 58-year-old onl y child whose mother recentl y died of cancer
C. A teenage parent who se child died of sudden infant death syndrome
(SIDS)
D. A 50-year-old diabetic client who has experienced an above -the-
knee amputation
Fundamentals of Nursing 10th Edition; Potter Perry
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. A terminall y ill client shares with the nurse that he, needs to tell someone
what I want when the end comes. The nurses most therapeutic response is:
A. We can talk about that now if you want to. Let me close the door
and pull up a chair.
B. I imagine you would like to discuss matters with your primary care
provider. I’ll let him know you want to talk.
C. Let me finish with my client care, I’ll be back in 10 minutes, and
we can talk as long as you need to.
D. If you haven ’t discussed your feelings with your famil y yet, I ’d
suggest you do that when they visit this evening.
ANS: A
Avoid communication barriers such as de nying the clients grief,
providing false reassurance, or avoiding discussion of sensitive issues.
When you sense that a client wants to talk about something, make time
right then, if at all possible.
PTS: 1 DIF: C REF: 469 -470 OBJ: Anal ysis TOP: Nursing
Process: Implementation MSC: NC LEX test plan
designation: Safe, Effective Care Environment
,2. The wife of a client recentl y diagnosed with end -stage renal failure shares
with the nurse that, He just accepts this; I want a second opinion. The
nurse recognizes that while the client has reached the acceptance stage of
grieving, his wife is experiencing the:
A. Anger stage
B. Denial stage
C. Depression stage
D. Bargaining stage
ANS: A
In the denial stage, a person acts as though nothing has happened and
refuses to accept the fact of the loss. The person shows no
understanding of what has occurred. When experiencing the anger stage
of adjustment to loss, a person expresses resistance and sometimes
feels intense anger at God, other people, or the situation. Bargaining
cushions and postpones awareness of the loss by trying to prevent it
from happening. Grieving or dying people make promises to self, God,
or loved ones that they will live or believe differentl y if they can be
spared the dreaded outcome. When a person realizes t he full impact of
the loss, depression occurs. Some individuals feel overwhelmingl y sad,
hopeless, and lonel y. Resigned to the bad outcome, they sometimes
withdraw from relationships and life. In acceptance, the person
incorporates the loss into life and f inds ways to move forward.
PTS: 1 DIF: A REF: 464 OBJ: Comprehension TOP: Nursing
Process: Assessment MSC: NC LEX test plan designation:
Safe, Effective Care Environment
, 3. The mother of a child who was killed in an automobile accident is
diagnosed with ex cessive grief. The nurse realizes that this diagnosis
increases her risk of:
A. Attempting suicide
B. Developing anorexia nervosa
C. Becoming chronically depressed
D. Developing a psychiatric phobia
ANS: A
Normal grief responses, when experienced in excess, become
overwhelming. People who exhibit very intense emotions and severe
s ymptoms lose control, appear deepl y traumatized, or may become
suicidal, requiring medication or stabilization before they are able to
begin the healing process. Depression is possible but i s triggered by a
variet y of events. Grief is not the t ypical trigger for either anorexia
nervosa or phobias.
PTS: 1 DIF: A REF: 463 OBJ: Comprehension TOP: Nursing
Process: Assessment MSC: NC LEX test plan designation:
Safe, Effective Care Environment
4. The nurse recognizes that which of the following clients is at greatest risk
for complicated (dysfunctional) grief?
A. A 26-year-old who is diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis
B. The 58-year-old onl y child whose mother recentl y died of cancer
C. A teenage parent who se child died of sudden infant death syndrome
(SIDS)
D. A 50-year-old diabetic client who has experienced an above -the-
knee amputation
