Page 1 of 109
WRIGHT & LEAHY'S NURSES AND FAMILIES EXAM WITH
VERIFIED ANSWERS DETAILED RATIONALES GRADED A+
Wright & Leahy's Nurses and Families
SECTION 1: FOUNDATIONS OF FAMILY NURSING (Questions 1–40)
Question 1. What are the three main branches of the Calgary Family Assessment Model
(CFAM)?
A) Biological, psychological, and social assessment
B) Individual, group, and community assessment
C) Structural, developmental, and functional assessment
D) Acute, chronic, and palliative assessment
Answer: C
Rationale: The CFAM is organized into three major categories: structural (who is in the family),
developmental (stages the family is going through), and functional (how the family behaves).
These three branches form the foundational framework for comprehensive family assessment in
nursing practice.
Question 2. Who developed the Calgary Family Assessment Model (CFAM)?
A) Virginia Henderson and Dorothea Orem
B) Betty Neuman and Jean Watson
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C) Lorraine Wright and Maureen Leahey
D) Florence Nightingale and Martha Rogers
Answer: C
Rationale: The CFAM was developed by Lorraine M. Wright and Maureen Leahey at the
University of Calgary. Their work revolutionized how nurses assess and interact with families as
a unit of care.
Question 3. Which theoretical framework forms the foundation of the Calgary Family
Assessment Model?
A) Structural-functionalism theory
B) General systems theory and cybernetics
C) Psychoanalytic theory
D) Social learning theory
Answer: B
Rationale: The Calgary Family Assessment Model is built upon general systems theory and
cybernetics, which view the family as an interactive system where changes in one member
affect the entire family unit. This framework emphasizes circular causality rather than linear
cause-and-effect relationships.
Question 4. According to Wright and Leahey, which of the following represents the most
fundamental principle of family nursing?
A) The nurse should always defer to the identified patient's preferences
B) The family is the client, regardless of which member presents for care
C) Individual family members should be assessed separately from the family unit
D) Extended family members should be excluded from assessment
Answer: B
Rationale: The foundational principle of family nursing is that the family as a whole constitutes
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the client system, even when a single member presents for care. This systems perspective
recognizes that health and illness are family events.
Question 5. Which statement best reflects Wright and Leahey's definition of family?
A) A family consists of individuals related by blood, marriage, or adoption
B) A family is who they say they are, based on emotional ties and a sense of belonging
C) A family must include at least one parent and one child
D) A family is defined by legal guardianship arrangements
Answer: B
Rationale: Wright and Leahey define family as "who they say they are," moving beyond
traditional boundaries of blood, adoption, and marriage. The five critical attributes include: the
family is a system, members may or may not be related, may or may not contain children, have
commitment and attachment, and provide caregiving functions.
Question 6. In the CFAM, the structural assessment is further divided into which subcategories?
A) Nuclear, extended, and external structure
B) Internal, external, and context
C) Roles, rules, and alliances
D) Boundaries, subsystems, and hierarchy
Answer: B
Rationale: Wright & Leahey divide structural assessment into internal structure (family
composition, gender, sexual orientation, rank order, subsystems, boundaries), external structure
(extended family, larger systems), and context (ethnicity, race, social class, religion,
environment).
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Question 7. Which tool is most commonly used in CFAM to visually represent family structure
across generations?
A) Ecomap
B) Social network diagram
C) Genogram
D) Pie chart of family roles
Answer: C
Rationale: The genogram is the primary tool used in CFAM to visually represent family structure
across at least three generations, including biological and legal relationships, emotional
relationships, and significant family events.
Question 8. What is the primary focus of the Calgary Family Intervention Model (CFIM)?
A) Diagnosing individual pathology within the family
B) Promoting, improving, and sustaining family functioning
C) Prescribing pharmacological interventions for family members
D) Documenting family medical history
Answer: B
Rationale: The CFIM is a clinical practice model linked to family functioning that focuses on
promoting, improving, and sustaining effective family functioning in the cognitive, affective, and
behavioral domains.
Question 9. Which of the following is a key assumption of the Calgary Family Assessment
Model?
A) Families are static and unchanging
B) Family members are best assessed individually
C) The family is a system with interconnected parts
D) Illness affects only the identified patient
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WRIGHT & LEAHY'S NURSES AND FAMILIES EXAM WITH
VERIFIED ANSWERS DETAILED RATIONALES GRADED A+
Wright & Leahy's Nurses and Families
SECTION 1: FOUNDATIONS OF FAMILY NURSING (Questions 1–40)
Question 1. What are the three main branches of the Calgary Family Assessment Model
(CFAM)?
A) Biological, psychological, and social assessment
B) Individual, group, and community assessment
C) Structural, developmental, and functional assessment
D) Acute, chronic, and palliative assessment
Answer: C
Rationale: The CFAM is organized into three major categories: structural (who is in the family),
developmental (stages the family is going through), and functional (how the family behaves).
These three branches form the foundational framework for comprehensive family assessment in
nursing practice.
Question 2. Who developed the Calgary Family Assessment Model (CFAM)?
A) Virginia Henderson and Dorothea Orem
B) Betty Neuman and Jean Watson
1|Page
,Page 2 of 109
C) Lorraine Wright and Maureen Leahey
D) Florence Nightingale and Martha Rogers
Answer: C
Rationale: The CFAM was developed by Lorraine M. Wright and Maureen Leahey at the
University of Calgary. Their work revolutionized how nurses assess and interact with families as
a unit of care.
Question 3. Which theoretical framework forms the foundation of the Calgary Family
Assessment Model?
A) Structural-functionalism theory
B) General systems theory and cybernetics
C) Psychoanalytic theory
D) Social learning theory
Answer: B
Rationale: The Calgary Family Assessment Model is built upon general systems theory and
cybernetics, which view the family as an interactive system where changes in one member
affect the entire family unit. This framework emphasizes circular causality rather than linear
cause-and-effect relationships.
Question 4. According to Wright and Leahey, which of the following represents the most
fundamental principle of family nursing?
A) The nurse should always defer to the identified patient's preferences
B) The family is the client, regardless of which member presents for care
C) Individual family members should be assessed separately from the family unit
D) Extended family members should be excluded from assessment
Answer: B
Rationale: The foundational principle of family nursing is that the family as a whole constitutes
2|Page
,Page 3 of 109
the client system, even when a single member presents for care. This systems perspective
recognizes that health and illness are family events.
Question 5. Which statement best reflects Wright and Leahey's definition of family?
A) A family consists of individuals related by blood, marriage, or adoption
B) A family is who they say they are, based on emotional ties and a sense of belonging
C) A family must include at least one parent and one child
D) A family is defined by legal guardianship arrangements
Answer: B
Rationale: Wright and Leahey define family as "who they say they are," moving beyond
traditional boundaries of blood, adoption, and marriage. The five critical attributes include: the
family is a system, members may or may not be related, may or may not contain children, have
commitment and attachment, and provide caregiving functions.
Question 6. In the CFAM, the structural assessment is further divided into which subcategories?
A) Nuclear, extended, and external structure
B) Internal, external, and context
C) Roles, rules, and alliances
D) Boundaries, subsystems, and hierarchy
Answer: B
Rationale: Wright & Leahey divide structural assessment into internal structure (family
composition, gender, sexual orientation, rank order, subsystems, boundaries), external structure
(extended family, larger systems), and context (ethnicity, race, social class, religion,
environment).
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, Page 4 of 109
Question 7. Which tool is most commonly used in CFAM to visually represent family structure
across generations?
A) Ecomap
B) Social network diagram
C) Genogram
D) Pie chart of family roles
Answer: C
Rationale: The genogram is the primary tool used in CFAM to visually represent family structure
across at least three generations, including biological and legal relationships, emotional
relationships, and significant family events.
Question 8. What is the primary focus of the Calgary Family Intervention Model (CFIM)?
A) Diagnosing individual pathology within the family
B) Promoting, improving, and sustaining family functioning
C) Prescribing pharmacological interventions for family members
D) Documenting family medical history
Answer: B
Rationale: The CFIM is a clinical practice model linked to family functioning that focuses on
promoting, improving, and sustaining effective family functioning in the cognitive, affective, and
behavioral domains.
Question 9. Which of the following is a key assumption of the Calgary Family Assessment
Model?
A) Families are static and unchanging
B) Family members are best assessed individually
C) The family is a system with interconnected parts
D) Illness affects only the identified patient
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