ATI LPN
Test Bank for Psychiatric Nursing: Contemporary Practice
Chapter 9 : Communication and the Therapeutic Relationship Questions
Question 1 of 5
During an interview, a patient tells the nurse that he was recently let go from his job. As the interaction continues, the patient states, 'I was really overqualified for that position anyway. It was definitely below my area of expertise.' The nurse interprets this information as reflecting which of the following?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Intellectualization involves using rational explanations to avoid emotional distress. The patient?s statement minimizes the job loss by focusing on being overqualified, distancing from the emotional impact. Denial avoids the reality, projection attributes feelings to others, and passive aggression expresses hostility indirectly.
Question 2 of 5
The nurse is engaged in a therapeutic nurse-patient relationship. The relationship is in the working phase. With which of the following would the patient be involved? Select all that apply.
Correct Answer: B,D,E
Rationale: In the working phase of the nurse-patient relationship (per Peplau), the patient actively engages in problem-solving, discussing needs, and examining personal issues to achieve therapeutic goals. Identifying needs and testing the relationship occur in the orientation phase.
Question 3 of 5
A nurse is engaged in active listening. Which of the following would the nurse use? Select all that apply.
Correct Answer: C,D,E
Rationale: Active listening involves concentrating on the patient?s words, using open-ended statements to encourage elaboration, and allowing the patient to express themselves freely. Changing the subject or responding indirectly disrupts the flow and is nontherapeutic.
Question 4 of 5
A nurse has engaged in self-awareness and has come to understand his own personal beliefs and attitudes and has recognized some prejudicial ideas. Based on this understanding, which of the following would the nurse now be able to accomplish?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Self-awareness, including recognizing personal biases, allows the nurse to set aside prejudices and engage objectively with patients, fostering a therapeutic relationship. Influencing patients with biases is unethical, changing behaviors requires more than self-awareness, and formulating values and morals is a broader personal process not directly tied to patient care.
Question 5 of 5
When engaged in therapeutic communication in a therapeutic relationship with a patient with a mental health problem, which of the following would be most important for the nurse to keep in mind?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Therapeutic communication prioritizes the patient?s needs and perspective, making the patient the primary focus. Self-disclosure is used cautiously and only when beneficial, empathy is important but secondary to patient focus, and recording conversations is inappropriate without consent and not a primary concern.