ATI LPN
Psychiatric Nursing: Contemporary Practice 6th Edition
Chapter 32 : Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders Questions
Question 1 of 5
A client is admitted to the mental health unit because she was found trying to inject diluted feces into her hospitalized child?s intravenous line. The client has a history of similar attempts of harming the child. The nurse would most likely suspect which of the following?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Munchausen?s syndrome by proxy (
B) involves fabricating or inducing illness in another, typically a child, for attention, matching the client?s behavior. Schizoid traits (
A), functional symptoms (
C), and borderline personality (
D) do not involve harming others for attention.
Question 2 of 5
While assessing a client thought to have a factitious disorder, the nurse asks the client to describe when she felt nurtured as a child. Which response would the nurse interpret as supporting the client?s diagnosis?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Feeling nurtured only when sick (
C) supports factitious disorder, as it suggests a pattern of seeking attention through illness. Lack of nurturing (
A), academic achievement (
B), or parental apologies (
D) are less specific to this disorder.
Question 3 of 5
A nursing instructor is describing complex somatic symptom disorder to a group of nursing students. The instructor determines that the teaching was successful when the students state which of the following?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: CSSD symptoms often first appear in adolescence (
B), aligning with its chronic nature. It is more common in women (
A), not strongly linked to substance abuse (
C), and not specific to highly educated individuals (
D).
Question 4 of 5
The husband of a client diagnosed with complex somatic symptom disorder asks the nurse, What causes this condition? Which response by the nurse would be most accurate?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: CSSD symptoms often reflect unexpressed emotions (
C), as psychological distress manifests physically. Genetic links (
A) are not definitive, chronic stress (
B) is too vague, and preoccupation with events (
D) is less accurate than emotional expression.
Question 5 of 5
A client with complex somatic symptom disorder is complaining of significant pain in the joints. When providing care to this client, which of the following would be most important for the nurse to keep in mind?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The client?s pain experience in CSSD is real (
B), requiring validation to build trust and support treatment. Opioids (
A) are not primary due to dependency risks, complementary therapies (
C) can be beneficial, and biologic outcomes (
D) are secondary to psychological focus.