ATI RN
Behavioral Health Nursing Care Plans Questions
Question 1 of 5
A patient tells the nurse, 'My doctor thinks my problems with stress relate to the negative way I think about things and suggested I learn new ways of thinking.' Which response by the nurse would support the recommendation?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Cognitive reframing focuses on recognizing and correcting maladaptive patterns of thinking that create stress or interfere with coping. Cognitive reframing involves recognizing the habit of thinking about a situation or issue in a fixed, irrational, and unquestioning manner. Helping the patient to recognize and reframe (reword) such thoughts so that they are realistic and accurate promotes coping and reduces stress. Thinking about being in calming circumstances is a form of guided imagery. Instruments that give feedback about bodily functions are used in biofeedback. Journaling is effective for helping to increase self-awareness. However, none of these last three interventions is likely to alter the patient's manner of thinking.
Question 2 of 5
A nurse manager had to terminate an employee. After the termination, the nurse manager had feelings of loss but then became supportive of the new manager by helping make the transition smooth and encouraging others. Which term best describes the nurse's response?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Altruism is the mechanism by which an individual deals with emotional conflict by meeting the needs of others and receiving gratification vicariously or from the responses of others. The nurse's reaction is conscious rather than unconscious. There is no evidence of suppression. Intellectualization is a process in which events are analyzed based on remote, cold facts and without passion, rather than incorporating feeling and emotion into the processing. Reaction formation is when unacceptable feelings or behaviors are controlled and kept out of awareness by developing the opposite behavior or emotion.
Question 3 of 5
The nurse assesses a patient who complains of loneliness and episodes of anxiety. Which statement by the patient is mostly likely if this patient also has agoraphobia?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Individuals who are agoraphobic generally acknowledge that the behavior is not constructive and that they do not really like it. The symptom is ego dystonic. However, patients will state they are unable to change the behavior. Agoraphobics are not optimistic about change. Most families are dissatisfied when family members refuse to leave the house.
Question 4 of 5
A child drowned while swimming in a local lake 2 years ago. Which behavior indicates the child's parents have adapted to their loss? The parents
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Resilience refers to positive adaptation or the ability to maintain or regain mental health despite adversity. Loss of a child is among the highest risk situations for an adjustment disorder and maladaptive grieving. The parents who throw flowers on the lake on each anniversary date of the accident are openly expressing their feelings. The other behaviors are maladaptive because of isolating themselves and/or denying their feelings. After 2 years, the frequency of visiting the grave should have decreased.
Question 5 of 5
A soldier returned home from active duty in a combat zone and was diagnosed with PTSD. The soldier says, "If there's a loud noise at night, I get under my bed because I think we're getting bombed." What type of experience has the soldier described?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Flashbacks are dissociative reactions in which an individual feels or acts as if the traumatic event were recurring. Illusions are misinterpretations of stimuli, and although the experience is similar, it is better termed a flashback because of the diagnosis of PTSD. Auditory hallucinations have no external stimuli. Nightmares commonly accompany PTSD, but this experience was stimulated by an actual environmental sound.