RN Nursing · Psychiatric Assessment · Practice question
A nurse is caring for a client who is having trouble managing anger and is upset because they feel their personal property is being disrespected. Which of the following client statements should the nurse recognize as being the cause of the client's anger and frustration?
-
"My neighbor watches all the neighborhood traffic from their front window."
-
"My neighbor goes out to get the mail right after I go out to get mine."
-
"My neighbor has not been coming to the neighborhood block meetings."
-
✓
"My neighbor has been letting their dog come into my yard every day to dig holes, bury bones, and go to the bathroom."
Answer & explanation
Correct: "My neighbor has been letting their dog come into my yard every day to dig holes, bury bones, and go to the bathroom."
The stem specifies that the client is angry because their personal property is being disrespected. Only one of the four neighbor behaviors directly involves the client's property: the neighbor's dog entering the client's yard to dig holes, bury bones, and defecate. This is a concrete, tangible violation of the client's physical space and property, which provides a legitimate and understandable trigger for anger and frustration. Understanding the specific cause of a client's anger is essential before the nurse can help the client develop appropriate coping or communication strategies. The other options do not involve the client's property at all. A neighbor watching traffic from a window, going to the mailbox at the same time as the client, or not attending block meetings may be annoying or socially uncomfortable behaviors, but none of them constitute a direct disrespect of the client's personal property. Distinguishing between behaviors that actually infringe on one's rights or property versus behaviors that simply feel irritating is an important component of anger management therapy and helps the nurse guide the client toward realistic appraisal of interpersonal situations.
Practise Psychiatric Assessment questions
Work through full question sets with instant rationales, timed exams, and progress tracking.
Start practising freeRelated practice questions
- A nurse on a mental health unit is assessing a client. Which of the following findings should the nurse identify as a nonverbal cue of stress?
- While interviewing a client, the nurse takes notes to assist with accurate documentation later. Which statement is most accurate regarding note taking during an interview?
- The nurse is preparing the physical environment to interview a new client for admission to the mental health unit. Which environmental setting facilitates the best outcome of the interview?
- A nurse is performing a mental status examination for a client who has schizophrenia. The nurse should recognize that which of the following actions requires the client to think abstractly?