NR 326 Mental Health Nursing Exam 1 Study Guide 2026
|Chamberlain College
1. A nurse is communicating with a client who is highly anxious. Which of the
following is an example of a therapeutic communication technique?
A. Asking why the client is feeling so nervous today.
B. Providing personal advice on how to handle anxiety.
C. Using silence to allow the client to collect their thoughts.
D. Changing the subject to something more positive.
Answer: C
Rationale: Silence is a therapeutic technique that gives the client time to process
information and formulate a response. ‘Why’ questions can be perceived as accusatory, and
giving advice or changing the subject is non-therapeutic.
2. Which phase of the nurse-client relationship involves establishing boundaries
and defining the goals of treatment?
A. Working phase
B. Pre-interaction phase
C. Termination phase
D. Orientation phase
Answer: D
Rationale: The orientation phase is where the nurse and client meet, build rapport,
establish boundaries, and identify the client’s needs and goals.
,3. A client is admitted involuntarily to a psychiatric unit. Which right does this
client still retain despite the involuntary status?
A. The right to leave the facility against medical advice.
B. The right to carry personal weapons for self-defense.
C. The right to be free from all clinical observation.
D. The right to refuse psychotropic medications.
Answer: D
Rationale: Involuntarily admitted clients retain the right to refuse treatment, including
medication, unless they are an immediate danger to themselves or others or if a court has
ruled them incompetent.
4. A nurse is assessing a client’s mental status. Which assessment finding
represents a ‘flat affect’?
A. The client expresses intense joy followed by deep sadness.
B. The client’s facial expression shows no emotional response.
C. The client laughs while discussing the death of a parent.
D. The client is crying uncontrollably throughout the interview.
Answer: B
Rationale: A flat affect refers to a lack of emotional expression or response, where the
facial expression remains blank or unchanged regardless of the topic.
5. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which of the following needs must
be addressed first in a psychiatric setting?
A. Physiological safety and stability
B. Self-esteem
C. Love and belonging
D. Self-actualization
Answer: A
, Rationale: Maslow’s hierarchy dictates that basic physiological needs (food, water, sleep)
and safety/security must be met before higher-level needs like esteem or self-actualization
can be addressed.
6. Which ethical principle is the nurse practicing when they ensure that all
clients on the unit receive the same level of care regardless of their
background?
A. Autonomy
B. Beneficence
C. Fidelity
D. Justice
Answer: D
Rationale: Justice refers to the principle of fairness and providing equal treatment to all
individuals.
7. A client becomes angry and yells, ‘I’m going to kill my neighbor when I get out
of here!’ What is the nurse’s legal obligation?
A. Maintain confidentiality since it was said in a private session.
B. Notify the healthcare provider and potentially the neighbor (Duty to Warn).
C. Document it in the chart but take no further action.
D. Ignore it as the client is currently in a safe environment.
Answer: B
Rationale: The ‘Duty to Warn’ (Tarasoff ruling) requires healthcare professionals to
breach confidentiality if a client makes a specific threat against an identifiable third party.
|Chamberlain College
1. A nurse is communicating with a client who is highly anxious. Which of the
following is an example of a therapeutic communication technique?
A. Asking why the client is feeling so nervous today.
B. Providing personal advice on how to handle anxiety.
C. Using silence to allow the client to collect their thoughts.
D. Changing the subject to something more positive.
Answer: C
Rationale: Silence is a therapeutic technique that gives the client time to process
information and formulate a response. ‘Why’ questions can be perceived as accusatory, and
giving advice or changing the subject is non-therapeutic.
2. Which phase of the nurse-client relationship involves establishing boundaries
and defining the goals of treatment?
A. Working phase
B. Pre-interaction phase
C. Termination phase
D. Orientation phase
Answer: D
Rationale: The orientation phase is where the nurse and client meet, build rapport,
establish boundaries, and identify the client’s needs and goals.
,3. A client is admitted involuntarily to a psychiatric unit. Which right does this
client still retain despite the involuntary status?
A. The right to leave the facility against medical advice.
B. The right to carry personal weapons for self-defense.
C. The right to be free from all clinical observation.
D. The right to refuse psychotropic medications.
Answer: D
Rationale: Involuntarily admitted clients retain the right to refuse treatment, including
medication, unless they are an immediate danger to themselves or others or if a court has
ruled them incompetent.
4. A nurse is assessing a client’s mental status. Which assessment finding
represents a ‘flat affect’?
A. The client expresses intense joy followed by deep sadness.
B. The client’s facial expression shows no emotional response.
C. The client laughs while discussing the death of a parent.
D. The client is crying uncontrollably throughout the interview.
Answer: B
Rationale: A flat affect refers to a lack of emotional expression or response, where the
facial expression remains blank or unchanged regardless of the topic.
5. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which of the following needs must
be addressed first in a psychiatric setting?
A. Physiological safety and stability
B. Self-esteem
C. Love and belonging
D. Self-actualization
Answer: A
, Rationale: Maslow’s hierarchy dictates that basic physiological needs (food, water, sleep)
and safety/security must be met before higher-level needs like esteem or self-actualization
can be addressed.
6. Which ethical principle is the nurse practicing when they ensure that all
clients on the unit receive the same level of care regardless of their
background?
A. Autonomy
B. Beneficence
C. Fidelity
D. Justice
Answer: D
Rationale: Justice refers to the principle of fairness and providing equal treatment to all
individuals.
7. A client becomes angry and yells, ‘I’m going to kill my neighbor when I get out
of here!’ What is the nurse’s legal obligation?
A. Maintain confidentiality since it was said in a private session.
B. Notify the healthcare provider and potentially the neighbor (Duty to Warn).
C. Document it in the chart but take no further action.
D. Ignore it as the client is currently in a safe environment.
Answer: B
Rationale: The ‘Duty to Warn’ (Tarasoff ruling) requires healthcare professionals to
breach confidentiality if a client makes a specific threat against an identifiable third party.
