NUR 398 ANXIETY EXAM QUESTIONS ANSWERED CORRECTLY LATEST UPDATE 2026

NUR 398 ANXIETY EXAM QUESTIONS ANSWERED CORRECTLY LATEST UPDATE 2026 A client is scheduled for head and neck surgery. Although the healthcare provider has explained the surgery, the client still has moderate to severe anxiety. Which action should the nurse take initially? 1 Attempt to discover what the client is concerned about. 2 Elaborate on what the healthcare provider has already said. 3 Teach the client to use the suction equipment preoperatively. 4 Plan for postoperative communication because a tracheostomy is likely. - Answers 1 Various aspects of hospitalization and diagnosis may cause the client to become anxious. The nurse should identify what concerns the client the most. Anxiety interferes with learning, and it is the healthcare provider's responsibility to explain the surgery. Teaching the client to use the suction equipment preoperatively may cause the client unnecessary anxiety. A tracheostomy may not be performed; it depends on the type of surgery. During a group therapy session one of the clients asks a client with the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder why the client is in the hospital. What response might the nurse expect from a client with this disorder? 1 "I need a lot of help with my troubles." 2 "Society makes people follow rules that don't apply to me." 3 "This might help me straighten out my life." 4 "I decided that it's time that I own up to my problems." - Answers 2 The client is incapable of accepting responsibility for self-created problems and blames society for the behavior. An admission that the client needs a lot of help, that the therapy may help the client straighten out, or that it's time for the client to own up to problems demonstrates insight, and these individuals rarely develop insight into their problems.Test-Taking Tip: If the question asks for an immediate action or response, all of the answers may be correct, so base your selection on identified priorities for action. A client with rheumatoid arthritis asks the nurse why it is necessary to inject hydrocortisone into the knee joint. What reason should the nurse include in a response to this question? 1 Lubricate the joint 2 Reduce inflammation 3 Provide physiotherapy 4 Prevent ankylosis of the joint - Answers 2 Steroids have an antiinflammatory effect that can reduce arthritic pannus formation. Lubricating the joint does not provide lubrication. Injection of a drug into a joint is not physiotherapy. Ankylosis refers to fusion of joints. It is only indirectly influenced by steroids, which exert their major effect on the inflammatory process.Test-Taking Tip: Many times the correct answer is the longest alternative given, but do not count on it. Item writers (those who write the questions) are also aware of this and attempt to avoid offering you such "helpful hints." An 18-year-old adolescent who was diagnosed with new-onset type 1 diabetes mellitus has stress and reports not having a menstrual cycle for a long time. Which condition is the adolescent experiencing? 1 Amenorrhea 2 Primary amenorrhea 3 Female athlete triad 4 Hypogonadotropic amenorrhea - Answers 4 Hypogonadotropic amenorrhea may occur in type 1 diabetic adolescents experiencing stress. This condition can also result from sudden and severe weight loss, eating disorders, strenuous exercise, and mental illness. A client who uses a complex ritual says to the nurse, "I feel so guilty. None of this makes any sense. Everyone must really think I'm crazy." What is the most therapeutic response by the nurse? 1 "Your behavior is bizarre, but it serves a useful purpose." 2 "You're concerned about what other people are thinking about you." 3 "I am sure people understand that you can't help this behavior right now." 4 "Guilt serves no useful purpose. It just helps you stay stuck where you are." - Answers 2 Paraphrasing encourages further ventilation of feelings and concerns by the client. Telling the client that the behavior is bizarre but that it serves a useful purpose is a negative response that may increase the client's fears about being "crazy." Saying "I'm sure people understand that you can't help this behavior right now" provides false reassurance and implies that the client is out of control, which may increase the fears. Telling the client that guilt serves no useful purpose and just helps the client stay stuck denies the client's feelings. A child is admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit after an accident at school. The mother, at the child's bedside, is visibly upset. What is the most therapeutic statement the nurse can make? 1 "You must be full of emotions right now." 2 "Let me give you a referral for social services." 3 "Your child will get excellent care at this hospital." 4 "It's a shame that your child has become ill so suddenly." - Answers 1 Noting that the mother must be racked with emotion reflects the mother's feelings. Offering a referral does not address the mother's feelings. Although assuring the mother that the child will receive excellent care, this statement gives false hope for recovery. "It's a shame that your child has become ill so suddenly" does not address the mother's feelings. A client exhibits blurred and double vision and muscular weakness, and diagnostic tests are prescribed. The client is informed that a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) has been made. The client becomes visibly upset. How should the nurse respond? 1 "That must have really shocked you. Tell me what the healthcare provider told you about it." 2 "You should see a psychiatrist who will help you cope with this overwhelming news." 3 "Don't worry; early treatment often alleviates symptoms of the disease." 4 "You should be glad that we caught it early so it can be cured." - Answers 1 The response "That must have really shocked you. Tell me what the healthcare provider told you about it" acknowledges the effect of the diagnosis on the client and explores what is known. There is no evidence of ineffective coping, so a referral to a psychiatrist is not necessary. The statement "Don't worry; early treatment often alleviates symptoms of the disease" provides false reassurance. The statement "You should be glad we caught it early so it can be cured" does not address the client's current emotional state, and it is inaccurate; MS is a chronic autoimmune disease. What characteristic of anxiety is associated with a diagnosis of conversion disorder? 1 Free-floating 2 Relieved by the symptom 3 Consciously felt by the client 4 Projected onto the environment - Answers 2 The client's anxiety results from being unable to choose psychologically between two conflicting actions. The conversion to a physical disability removes the choice and therefore eases the anxiety. The anxiety is not free floating or diffuse but rather localized and converted to a physical disability. The conversion of the anxiety to a physical disability occurs on an unconscious level; the original anxiety no longer exists, and the client generally is not anxious about the physical disability. The anxiety is internalized into a physical symptom, not projected onto the environment. Which drug worsens uncontrolled angle-closure glaucoma when used for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder? 1 Buspirone 2 Duloxetine 3 Chlorpromazine 4 Lithium carbonate - Answers 2 Duloxetine is an antidepressant drug used in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. A contraindication is that it can worsen uncontrolled angle-closure glaucoma. Lithium carbonate is used to treat manic episodes but is contraindicated in clients with renal disease. Buspirone is an antidepressant drug contraindicated in clients with known allergic reactions to this drug. Chlorpromazine is an antipsychotic drug contraindicated in clients with blood dyscrasias.Test-Taking Tip: Read the question carefully before looking at the answers: (1) Determine what the question is really asking; look for key words; (2) Read each answer thoroughly and see if it completely covers the material asked by the question; (3) Narrow the choices by immediately eliminating answers you know are incorrect. An Asian client arrives at the mental health clinic with symptoms of anxiety and panic. While speaking with the client, the nurse notes that the client makes very little eye contact. What does this assessment data suggest? 1 Shyness 2 Cultural variation 3 Symptom of depression 4 Shame regarding treatment - Answers 2 As a show of respect, people in Asian cultures tend to make little eye contact, particularly with people perceived as authority figures. A lack of eye contact may connote shyness in some clients, but further assessment is needed. A lack of eye contact may suggest a depressed mood; however, there is no indication of depression in this client. A lack of eye contact may indicate shame or low self-esteem in the American culture; however, it is important not to make this same interpretation of behavior for someone from another culture. A client with the diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder who has a need to wash his hands 50 to 60 times a day tearfully tells the nurse, "I know that my hands aren't dirty, but I just can't stop washing them." What is the best response by the nurse? 1 "Let's talk about why you feel that you have to wash your hands." 2 "I think you're getting better; you're beginning to understand your problem." 3 "Don't worry about it; these actions are part of your illness, and the feelings will pass." 4 "I understand that—maybe we can work together to limit the number of times you wash them." - Answers 4 Correct4 "I understand that—maybe we can work together to limit the number of times you wash them." The nurse shows an understanding of the client's needs by not totally restricting the handwashing and by working with the client to set limits on the behavior. At this time the client is still too anxious to be capable of coping with the reasons for handwashing. Continued handwashing does not reveal an understanding of the underlying problem, nor is it a sign of progress. Telling the client not to worry denies the client's feelings and may close off communication.Test-Taking Tip: Multiple-choice questions can be challenging, because students think that they will recognize the right answer when they see it or that the right answer will somehow stand out from the other choices. This is a dangerous misconception. The more carefully the question is constructed, the more each of the choices will seem like the correct response. How should a nurse respond to parents who are concerned about separation anxiety in their 15-month-old toddler? 1 "This is an expected developmental reaction." 2 "You may be spending too much time with your child." 3 "It might be helpful to leave your child with someone once in a while." 4 "Toddlers who have separation anxiety may have difficulty when they start school." - Answers 1 Understanding that separation anxiety is an expected developmental occurrence will be reassuring to the parents. Commenting that the parents may be spending too much time with their child is a value judgment and does not address this expected stage of development. Giving advice is not therapeutic and does not address the child's separation anxiety. There is no connection between separation anxiety in a 15-month-old child and difficulty starting school. A nurse is caring for a client who is experiencing a crisis. Which nervous system is primarily responsible for the clinical manifestations that the nurse is likely to identify? 1 Central nervous system 2 Peripheral nervous system 3 Sympathetic nervous system 4 Parasympathetic nervous system - Answers 3