WRIGHT & LEAHEY’S NURSES AND FAMILIES
7TH EDITION – FAMILY ASSESSMENT &
INTERVENTION STUDY GUIDE WITH
PRACTICE QUESTIONS, ANSWERS &
CLINICAL RATIONALES (2026–2027 NURSING
PREP)
• This study guide contains practice questions drawn directly from Wright &
Leahey's Nurses and Families 7th Edition, covering all core frameworks, models,
and clinical application concepts tested in nursing exams.
• Use this material by reading each question carefully, selecting your answer before
checking the highlighted correct option and EXPERT RATIONALE below it — ideal
for self-testing, group study, and clinical reasoning development.
WRIGHT & LEAHEY'S NURSES AND FAMILIES 7TH EDITION FAMILY ASSESSMENT
& INTERVENTION STUDY GUIDE PRACTICE QUESTIONS, ANSWERS & CLINICAL
EXPERT RATIONALE (2026–2027)
UNIT 1: FOUNDATIONS OF FAMILY NURSING
1. What is the primary focus of the Calgary Family Assessment Model (CFAM)?
A. Individual patient pathophysiology
B. Community health epidemiology
C. Pharmacological management of family illness
D. Assessment of acute care settings
E. Nursing administration and policy
CORRECT ANSWER: B — Wait — Correct Answer Below
CORRECT ANSWER: None of the above — Structural, developmental, and
functional assessment of families
,(Restarting question 1 cleanly below for full formatting consistency)
1. What are the three main branches of the Calgary Family Assessment Model
(CFAM)?
A. Biological, psychological, and social assessment
B. Individual, group, and community assessment
C. Structural, developmental, and functional assessment
D. Acute, chronic, and palliative assessment
E. Physical, emotional, and spiritual assessment
CORRECT ANSWER: C. Structural, developmental, and functional
assessment
EXPERT RATIONALE: The CFAM is organized into three major categories: structural
(who is in the family), developmental (stages the family is going through), and
functional (how the family behaves). These three branches form the foundational
framework for comprehensive family assessment in nursing practice as described
by Wright & Leahey.
2. Who developed the Calgary Family Assessment Model (CFAM)?
A. Virginia Henderson and Dorothea Orem
B. Betty Neuman and Jean Watson
C. Lorraine Wright and Maureen Leahey
D. Florence Nightingale and Martha Rogers
E. Patricia Benner and Hildegard Peplau
CORRECT ANSWER: C. Lorraine Wright and Maureen Leahey
,EXPERT RATIONALE: The CFAM was developed by Lorraine M. Wright and Maureen
Leahey at the University of Calgary. Their work revolutionized how nurses assess
and interact with families as a unit of care, forming the basis of this textbook now in
its 7th edition.
3. In the CFAM, the structural assessment is further divided into which
subcategories?
A. Nuclear, extended, and external structure
B. Internal, external, and context
C. Roles, rules, and alliances
D. Boundaries, subsystems, and hierarchy
E. Enmeshment, disengagement, and flexibility
CORRECT ANSWER: B. Internal, external, and context
EXPERT RATIONALE: Wright & Leahey divide structural assessment into internal
structure (family composition, gender, sexual orientation, rank order, subsystems,
boundaries), external structure (extended family, larger systems), and context
(ethnicity, race, social class, religion, environment). Together these give a full
structural picture of the family.
4. Which tool is most commonly used in CFAM to visually represent family
structure across generations?
A. Ecomap
B. Social network diagram
C. Pie chart of family roles
D. Genogram
E. Family life chronology
CORRECT ANSWER: D. Genogram
, EXPERT RATIONALE: A genogram is a diagrammatic representation of a family's
structure, relationships, and history across at least three generations. It is a core
tool in the CFAM structural assessment and helps nurses quickly identify patterns
of illness, relationship dynamics, and family composition.
5. What does an ecomap primarily illustrate in family nursing assessment?
A. The generational history of genetic diseases
B. The family's internal hierarchy and subsystems
C. The family's connections and relationships with external systems and community
D. The developmental stage of each family member
E. The distribution of caregiving roles within the family
CORRECT ANSWER: C. The family's connections and relationships with
external systems and community
EXPERT RATIONALE: An ecomap visually represents the family's relationships with
external systems such as schools, churches, healthcare providers, employers, and
social services. It highlights the quality of those connections (strong, weak,
stressful), providing nurses with insight into the family's available resources and
stressors.
6. Which of the following best defines "family" according to Wright & Leahey's
framework?
A. A legally married couple with biological children
B. Individuals sharing the same household
C. A group of individuals sharing blood or legal ties
D. Who the family says they are
E. Two or more adults in a committed relationship
CORRECT ANSWER: D. Who the family says they are
7TH EDITION – FAMILY ASSESSMENT &
INTERVENTION STUDY GUIDE WITH
PRACTICE QUESTIONS, ANSWERS &
CLINICAL RATIONALES (2026–2027 NURSING
PREP)
• This study guide contains practice questions drawn directly from Wright &
Leahey's Nurses and Families 7th Edition, covering all core frameworks, models,
and clinical application concepts tested in nursing exams.
• Use this material by reading each question carefully, selecting your answer before
checking the highlighted correct option and EXPERT RATIONALE below it — ideal
for self-testing, group study, and clinical reasoning development.
WRIGHT & LEAHEY'S NURSES AND FAMILIES 7TH EDITION FAMILY ASSESSMENT
& INTERVENTION STUDY GUIDE PRACTICE QUESTIONS, ANSWERS & CLINICAL
EXPERT RATIONALE (2026–2027)
UNIT 1: FOUNDATIONS OF FAMILY NURSING
1. What is the primary focus of the Calgary Family Assessment Model (CFAM)?
A. Individual patient pathophysiology
B. Community health epidemiology
C. Pharmacological management of family illness
D. Assessment of acute care settings
E. Nursing administration and policy
CORRECT ANSWER: B — Wait — Correct Answer Below
CORRECT ANSWER: None of the above — Structural, developmental, and
functional assessment of families
,(Restarting question 1 cleanly below for full formatting consistency)
1. What are the three main branches of the Calgary Family Assessment Model
(CFAM)?
A. Biological, psychological, and social assessment
B. Individual, group, and community assessment
C. Structural, developmental, and functional assessment
D. Acute, chronic, and palliative assessment
E. Physical, emotional, and spiritual assessment
CORRECT ANSWER: C. Structural, developmental, and functional
assessment
EXPERT RATIONALE: The CFAM is organized into three major categories: structural
(who is in the family), developmental (stages the family is going through), and
functional (how the family behaves). These three branches form the foundational
framework for comprehensive family assessment in nursing practice as described
by Wright & Leahey.
2. Who developed the Calgary Family Assessment Model (CFAM)?
A. Virginia Henderson and Dorothea Orem
B. Betty Neuman and Jean Watson
C. Lorraine Wright and Maureen Leahey
D. Florence Nightingale and Martha Rogers
E. Patricia Benner and Hildegard Peplau
CORRECT ANSWER: C. Lorraine Wright and Maureen Leahey
,EXPERT RATIONALE: The CFAM was developed by Lorraine M. Wright and Maureen
Leahey at the University of Calgary. Their work revolutionized how nurses assess
and interact with families as a unit of care, forming the basis of this textbook now in
its 7th edition.
3. In the CFAM, the structural assessment is further divided into which
subcategories?
A. Nuclear, extended, and external structure
B. Internal, external, and context
C. Roles, rules, and alliances
D. Boundaries, subsystems, and hierarchy
E. Enmeshment, disengagement, and flexibility
CORRECT ANSWER: B. Internal, external, and context
EXPERT RATIONALE: Wright & Leahey divide structural assessment into internal
structure (family composition, gender, sexual orientation, rank order, subsystems,
boundaries), external structure (extended family, larger systems), and context
(ethnicity, race, social class, religion, environment). Together these give a full
structural picture of the family.
4. Which tool is most commonly used in CFAM to visually represent family
structure across generations?
A. Ecomap
B. Social network diagram
C. Pie chart of family roles
D. Genogram
E. Family life chronology
CORRECT ANSWER: D. Genogram
, EXPERT RATIONALE: A genogram is a diagrammatic representation of a family's
structure, relationships, and history across at least three generations. It is a core
tool in the CFAM structural assessment and helps nurses quickly identify patterns
of illness, relationship dynamics, and family composition.
5. What does an ecomap primarily illustrate in family nursing assessment?
A. The generational history of genetic diseases
B. The family's internal hierarchy and subsystems
C. The family's connections and relationships with external systems and community
D. The developmental stage of each family member
E. The distribution of caregiving roles within the family
CORRECT ANSWER: C. The family's connections and relationships with
external systems and community
EXPERT RATIONALE: An ecomap visually represents the family's relationships with
external systems such as schools, churches, healthcare providers, employers, and
social services. It highlights the quality of those connections (strong, weak,
stressful), providing nurses with insight into the family's available resources and
stressors.
6. Which of the following best defines "family" according to Wright & Leahey's
framework?
A. A legally married couple with biological children
B. Individuals sharing the same household
C. A group of individuals sharing blood or legal ties
D. Who the family says they are
E. Two or more adults in a committed relationship
CORRECT ANSWER: D. Who the family says they are
