C HAPTER 02: T HEORIES AND T HERAPIES
Varcarolis’ Foundations of Psychiatric -Mental Health Nursing: 8th Edition
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The parent of a child diagnosed with schizophrenia tearfull y asks the
nurse, What could I have done differently to prevent this illness? Select
the nurses best response.
a. Although schizophrenia results from impaired famil y re lationships,
try not to feel guilt y. No one can predict how a child will respond to
parental guidance.
b. Schizophrenia is a biological illness resulting from changes in how
the brain and nervous system function. You are not to blame for
your childs illness.
c. There is still hope. Changing your parenting st yle can help your
child learn to cope effectivel y with the environment.
d. Most mental illnesses result from genetic inheritance. Your genes
are more at fault than your parenting.
ANS: B
The parents comment sug gests feelings of guilt or inadequacy. The
nurses response should address these feelings as well as provide
information. Patients and families need reassurance that the major
mental disorders are biological in origin and are not the fault of
parents. One distracter places the burden of having fault y genes on the
shoulders of the parents. The other distracters are neither wholl y
accurate nor reassuring.
, PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Appl y (Application)
REF: 32 TOP: Nursing Process: Implementation
MSC: Client Needs: Psychosocial Integrity
2. A nurse influenced by Peplaus interpersonal theory works with an anxious,
withdrawn patient. Interventions should focus on:
a. rewarding desired behaviors.
b. use of assertive communication.
c. changing the patients self -concept.
d. administering medications to relieve anxiet y.
ANS: B
The nurse-patient relationship is structured to provide a model for
adaptive interpersonal relationships that can be generalized to others.
Helping the patient learn to use assertive communication wil l improve
the patients interpersonal relationships. The distracters appl y to
theories of cognitive, behavioral, and biological therapy.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Understand (Comprehension)
REF: 20 TOP: Nursing Process: Implementation
MSC: Client Needs: Psychosocial Integrity
3. A patient had psychotherapy weekl y for 5 months. The therapist used free
association, dream anal ysis, and facilitated transference to help the patient
understand conflicts and foster change. Select the term that applies to this
method.
a. Rational-emotive behavior therapy
b. Psychodynamic psychotherapy
c. Cognitive-behavioral therapy
, d. Operant conditioning
ANS: B
The techniques are aspects of psychodynamic psychotherapy. The
distracters use other techniques.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Understand (Comprehension)
REF: 19 TOP: Nursing Process: Assessment MSC:
Client Needs: Psychosocial Integrit y
4. Consider this comment from a therapist: The patient is homosexual but has
kept this preference secret. Severe anxiety and depression occu r when the
patient anticipates famil y reactions to this sexual orientation. Which
perspective is evident in the speaker?
a. Theory of interpersonal relationships
b. Classical conditioning theory
c. Psychosexual theory
d. Behaviorism theory
ANS: A
The theory of int erpersonal relationships recognizes the anxiety and
depression as resulting from unmet interpersonal securit y needs.
Behaviorism and classical conditioning theories do not appl y. A
ps ychosexual formulation would focus on uncovering unconscious
material that relates to the patient problem.
Varcarolis’ Foundations of Psychiatric -Mental Health Nursing: 8th Edition
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The parent of a child diagnosed with schizophrenia tearfull y asks the
nurse, What could I have done differently to prevent this illness? Select
the nurses best response.
a. Although schizophrenia results from impaired famil y re lationships,
try not to feel guilt y. No one can predict how a child will respond to
parental guidance.
b. Schizophrenia is a biological illness resulting from changes in how
the brain and nervous system function. You are not to blame for
your childs illness.
c. There is still hope. Changing your parenting st yle can help your
child learn to cope effectivel y with the environment.
d. Most mental illnesses result from genetic inheritance. Your genes
are more at fault than your parenting.
ANS: B
The parents comment sug gests feelings of guilt or inadequacy. The
nurses response should address these feelings as well as provide
information. Patients and families need reassurance that the major
mental disorders are biological in origin and are not the fault of
parents. One distracter places the burden of having fault y genes on the
shoulders of the parents. The other distracters are neither wholl y
accurate nor reassuring.
, PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Appl y (Application)
REF: 32 TOP: Nursing Process: Implementation
MSC: Client Needs: Psychosocial Integrity
2. A nurse influenced by Peplaus interpersonal theory works with an anxious,
withdrawn patient. Interventions should focus on:
a. rewarding desired behaviors.
b. use of assertive communication.
c. changing the patients self -concept.
d. administering medications to relieve anxiet y.
ANS: B
The nurse-patient relationship is structured to provide a model for
adaptive interpersonal relationships that can be generalized to others.
Helping the patient learn to use assertive communication wil l improve
the patients interpersonal relationships. The distracters appl y to
theories of cognitive, behavioral, and biological therapy.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Understand (Comprehension)
REF: 20 TOP: Nursing Process: Implementation
MSC: Client Needs: Psychosocial Integrity
3. A patient had psychotherapy weekl y for 5 months. The therapist used free
association, dream anal ysis, and facilitated transference to help the patient
understand conflicts and foster change. Select the term that applies to this
method.
a. Rational-emotive behavior therapy
b. Psychodynamic psychotherapy
c. Cognitive-behavioral therapy
, d. Operant conditioning
ANS: B
The techniques are aspects of psychodynamic psychotherapy. The
distracters use other techniques.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Understand (Comprehension)
REF: 19 TOP: Nursing Process: Assessment MSC:
Client Needs: Psychosocial Integrit y
4. Consider this comment from a therapist: The patient is homosexual but has
kept this preference secret. Severe anxiety and depression occu r when the
patient anticipates famil y reactions to this sexual orientation. Which
perspective is evident in the speaker?
a. Theory of interpersonal relationships
b. Classical conditioning theory
c. Psychosexual theory
d. Behaviorism theory
ANS: A
The theory of int erpersonal relationships recognizes the anxiety and
depression as resulting from unmet interpersonal securit y needs.
Behaviorism and classical conditioning theories do not appl y. A
ps ychosexual formulation would focus on uncovering unconscious
material that relates to the patient problem.
