In caring for the patient’s spiritual needs, the nurse asks 20 questions to assess the patient’s relationship with God and a sense of life purpose and satisfaction. Which method is the nurse using?

Choice A reason: Maturational loss occurs with normal developmental transitions, like aging or menopause. Amputation from military injuries is an unexpected event, not a developmental milestone. This type does not apply to the veteran’s sudden, trauma-related loss, making it incorrect for the care plan focus.

Choice B reason: Situational loss results from unpredictable events, like amputation due to military injuries. This loss impacts the veteran’s mobility, identity, and lifestyle, requiring targeted interventions for grief, adaptation, and rehabilitation. The nurse’s care plan should focus on addressing this situational loss to support emotional and physical recovery.

Choice C reason: Perceived loss is subjective, like loss of self-esteem, but amputation is a tangible, objective loss of limbs. While emotional impacts exist, the primary loss is physical and situational. This type is less specific to the veteran’s experience, making it an incorrect focus for the care plan.

Choice D reason: Uncomplicated loss refers to normal grief without complications, not a specific type of loss. Amputation is a complex situational loss with physical and psychological impacts. This term does not capture the nature of the veteran’s experience, making it inappropriate for the care plan focus.

Choice A reason: Depression in Kübler-Ross’s stages involves sadness and withdrawal due to loss. Marital discord suggests conflict, not introspective grief. The patient’s relational tension with her terminally ill spouse aligns with anger, not depression, which would manifest as despair or hopelessness rather than active discord.

Choice B reason: Denial involves refusing to accept the reality of death, often early in the dying process. Marital discord indicates engagement with the situation, not avoidance. The patient’s conflict suggests emotional reaction, aligning with anger, not denial, making this an incorrect stage for her behavior.

Choice C reason: Bargaining involves seeking to delay death through promises or deals, often privately. Marital discord reflects externalized emotion, not negotiation. The patient’s conflict with her spouse points to anger, not bargaining, which is less likely to manifest as relational tension, making this incorrect.

Choice D reason: Anger, per Kübler-Ross, involves frustration and resentment, often directed at loved ones, as the patient grapples with mortality. New marital discord with her terminally ill spouse suggests the patient is expressing anger, a common reaction to the unfairness of death, making this the correct stage.