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Which finding indicates the successful completion of an individual’s grieving process?

18 months after the spouse’s death, a person says, "I never cry or have feelings of loss even though we were always very close."

After 15 months, a widowed person realistically remembers both the pleasures and disappointments of the relationship.

3 years after the death, a person talks about their spouse as if the spouse was still alive and weeps when others mention their spouse’s name.

For 2 years, a person has kept the deceased spouse’s belongings in their usual places.

Answer and Explanation

The Correct Answer is B

Choice A reason: Absence of grief feelings after 18 months may indicate denial, not resolution, as grief involves amygdala-driven emotional processing. Suppressing loss via prefrontal cortex inhibition suggests unresolved cortisol and serotonin dysregulation, not successful grieving.

Choice B reason: Realistic recall of both positive and negative aspects after 15 months reflects grief resolution, with balanced amygdala-prefrontal cortex processing. This indicates serotonin-mediated emotional integration, allowing acceptance without excessive cortisol-driven distress, marking successful grieving.

Choice C reason: Talking as if the spouse is alive after 3 years suggests prolonged grief, with persistent amygdala-driven emotional distress and cortisol elevation. This indicates unresolved neural dysregulation, not successful grieving, as acceptance is not achieved.

Choice D reason: Keeping belongings unchanged for 2 years suggests prolonged grief, reflecting amygdala-driven attachment and cortisol surges. This indicates unresolved emotional processing, not successful grieving, as serotonin-mediated acceptance and neural integration are incomplete.

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Correct Answer is B

Explanation

Choice A reason: Offering reassurance does not assess coping skills. Divorce triggers amygdala-driven stress responses and cortisol release, but this response fails to explore the patient’s prior adaptive strategies, missing the chance to evaluate prefrontal cortex-mediated coping mechanisms.

Choice B reason: Asking about past coping strategies assesses the patient’s ability to manage stress, reflecting prefrontal cortex and serotonin-mediated resilience. This explores adaptive behaviors, identifying strengths or deficits in handling amygdala-driven anxiety, making it the most effective question for assessment.

Choice C reason: Asking what the patient wants focuses on immediate needs, not past coping skills. Stress from divorce involves HPA axis activation, but this question does not evaluate historical coping mechanisms, limiting insight into the patient’s neural adaptive capacity.

Choice D reason: Suggesting deservedness is judgmental and non-therapeutic, potentially increasing amygdala-driven guilt. It does not assess coping skills or explore prefrontal cortex-mediated strategies for handling stress, making it irrelevant to understanding the patient’s coping abilities.

A. A health care provider who worked a 12-hour shift in a busy level 1 trauma center. B. Nurse who works at an oncology clinic where patients receive chemotherapy. C. A home health nurse making visits to seriously mentally ill patients being cared for at home. D. Emergency medical technician who treated victims of a car bombing in a downtown area.

Correct Answer is D

Explanation

Choice A reason: A 12-hour shift in a trauma center is stressful but not a critical incident requiring debriefing. Chronic stress may elevate cortisol, but critical incident stress debriefing targets acute trauma exposure, not routine workplace demands.

Choice B reason: Oncology nursing involves chronic emotional stress, not an acute critical incident. Chemotherapy care may cause burnout via sustained cortisol elevation, but debriefing is for sudden, traumatic events, not ongoing patient care challenges.

Choice C reason: Home health nursing for mental illness involves ongoing stress, not a single traumatic event. Chronic exposure may dysregulate serotonin and cortisol, but critical incident stress debriefing is reserved for acute, overwhelming trauma, not routine care.

Choice D reason: Treating car bombing victims is a critical incident, causing acute stress via amygdala-driven fear and cortisol surges. Debriefing mitigates PTSD risk by processing trauma, restoring prefrontal cortex regulation, and reducing long-term neurochemical imbalances, making this the appropriate choice.

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Which finding indicates the successful completion of an individual’s grieving process?

Nursing Test Bank

Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams

During the initial interview at the crisis center, a patient says, "I’ve been served with divorce papers. I’m so upset and anxious that I can't think clearly." What could the nurse say to assess personal coping skills?

Correct Answer is B

Explanation

Which health care worker should be referred to critical incident stress debriefing?

Correct Answer is D

Explanation

A nurse is preparing to administer acetaminophen 320 mg PO every four hours as needed for pain. The amount available from the pharmacy is acetaminophen liquid 160 mg/5 mL. How many mL should the nurse administer per dose? (Round to the nearest whole number.)

A nurse is reviewing the medical record of a client diagnosed with depression and notes that the client has been prescribed bupropion (Wellbutrin). The client asks, "What kind of medication is this anyway?" The nurse would inform the client this agent is a:

Which finding indicates the successful completion of an individual’s grieving process?

A nurse is preparing to administer methylprednisolone 10 mg IV bolus. The amount available from the pharmacy is 40 mg/mL. How many mL should the nurse administer? (Round to the nearest tenth.)

A patient diagnosed with major depressive disorder tells the nurse, "Bad things that happen are always my fault." To support the patient to reframe this overgeneralization, the nurse's best response is:

A client tells the nurse that he has bugs in his brain and asks the nurse if the nurse can see them. Which response by the nurse is most therapeutic?

A hospitalized client diagnosed with schizophrenia is receiving antipsychotic medications. While assessing the client, a nurse identifies signs and symptoms of a dystonic reaction. Which medication would the nurse expect to administer?

A client is suspected to have dissociative identity disorder. Which characteristic does the nurse identify that the disturbed personal identity is most likely related to?