The nurse has been working with a patient who experiences ...

[abarnes]

The nurse has been working with a patient who experiences anxiety. Which intervention should the nurse implement initially when the patient is observed pacing and wring her hands?
 
  a. Asking how she has managed anxiety effectively in the past
  b. Distracting her by offering to help her make a telephone call
  c. Asking her what she believes is causing her increased anxiety
  d. Teaching her to take deep, relaxing breaths to manage the anxiety

Question 2

The patient was an awkward child who was ridiculed by his father for his inability to catch a ball.
 
  As an adult, the patient developed panic attacks at the time his company established af-ter-work team sporting activities. Which data discussed during the nursing interview pro-vides insight to the possible cause of this anxiety disorder when applying the behavioral model?
  a. He always avoids sports because I'm short and not the least bit athletic.
  b. When in fifth grade, the patient caused his team to lose the big softball game.
  c. The company he works for places tremendous emphasis of successful team work.
  d. As a child he wore a leg brace that prevented him from participating in school sports.

[Joy Chen]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: A
First help the patient to build on the coping methods that the patient used to manage anxiety in the past. Coping methods that were previously successful will generally be effective in subsequent situations. Distraction is not usually successful initially. Assessing for the cause of the anxiety will not, in this situation, be helpful in managing it; often times patients are not aware of the cause. Teaching will not be effective while the patient is experiencing anxiety but should be done when the patient is relaxed and able to focus.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: A
In behavioral models that are based on learning theory, the etiology of anxiety symptoms is a generalization from an earlier traumatic experience to a benign setting or object. As a result, he associates embarrassment and shame with sports events and develops panic attacks. The same kinds of cognitive operations that link embarrassment with sporting events link the cog-nition of the expectation of embarrassment with the idea of a sporting event, and the indi-vidual begins to experience panic attacks while merely thinking about being involved. The remaining options are not as likely to bring about the embarrassment and shame that would produce such a response.

[abarnes]

Correct answers!

[Joy Chen]

Great! Please up vote