A 15-year-old is hospitalized after a suicide attempt. This ...

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A 15-year-old is hospitalized after a suicide attempt. This adolescent lives with the mother, stepfather, and several siblings. When performing a family assessment, the nurse must first determine:
 
  a. how the family expresses and manages emotion.
  b. names and relationships of the family's members.
  c. the communication patterns between the patient and parents.
  d. the meaning that the patient's suicide attempt has for family members.

Question 2

Which information is the nurse most likely to find when assessing the family of a patient with a serious mental illness?
 
  a. The family exhibits many characteristics of dysfunctional families.
  b. Several family members have serious problems with their physical health.
  c. Power in the family is maintained in the parental dyad and rarely delegated.
  d. Stress from living with a mentally ill member has challenged the family's function.

[SeanoH09]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: B
The identity of the members of the family is the most fundamental information and should be obtained first. Without this, the nurse cannot fully process the other responses.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: D
The information almost universally obtained is that the family is under stress associated with having a mentally ill member. This stress lowers the family's level of functioning in at least one significant way. Stress does not necessarily mean the family has become dysfunctional.

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TYSM

[bdobbins]

Gracias!