Author Question: A nurse is assessing a pathological gambler. What would differentiate this client's behaviors from ... (Read 41 times)

sammy · **on:** Jul 19, 2018

A nurse is assessing a pathological gambler. What would differentiate this client's behaviors from the behaviors of a non-pathological gambler?

1. Pathological gamblers have abnormal levels of neurotransmitters, whereas non-pathological gamblers do not.
2. Pathological gambling occurs more commonly among women, whereas non-pathological gambling occurs more commonly among men.
3. Pathological gambling generally runs an acute course, whereas non-pathological gambling runs a chronic course.
4. Pathological gambling is not related to stress relief, whereas non-pathological gambling is related to stress relief.

Question 2

The parents of a 2-year-old boy seek assistance at a family therapy clinic because their son throws a temper tantrum every time he is not allowed to throw his food on the floor during meals. Which therapeutic intervention does the nurse suggest?

a. Leave him during the tantrum, so that he feels isolated from others as a result of his behavior.
b. Try to distract him when he becomes frustrated, and reward him for positive behavior.
c. Hold the child down until the tantrum stops.
d. Put him in the corner for punishment while he is having the tantrum.

cadimas · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 19, 2018

Answer to Question 1

1
Rationale: There is a correlation between pathological gambling and abnormalities in the serotonergic, noradrenergic, and dopaminergic neurotransmitter systems. This is not the case with non-pathological gambling. For a pathological gambler, the preoccupation with and impulse to gamble intensifies when the individual is under stress. This is not the case with non-pathological gambling. Pathological gambling occurs more commonly among men not women and generally runs a chronic not acute course.

Answer to Question 2

B
Distracting the child may lessen his frustration and prevent the tantrum from occurring, and rewarding positive behavior encourages future positive behavior. Leaving him may frighten him and/or he could hurt himself during the tantrum. Holding the child down will increase his frustration, and putting him in the corner is not effective during a tantrum because his behavior is out of control, so he won't understand the importance of the punishment.