A female patient is admitted to the emergency department after ...

[bobypop]

A female patient is admitted to the emergency department after being raped by a neighbor. The patient refuses to discuss the circumstances surrounding the event with the sexual assault nurse examiner.
 
  This patient is most likely using the defense mechanism of:
  a.
  suppression
  b.
  sublimation
  c.
  displacement
  d.
  rationalization

Question 2

The nurse is caring for an adult patient with a recent below-the-knee amputation. During shift report, the nurse reports that the patient has urinated in the bed multiple times since the surgery. Which defense mechanism best describes this behavior?
 
  a. compensation
  b. denial
  c. rationalization
  d. regression

[jazzlynnnnn]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: A
Suppression is the conscious decision to conceal unacceptable or painful thoughts. The patient refuses to talk about the rape possibly because of the emotional and physical pain associated with the act. Sublimation is the rechanneling of unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable activities. Displacement is an unconscious defense mechanism used to avoid conflict and anxiety by transferring emotions from one object to another object that produces less anxiety. Rationalization is the act of suggesting a different explanation for one that is painful, negative, or unacceptable.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: D
Regression is the return to an earlier developmental stage as a means of avoiding unpleasant or unacceptable thoughts. The adult patient recently lost a limb and reverted to bedwetting as a coping mechanism. Compensation refers to a strategy that uses a personal strength to counterbalance a weakness or a feeling of inadequacy. Refusing to accept a fact or reality as truth is termed denial. Rationalization is the act of suggesting a different explanation for one that is painful, negative, or unacceptable.

[bobypop]

Excellent

[shailee]

Gracias!