NUR 345 Mental Health Final Exam
Questions and Correct Answers
Which nursing diagnosis should be considered for a child with attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder ADHD?
A. Anxiety
B. risk for injury
C. defensive coping
D. impaired verbal communication ✅B
The child's marked hyperactivity puts him or her at risk for injury from falls, bumping into
objects, impulsively operating equipment, pulling heavy objects off shelves, and so
forth.
Which factor can reduce the vulnerability of a child to etiological influences predisposing
to the development of psychopathology?
A. Resilience
B. Malnutrition
C. Child abuse
D. Having a depressed parent ✅A
Resilience refers to developing and using certain characteristics that help a child to
handle the stresses of a difficult childhood without developing mental problems.
Resilient children can adapt to changes in the environment, form nurturing relationships
with adults other than their parents, distance themselves from the emotional chaos of
the family, and have social intelligence and the ability to use problem-solving skills.
A 5-year-old who consistently omits the sound for 'r' and 's' when speaking is
demonstrating which type of disorder?
A. Speech
B. Language
C. Social communication
D. Specific learning ✅A
Speech disorders are marked by problems in making sounds. Children may have
trouble making certain sounds, or they may distort, add, or omit sounds. Such patterns
are not associated with any of the other options.
When a nurse assesses the style of behavior a child habitually uses to cope with the
demands and expectations of the environment, he or she is assessing characteristic?
A. Temperament
B. Resilience
C. Vulnerability
D. Cultural assimilation ✅A
,Temperament is the behavior the child habitually uses to cope with the environment. It
is a constitutional factor thought to be genetically determined. It may be modified by the
parent-child relationship. None of the other options would reflect this characteristic.
A child diagnosed with autism will demonstrate impaired development in which area?
A. Adhering to routines
B. playing with other children
C. swallowing and chewing
D. eye-hand coordination ✅B
Autism affects the normal development of the brain in social interaction and
communication skills. Symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorders include
significant deficits in social relatedness, including communication, nonverbal behavior,
and age-appropriate interaction. Other behaviors include stereotypical repetitive
speech, obsessive focus on specific objects, over adherence to routines or rituals,
hyper- or hypo-reactivity to sensory input, and extreme resistance to change. None of
the other options are characteristically associated with autism.
Which social behavior is often a result of a child having been exposed to some form of
abuse?
A. Speech disorders
B. Bullying others
C. Eating disorders
D. Delayed motor skills ✅B
Children who have experienced abuse are at risk for identifying with their aggressor and
may act out, bully others, become abusers, or develop dysfunctional interpersonal
relationships in adulthood. None of the remaining options are as directly associated with
abuse as bullying.
The family of a child diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),
inattentive type, is told the evaluation of their child's care will focus on symptom patterns
and severity. What is the focus of child's evaluation? SATA:
A. Academic performance
B. Activities of daily living
C. Physical growth
D. Social relationships
E. Personal perception ✅A, B, D, E
For the family and child with ADHD, evaluation will focus on the symptom patterns and
severity. For those with ADHD, inattentive type, the focus of evaluation will be academic
performance, activities of daily living, social relationships, and personal perception. For
those with ADHD, hyperactive-impulsive type or combined type, the focus will be on
both academic and behavioral responses.
A 10-year-old who is frequently disruptive in the classroom begins to fidget and then
moves on to disruptive behavior. What is the most appropriate initial technique for
managing this sort of disruptive behavior?
A. Therapeutic holding
, B. Seclusion
C. Quiet room
D. Touch control ✅D
The appropriate adult can move closer to the child and place a hand on his/her arm or
an arm around his/her shoulder for a calming effect when the fidgeting is first noted. The
closeness signals the child to use self-control. It is the least restrictive treatment
approach and should be tried initially; before any of the other options.
A 7-year-old, who is described as impulsive and hyperactive, tells the nurse, "I am a
dummy, because I don't pay attention, and I can't read like the other kids." The nurse
notes that these behaviors are most consistent with which diagnosis?
A. Attention deficit disorder
B. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
C. Autism
D. Conduct disorder ✅B
The data are most consistent with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as
described in the DSM-5. The other options present with characteristics and behaviors
that differ from those in the scenario.
A child diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is reprimanded for
taking the nurse's pen without asking first. He responds by shouting, "You don't like me!
You won't let me have anything, even a pen!" The nurse is most therapeutic when
responding with which statement?
A. "I do like you, but I don't like it when you grab my pen."
B. "Liking you has nothing to do with whether I will loan you my pen."
C. "It sounds as though you are feeling helpless and insecure."
D. "You must ask for permission before taking someone else's things." ✅A
This reply shows positive regard for the child while describing the behavior as
undesirable. Feedback such as this helps the child feel accepted while making her
aware of the effect her behavior has on others. None of the other options provide the
necessary degree of positive regard.
When a child demonstrates a temperament that prompts the mother to say, "She is just
so different from me; I just can't seem to connect with her." The nurse should plan to
provide which intervention?
A. Suggest that the child's father become her primary caregiver.
B. Encourage the mother to consider attending parenting classes.
C. Counsel the mother regarding ways to better bond with her child.
D. Educate the father regarding signs that the child is being physically abused. ✅C
All people have temperaments, and the fit between the child and parent's temperament
is critical to the child's development. The caregiver's role in shaping that relationship is
of primary importance, and the nurse can intervene to teach parents ways to modify
their behaviors to improve the interaction.
Which behavior is most indicative of a 4-year-old child diagnosed with Tourette's
syndrome?
