A nurse explains to a nursing student how the therapeutic relationship differs from a social relationship. What is the best explanation for the therapeutic relationship between the nurse and patient?
“The focus of the relationship is socialization. Mutual needs are met, and feelings are openly shared.”
“The focus is the creation of a partnership in which each member is concerned with the growth and satisfaction of the other.”
“The focus is on the patient. Problems are discussed by the nurse and patient, but solutions are implemented by the patient.”
“The focus shifts from nurse to patient as the relationship develops. Advice is given by both, and solutions are implemented.”
The Correct Answer is C
Choice A reason: Socialization and mutual needs define social relationships, not therapeutic ones. Therapeutic relationships focus on patient needs, like addressing serotonin-driven depression, not reciprocal sharing. This approach risks blurring professional boundaries, making it incorrect for psychiatric nursing’s patient-centered focus.
Choice B reason: Mutual growth and satisfaction characterize social partnerships, not therapeutic relationships. In psychiatric care, the focus is on patient recovery, addressing issues like dopamine imbalances, not nurse satisfaction. This option misaligns with the professional, patient-centered nature of therapeutic relationships.
Choice C reason: The therapeutic relationship centers on the patient, addressing issues like amygdala-driven anxiety through collaborative discussion. Solutions, like medication adherence, are patient-driven to promote autonomy, aligning with neurobiological and psychological recovery principles, making this the correct description of the therapeutic dynamic.
Choice D reason: Shifting focus and mutual advice blur professional boundaries, resembling social relationships. Therapeutic relationships prioritize patient needs, like serotonin stabilization, with nurse guidance, not reciprocal advice. This option misrepresents the patient-centered, evidence-based nature of psychiatric therapeutic relationships.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
Choice A reason: Silently adding an inappropriate outcome disregards patient safety and autonomy. Outcomes must align with neurobiological needs, like serotonin modulation for depression. This approach fails to engage the patient in decision-making, risking ineffective treatment and neglecting evidence-based collaborative care principles.
Choice B reason: Formulating outcomes without patient input violates autonomy. Collaborative goal-setting, considering neurobiological factors like dopamine imbalances, ensures patient engagement and effective treatment. Excluding the patient disregards their perspective, reducing adherence and therapeutic alliance, making this approach contrary to evidence-based psychiatric nursing.
Choice C reason: Exploring consequences respects autonomy while guiding patients toward safe outcomes. Discussing implications, like medication non-adherence worsening dopamine-driven symptoms, fosters informed decisions. This collaborative approach aligns with cognitive-behavioral principles and neurobiological treatment needs, ensuring effective, patient-centered care in psychiatric practice.
Choice D reason: Educating that an outcome is unrealistic may dismiss patient autonomy. While addressing neurobiological realities, like serotonin deficits, is important, unilateral education risks disengagement. Collaborative exploration of consequences is more effective, promoting informed choices and adherence, making this option less suitable than discussion.
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A reason: Minimizing suicide as drastic dismisses the patient’s emotional pain, linked to serotonin deficits and amygdala hyperactivity in depression. This lacks empathy, risking alienation and worsening despair, as it fails to acknowledge the neurobiological severity of suicidal ideation, making it inappropriate.
Choice B reason: Acknowledging intense upset validates the patient’s emotional state, reflecting serotonin-driven despair in suicide attempts. Empathy, engaging mirror neurons, fosters trust and reduces isolation, aligning with therapeutic principles to support neurobiological stabilization and emotional recovery in psychiatric care.
Choice C reason: Offering to solve problems focuses on solutions, not empathy. Suicidal ideation, tied to prefrontal cortex dysfunction, requires emotional validation first. This statement risks dismissing feelings, reducing therapeutic connection, and is less effective than acknowledging the patient’s emotional distress.
Choice D reason: Expressing personal sadness shifts focus to the nurse’s feelings, not the patient’s. Empathy requires reflecting the patient’s emotional state, like despair from serotonin imbalances, to build rapport. This statement, while sympathetic, is less empathic, making it incorrect for demonstrating true empathy.
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