A nurse uses Maslow's hierarchy of needs to plan care for a patient diagnosed with mental illness. Which problem will receive priority?
Reports feelings of alienation from family
Refuses to eat or bathe
Is reluctant to participate in group therapy
Expresses anxiety about social situations
The Correct Answer is B
Choice A reason: Alienation from family corresponds to Maslow’s love and belonging needs, a third-level priority. While important for mental health, it is less urgent than physiological needs like nutrition and hygiene, which are foundational for survival and stability, making this choice lower priority in care planning.
Choice B reason: Refusing to eat or bathe addresses Maslow’s physiological needs, the highest priority in the hierarchy. Nutrition and hygiene are essential for survival and physical health, critical in mental illness to stabilize the patient’s condition and support further treatment, making this the correct choice.
Choice C reason: Reluctance to participate in group therapy relates to esteem or belonging needs, lower in Maslow’s hierarchy. While social engagement aids mental health, it is not as urgent as physiological needs, which underpin survival and basic functioning, making this choice a lower priority in care planning.
Choice D reason: Anxiety about social situations aligns with safety or belonging needs, secondary to physiological requirements. While anxiety impacts mental health, it is less critical than ensuring basic survival needs like food and hygiene, which take precedence in Maslow’s framework, making this choice incorrect.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A reason: GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that reduces neuronal activity, promoting calm. In fear, the sympathetic nervous system activates, increasing heart rate and blood pressure, driven by excitatory neurotransmitters, not GABA, which would counteract these effects, making this choice incorrect.
Choice B reason: Norepinephrine, a catecholamine, activates the sympathetic nervous system during fear, increasing heart rate and blood pressure via the fight-or-flight response. Its heightened activity in stress aligns with the patient’s symptoms, making this the correct neurotransmitter choice.
Choice C reason: Histamine regulates arousal and allergic responses but is not primarily responsible for cardiovascular changes in fear. Its role in the brain is less direct than norepinephrine in driving sympathetic activation, making this choice incorrect for the symptoms described.
Choice D reason: Serotonin modulates mood and anxiety but does not directly cause acute cardiovascular changes like increased heart rate and blood pressure in fear. These are driven by norepinephrine’s sympathetic activation, making serotonin an incorrect choice for this scenario.
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
Choice A reason: Autonomy involves respecting a patient’s right to make decisions. While relevant in mental health, the scenario focuses on differing treatments for similar conditions, not patient choice, making autonomy less directly applicable than the principle of fair treatment across patients.
Choice B reason: Beneficence emphasizes promoting patient well-being. Both restraints and supervision aim to prevent harm, fulfilling beneficence, but the concern is about unequal treatment, not the intent to benefit, making this principle less relevant than justice.
Choice C reason: Justice involves fair and equitable treatment for all patients. Using restraints for one self-mutilating patient and supervision for another raises concerns about consistency and fairness in care, directly aligning with the ethical principle of justice, making this the correct choice.
Choice D reason: Nonmaleficence focuses on avoiding harm. Both interventions aim to prevent self-mutilation, fulfilling this principle, but the ethical issue is about equitable application, not harm avoidance, making justice the more relevant principle in this scenario.
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