Psychosocial Integrity Flashcards

The nurse assesses a patient using the SAD PERSONS mnemonic. The letter 'P' in this tool stands for:

Answer: Prior suicide attempts

In the SAD PERSONS scale, 'P' stands for Prior suicide attempts, which is one of the strongest predictors of future attempts.

A patient in crisis states, 'I just can't take it anymore.' The nurse's FIRST action should be to:

Answer: Ask the patient directly whether they are thinking of suicide

Directly asking about suicidal ideation is safe, clinically appropriate, and provides essential assessment data.

A patient whose spouse died 3 months ago tells the nurse, 'I keep setting a place at the table for my husband out of habit.' This behavior BEST reflects which stage of Kübler-Ross's grief model?

Answer: Denial

Setting a place for a deceased spouse reflects denial — an unconscious refusal to accept the reality of the loss.

A patient admitted for alcohol detoxification is most at risk for life-threatening seizures during which time frame?

Answer: 24–72 hours after last drink

Alcohol withdrawal seizures most commonly occur 24–72 hours after the last drink and can be life-threatening without treatment.

The CAGE questionnaire is used to screen for:

Answer: Alcohol use disorder

CAGE screens for alcohol use disorder by asking about cutting down, being annoyed by criticism, feeling guilty, and needing an eye-opener.

A family whose child has a terminal diagnosis begins grieving before the child dies. The nurse recognizes this as:

Answer: Anticipatory grief

Anticipatory grief is the normal mourning process that begins before an expected loss, allowing emotional preparation.

When implementing crisis intervention, the nurse should prioritize which goal FIRST?

Answer: Ensuring the patient's immediate safety

Safety is always the first priority in crisis intervention before any therapeutic or follow-up interventions are addressed.