LVN Psychosocial Integrity 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The nurse assesses a patient using the SAD PERSONS mnemonic. The letter 'P' in this tool stands for:
- Prior suicide attempts (Correct answer)
- Plan (has a specific plan)
- Presence of psychosis
- Previous psychiatric hospitalization
Correct 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.
Question 2: A patient in crisis states, 'I just can't take it anymore.' The nurse's FIRST action should be to:
- Call the psychiatric team immediately
- Ask the patient directly whether they are thinking of suicide (Correct answer)
- Administer PRN anxiolytic per standing order
- Remove all sharp objects from the room
Correct 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.
Question 3: 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?
- Denial (Correct answer)
- Bargaining
- Anger
- Depression
Correct answer: Denial
Setting a place for a deceased spouse reflects denial — an unconscious refusal to accept the reality of the loss.
Question 4: A patient admitted for alcohol detoxification is most at risk for life-threatening seizures during which time frame?
- 6–24 hours after last drink
- 24–72 hours after last drink (Correct answer)
- 4–7 days after last drink
- Immediately upon admission
Correct 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.
Question 5: The CAGE questionnaire is used to screen for:
- Depression in older adults
- Alcohol use disorder (Correct answer)
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Cognitive decline
Correct 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.
Question 6: A family whose child has a terminal diagnosis begins grieving before the child dies. The nurse recognizes this as:
- Complicated grief
- Dysfunctional coping
- Anticipatory grief (Correct answer)
- Pathological mourning
Correct answer: Anticipatory grief
Anticipatory grief is the normal mourning process that begins before an expected loss, allowing emotional preparation.
Question 7: When implementing crisis intervention, the nurse should prioritize which goal FIRST?
- Establishing long-term coping strategies
- Ensuring the patient's immediate safety (Correct answer)
- Identifying the root cause of the crisis
- Arranging outpatient psychiatric follow-up
Correct 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.
LVN Psychosocial Integrity 3
The nurse assesses a patient using the SAD PERSONS mnemonic.
The letter 'P' in this tool stands for: