A 16-year-old male is hospitalized for cystic fibrosis. He will be an inpatient for 2 weeks while he receives IV antibiotics. Which action taken by the nurse will most enhance his psychosocial development?
- Fax the teen’s teacher, and have her send in his homework.
- Encourage the teen’s friends to visit him in the hospital.
- Encourage the teen’s grandparents to visit frequently. 4. Tell the teen he is free to use his phone to call or text friends
- Teens are most concerned about being like their peers. Having the teen’s friends visit will help him feel he is still part of the school and social environment.
To obtain an adolescent’s health information, the nurse should:
- Interview the adolescent using direct questions.
- Gather information during a casual conversation.
- Interview the adolescent only in the presence of the parents.
- Gather information only from the parents
- Frequently adolescents will share more information when it is gathered during a casual conversation.
Which method is the most effective way to present an educational program on abstinence to adolescents?
- Use peer-led programs that emphasize the consequences of unprotected sexual contact.
- Teach students methods to resist peer pressure.
- Offer students the opportunity to care for a simulator infant for 1 week.
- Offer statistics, pamphlets, and films discussing the consequences of unprotected sexual contact.
- Adolescents are most concerned with what their peers think and feel. They are most receptive to information that comes from another adolescent.
An 18-year-old with a rash and itching in the groin area is concerned that he has contracted a sexually transmitted disease and does not want his parents to find out. The nurse’s best response is:
- “We will need to contact your parents to let them know.”
- “We will not contact your parents regarding this visit.” 3. “Who would you like us to contact about your visit here today?”
- “We cannot promise that the hospital will not contact your parents.”
- An adolescent has every right to privacy as long as the situation is not life threatening.
A 13-year-old boy is hospitalized for a femur fracture. He was hit by a car while he and his friends were racing bikes near a major intersection. The child’s parents are concerned about his judgment. The nurse should tell the parents that the behavior is:
- Typical of young teens.
- Related to hormonal surges during adolescence.
- An isolated incident and will not likely happen again. 4. Related to teen rebellion.
- The brains of young teens are not completely developed, which often leads to poor judgment and impulse control.
A 16-year-old is having a discussion with the nurse about the teen’s recent diagnosis of lupus. In explaining the child’s prognosis, the nurse uses the knowledge that adolescents are:
- Preoccupied with thoughts of the here and now.
- Able to understand and imagine possibilities for the future.
- Capable of thinking only in concrete terms.
- Overly concerned with past events and relationships
- Adolescents are becoming abstract thinkers and are able to imagine possibilities for the future.
The mother of a 13-year-old girl tells the nurse that she is concerned because her daughter has gained 10 lb since she began puberty. The child’s mother asks the nurse for advice about what to do about her daughter’s weight gain. Which should the nurse do?
- Provide the child’s mother with some pamphlets on nutrition and healthy eating.
- Provide the child’s mother with information about a new exercise program for teens.
- Inform the child’s mother that it is common for teen girls to gain weight during puberty.
- Inform the child’s mother that her daughter will likely gain another 5 to 10 lb in the next year.
- The nurse should tell the child’s mother that this is a normal finding in teenage girls as they enter puberty.
A 13-year-old tells the nurse that he is worried because his breasts are growing. They hurt, and he is embarrassed to take his shirt off during gym class. What should the nurse tell him?
- “The pediatrician will draw some blood to find out why your breasts are growing.”
- “It is just a slight hormonal imbalance that can be easily corrected with medication.”
- “This is a normal condition of puberty that will resolve within a year or two.”
- “This is a rare finding that occurs in about 5% of boys during puberty.”
- Gynecomastia and breast tenderness are common for about a third of boys during middle puberty. Gynecomastia usually resolves in 2 years.
An adolescent has a diagnosis of new-onset diabetes. What would most influence a teenager’s food choices as he begins to make changes in his diet?
- Parents and their dietary choices.
- Cultural background.
- Peers and their dietary choices.
- Television and other forms of media influence.
- As a teen, the child is most influenced by his peers. Teens long to be like others around them.
The mother of a 15-year-old is frustrated because he spends much of his weekend time sleeping. Which is the nurse’s best response to the mother’s frustration?
- “Your son may be trying to catch up on the sleep missed during the week.”
- “Developmental theorists believe that teens require more sleep as they begin to integrate new roles into their lives.”
- “Teens require more sleep due to the rapid physical growth that is occurring.”
- “Teens require more sleep due to the increase in their social obligations.”
- Teens require more sleep due to the rapid physical growth that occurs during adolescence.
During an adolescent’s initial physical assessment, the nurse notes signs and symptoms of nutritional deficit. Which assessment led the nurse to this initial conclusion?
- Protein level within normal limits.
- Blood pressure is 110/66.
- Hair and nails are brittle and dry.
- Teeth appear to be eroded.
- Dry and brittle hair and nails are common among people who have a nutritional deficit
The mother of an adolescent complains that he has had some recent behavioral changes. He comes home from school every day, closes his door, and refrains from interaction with his family. The nurse’s best response to the mother is:
- “You should speak with your son and ask him directly what is wrong with him.”
- “You should set limits with your son and tell him that this is unacceptable behavior.”
- “Your son’s behavior is abnormal, and he is going to need a psychiatric referral.”
- “Your son’s behavior is normal. You should listen to him without being judgmental.”
- The child’s behavior is typical of a teen’s response to developmental and psychosocial changes of adolescence
