Practice Question
A nurse assesses a patient with a tentative diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder. Which question would be most appropriate for the nurse to ask?
Answer Choices:
Correct Answer:
"Do you find it difficult to control your worrying?"
Rationale:
🔹 Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is defined by excessive, uncontrollable worry, so assessing the ability to control worry directly targets the diagnostic feature.
🔹 GAD symptoms must be present for at least 6 months, and asking about worry control helps determine duration and persistence.
🔹 The question is open-ended, promoting therapeutic communication and detailed assessment without leading the patient.
🔹 Difficulty controlling worry causes impairment in daily functioning, so this question reveals the degree of disruption.
🔹 Screening for uncontrollable worry guides further assessment, such as sleep disturbance, restlessness, and irritability.
🔹“Do you feel uncomfortable in social situations?”
🔹 This evaluates social anxiety disorder, not GAD.
🔹 It focuses on social fear, which is not the hallmark of GAD.
🔹 “Do you repeatedly do certain things over and over again?”
🔹 This suggests obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) behaviors.
🔹 Repetitive rituals are not part of GAD symptom criteria.
🔹“Have you been a victim of a crime or seen someone injured?”
🔹 This screens for PTSD, not GAD.
🔹 Trauma exposure must be established before PTSD assessment.
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This question is from Exam NUR 4338 complex Human Needs SN FA25 which contains 85 questions.
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Question Details
- Category: RN Nursing Exam(s)
- Subcategory: Examplify Exam(s)
- Domain: Health Assessment
- Answer Choices: 4