Chapter 12: Working with Families Flashcards
- While taking a family history, the community health nurse (CHN) finds out that the husband is
a stepfather to the eldest child. This information should be documented in which category?
a. Family demography
b. Family dynamics
c. Family function
d. Family system
ANS: A
Family demography is the study of the structure of families and households and the familyrelated events, such as marriage and divorce, that alter the structure through their number,
timing, and sequencing.
- The CHN must conduct a family assessment for a family who live in a commune but is
uncertain about how to proceed because the relationships do not appear to be clear. Which
question should the CHN ask to determine the structure of a family comprising a mother and a
child?
a. “How many children do you have, and who is the father of each of them?”
b. “Is there a register of families that are members of this commune?”
c. “Tell me about your significant other.”
d. “Who are the members of your and your child’s family?”
ANS: D
The members of a family are self-defined. CHNs working with families should ask people
who they consider to be their family and then include those members in health care planning
- Family functions and structures create unique challenges in family nursing. What is the
primary reason for the existence of these challenges?
a. The functions and structures of families continue to change over time.
b. Function and structure do not apply to all family units.
c. Some clients do not have families.
d. Traditional families are rare in today’s society.
ANS: A
The functions within families have evolved and changed over time. Some have become more
important and others less so. Family structures also have changed over time. The structure–
function theory perspective is a useful framework for assessing families and health. Illness of
a family member results in the alteration of the family structure and function.
- A CHN researcher wants to know and better understand how the chronic illness of a child can
affect a family’s communication patterns, relationships, role expectations, and role
behaviours. Which type of family nursing theory would best address the purpose of the CHN’s
research?
a. Developmental theory
b. Interactional theory
c. Structure–function theory
d. Systems theory
ANS: B
An interactional framework emphasizes interaction between and among family members and
family communication patterns about health and illness behaviours appropriate for different
roles.
- Historically, CHNs focused on the care of individuals while viewing the families of
individuals as either background resources or possible stressors. Which view of the family did
this traditional conceptualization take?
a. Family as the client
b. Family as a component of society
c. Family as the context
d. Family as a system
ANS: C
Family as the context, or structure, represents a traditional focus that places the individual first
and the family second. This conceptualization views the family as either a resource or a
stressor to individual health and illness.
- Which nursing function to identify family problems and strengths is the foundation for family
nursing interventions?
a. Assessment
b. Plan
c. Implementation
d. Evaluation
ANS: A
Family nursing assessment is the cornerstone for family nursing interventions. With use of a
systematic process, family problem areas are identified and family strengths are emphasized,
thus laying the foundation for interventions. The CHN works in partnership with the client to
promote health. Each family nursing assessment model and approach is unique and creates a
database upon which to plan interventions.
- Which scenario provides an example of a normative event that can increase the risk for
illness?
a. A family is involved in a motor vehicle accident.
b. A group of teens experiments with recreational drugs.
c. A woman is pregnant with her first child.
d. The family’s only earning member is laid off from work.
ANS: C
Certain life events can increase the risk for illness and disability. Normative events are those
events that are generally expected to occur at a particular stage of development or of the
lifespan of a person. The normative event of the birth of a child, for example, requires
considerable changes in family structures and roles. Furthermore, family functions are
expanded from previous levels, requiring families to add new skills and establish additional
resources
- When drawing a genogram, which style of line drawing will the CHN use to demonstrate a
marital relationship between two individuals?
a. A broken line
b. A dashed line
c. A solid line
d. Two parallel lines
ANS: C
In a genogram, marriage is indicated by a solid line between two individuals.
- A CHN is preparing to terminate a visit with teenage parents and their new baby. During this
phase of the home visit, what action will the CHN want to take?
a. Determine the family’s willingness for home visits.
b. Establish the purpose of the visit.
c. Review important points of teaching discussed during the visit.
d. Review the family record and reason for referral.
ANS: C
During the termination phase, the CHN reviews the visit with the family and plans for future
visits. The other options listed occur during the engagement phase.
- Which type of risk the most important predictor of health?
a. Biological risk
b. Economic risk
c. Life-event risk
d. Health values
ANS: B
Economic risk is one of the foremost predictors of health and is determined by the relationship
between family financial resources and the demands on those resources. Having adequate
financial resources enables the family to purchase the necessary services and goods related to
health, such as adequate housing, clothing, food, education, and health or illness care.
- Which CHN action has the most potential to empower the family of a mother with newly
diagnosed breast cancer?
a. Applying for emergency financial assistance on the family’s behalf
b. Arranging for community members to assist with child care
c. Recommending that the mother join a cancer support group
d. Teaching the family how to navigate the health care system
ANS: D
Definitions of empowerment reflect three factors involved in a family seeking help: (1) access
and control over needed resources, (2) decision-making and problem-solving abilities, and (3)
the ability to communicate and to obtain needed resources. Applying for emergency financial
assistance and arranging for community members to assist with child care are enabling
interventions. Recommending that the mother join a cancer support group, although certainly
helpful for coping, is not a component of empowerment.
- What does the CHN conducting a health risk appraisal assess?
a. Health promotion activities
b. Illness prevention activities
c. Risk reduction activities
d. Unhealthy events
ANS: D
Health risk appraisal refers to the process of assessing and analyzing in order to identify
specific factors in each of the categories associated with an increased likelihood of
development of an illness, such as cancer, or an unhealthy event, such as a motor vehicle
accident
- Documentation takes place during which phase of the home visit?
a. Engagement phase
b. In-home phase
c. Termination phase
d. Postvisit phase
ANS: D
Even after a CHN has concluded a home visit and left the client’s home, the responsibility for
the visit is not complete until the interaction has been recorded. Documentation of the visit is
a basic requirement for legal and clinical purposes. It is important that the recording be
current, dated, and signed.
- What is addressed by the developmental assessment aspect of the Calgary Family Assessment
Model (CFAM)?
a. Family life-cycle stages
b. Instrumental and expressive functions
c. Activities of everyday living
d. Family strengths
ANS: A
Within the CFAM, developmental assessment contains family life-cycle stages, tasks usually
achieved in relation to life-cycle stages, and attachments for the family.
