A 44-year-old patient is unable to function since her husband asked for a divorce two weeks ago. She was brought to the crisis intervention center by a friend. What type of crisis reflects this situation?

1. A

   Social

2. B

   Situational

3. C

   Maturational

4. D

   Developmental

Appeared in: ISRO 2024

Explanation

• A situational crisis is defined as a crisis precipitated by an unanticipated, stressful external event that threatens an individual's psychological integrity.
• The patient's inability to function is a direct result of her husband asking for a divorce, which is a sudden and unexpected life event.
• This event has overwhelmed her coping mechanisms, leading to a state of acute disequilibrium, which is the hallmark of a situational crisis.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

• Option A: A social crisis (or adventitious crisis) is incorrect because it involves large-scale, catastrophic events that affect a whole community or population, such as a natural disaster or war.
• Option C: A maturational crisis is incorrect because it is related to predictable stages of the life cycle and the developmental tasks associated with them.
• Option D: Developmental crisis is a synonym for maturational crisis. It is incorrect for the same reason: the crisis is not caused by a predictable life stage transition.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

• Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Types of Crises in Mental Health Nursing to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
• Correctly identifying the type of crisis is a critical first step for a nurse in developing an effective plan of care for crisis intervention.
• For a situational crisis, nursing interventions focus on providing immediate support, ensuring safety, helping the patient understand the event, and mobilizing situational supports (like the friend who brought her in).
• The goal of crisis intervention is to help the patient return to at least their pre-crisis level of functioning.

How to Approach the Question

• First, carefully read the clinical scenario and identify the patient's primary problem: she is 'unable to function' and in a state of crisis.
• Next, identify the specific trigger for the crisis. In this case, the trigger is the husband asking for a divorce two weeks ago.
• Analyze the nature of this trigger. Is it a predictable part of life? Is it a large-scale disaster? Or is it an unexpected, personal event?
• A divorce is an unexpected, external event that affects the individual's life situation.
• Finally, match this analysis to the definitions of the options. 'Situational' crisis is the term for crises triggered by unexpected external events.

Concept Tested & Keywords

• Concept Tested: Types of Crises in Mental Health Nursing
• Stem keywords: unable to function, divorce, crisis intervention
• Lead-in keywords: What type of crisis
• Clinical cues: The trigger for the crisis is a divorce two weeks ago, which is an acute, external event.

Question ID

QASALhRTiGiTxllwqAXVRw

Copy ID

Reference Book

E6 Guide to Mental Health & PSYCHIATRIC NURSING R Sreevani— Part 2 (pp 290-564 of 579) pp. 93-95, 94-96

E6 Nursing Fundamentals Potter Perry 12e Part 4 p. 72-74