When developing a plan of care for a male adolescent, the nurse considers the child's psychosocial needs during adolescent development. Focus on?

Appeared in: DSSSB Public Health Nurse - 2015

Explanation

The question asks for the primary psychosocial need of an adolescent, which points to Erikson's developmental theory.
According to Erikson, adolescence (ages 12-19) is the stage of 'Identity vs. Role Confusion.'.
The central task during this period is to explore different roles, values, and beliefs to form a cohesive and stable sense of self, or personal identity.
Successful resolution of this stage results in the virtue of fidelity—being true to oneself.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

Option A: Becoming industrious is the central task of the school-age period (6-12 years), not adolescence.
Option C: Achieving intimacy is the primary task of young adulthood (20-40 years), which follows the successful establishment of identity in adolescence.
Option D: Developing initiative is the psychosocial task of the preschool years (3-6 years).

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
Nurses must understand developmental stages to provide age-appropriate care. For an adolescent, this means supporting their search for identity by offering choices in their care, respecting their privacy, and encouraging communication about their feelings and future plans.
In a hospital setting, a nurse can facilitate an adolescent's identity development by connecting them with peer support groups or allowing them to personalize their room.
What if the patient was a 25-year-old? The nurse's focus would shift from identity to intimacy. Interventions would aim to reduce feelings of isolation, perhaps by facilitating visits from a partner or close friends, which supports the 'Intimacy vs. Isolation' stage.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key demographic in the question stem, which is 'male adolescent'.
Recognize that the phrase 'psychosocial needs' is a strong indicator that the question relates to a major developmental theory, most commonly Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development.
Recall or deduce the specific stage Erikson assigned to adolescence. This is the 'Identity vs. Role Confusion' stage.
Match the primary task of this stage, which is establishing a personal identity, to the given options.
Systematically eliminate the other options by identifying the developmental stages they belong to: 'Industry' (school-age), 'Intimacy' (young adulthood), and 'Initiative' (preschool).

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development
Stem keywords: male adolescent, psychosocial needs, adolescent development
Lead-in keywords: Focus on
Clinical cues: The term 'adolescent' is the key clinical cue, pointing directly to a specific age group and its corresponding developmental stage.

Question ID

QnNKwXlpmr5grje3ISQyEP

Reference Book

E6 Nursing Fundamentals Potter Perry 12e Part 1 p. 164-166

E6 Nursing Fundamentals Taylor p. 1053-1055

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 11338-11340

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