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Difficulty: Very hardGrief and Loss

A practical nurse (PN) is participating in a family meeting for a 16-year-old client whose parent died unexpectedly 6 months ago. The surviving parent expresses intense frustration, stating, "My child hasn't shed a single tear over the death. Instead, they are constantly irritable, getting into fights at school, and complaining of frequent headaches." Which response by the PN is most appropriate?

  1. A
    It appears your child is stuck in the denial stage, as they must cry and express sadness to move forward.
  2. B
    These behaviors are typical signs of adolescent rebellion and are likely unrelated to the loss of their parent.
  3. Adolescents often process loss differently than adults, frequently expressing their grief through physical symptoms and irritability.Answer
  4. D
    This must be stressful. You should insist they talk about their feelings every day until the headaches resolve.

Answer

The response explaining that adolescents frequently express grief through physical symptoms and irritability.
Grief manifests differently across developmental stages. Adolescents often express grief through somatic complaints (like headaches or stomach aches), irritability, anger, and acting-out behaviors rather than overt crying or verbalizing sadness. Educating the parent about these developmental differences is highly therapeutic; it validates the parent's concern while providing crucial context for the adolescent's behavior without pathologizing a normal developmental grief response.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the client's age and presenting behaviors.
The client is a 16-year-old exhibiting irritability, aggression, and somatic symptoms (headaches) 6 months after a major loss.
Identifying the client's developmental stage and recent trauma is essential for correctly interpreting the behavior.
2
Evaluate the parent's concern against developmental norms for grief.
The parent expects adult-like grieving (crying). The PN must recognize that adolescent grief often presents as behavioral changes and somatic complaints rather than overt sadness.
Nurses must differentiate between normal developmental variations of grief and maladaptive coping mechanisms.
3
Select the most therapeutic intervention based on LPN scope of practice.
Providing psychoeducation about adolescent grief responses is the most appropriate action.
This intervention directly addresses the parent's frustration, avoids non-therapeutic advice, and refrains from labeling the client with rigid grief stages.

Key Concept

Developmental Manifestations of Grief in Adolescents
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Grief and Loss

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