GRIEF RNSG 1538 EXAM QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
Mourning - Answer-The socially acceptable outward response to the loss, Ritual and
spiritual responses, culturally sensitive
Bereavement - Answer-These captures both mourning and grief, Emotional and
behavioral
Grief - Answer-A multifaceted response to the emotional experience of loss, whether
sudden or gradual, real or perceived. An intense biopsychosocial reaction.
Loss - Answer-A situation in which something that is valued or altered is no longer
available.
Types of Loss (Sources of grief) - Answer-Loss of an aspect of self (e.g., body part, job,
psychological or physiological function)
Loss of possessions or objects (e.g., theft, deterioration, misplacement, or destruction)
Loss of known environment (e.g., leaving home, hospitalization, new job, moving out of
a rehabilitation unit)
Loss of life (e.g., death of family member, friend, co-worker, or one's own death)
Loss of a significant other/loved ones (e.g., divorce, loss of friend, trusted caregiver, or
pet)
Actual loss - Answer-loss identified/recognized by others. Loss occurs when a person
can no longer feel, hear, see, or know a person or object. Examples include the loss of
a body part, death of a family member, or loss of a job.
Perceived loss - Answer-Loss felt by an individual but cannot be verified as a loss from
outside. For example, some people perceive rejection by a friend to be a loss, which
creates a loss of confidence or changes their status in a group.
Anticipatory Grief/Loss - Answer-A person experiences anticipatory grief, the
unconscious process of disengaging or "letting go" before the actual loss or death
occurs, especially in situations of prolonged or predicted loss
Maturational Loss - Answer-a form of necessary loss and includes all normally expected
life changes across the life span. A mother feels loss when her child leaves home for
the first day of school.
, Situational loss - Answer-Sudden, unpredictable external events. For example, a person
in an automobile accident sustains an injury with physical changes that make it
impossible to return to work or school, leading to loss of function, income, life goals, and
self-esteem.
Traumatic Grief - Answer-A more prolonged and difficult grief owing to the suddenness
or unexpectedness of the loss.
Ambiguous Loss - Answer-A type loss when the lost person is physically present but not
psychologically available, as in cases of severe dementia or severe brain injury. Other
times the person is gone
Clinical loss - Answer-loss of function, loss of body part, declining health, impending
death, newborn loss, and nurse grief.
Disenfranchised Grief - Answer-Not seen as a "legitimate" loss - Ex spouse, Adulterous
relationship, Criminal, Drug overdose, giving away child for adoption
Socially unacceptable loss that cannot be spoken about, such as suicide, abortion, or
giving a child up for adoption. Other examples include losses of relationships that are
socially unsanctioned and may not be known to other people (such as homosexuality or
extramarital relationships).
Complicated Grief - Answer-Maladaptive coping; Preoccupation lasts for more than 6
months and leads to reduced ability to function formally. Prolonged or difficult time
moving on, "stuck".
The type of loss and the person's perception of it influence the depth and duration of the
grief response. Children and older adults at greater risk.
Complicated grief sub-types - Answer-Exaggerated- Maladaptive behavior, obsessions,
self destructive, exaggerated response.
Delayed- Loss is overwhelming and full realization is postponed. Often triggered by
second loss.
Masked- Normal functioning impaired, but unaware that ineffective grief is the reason.
Stages of Grief (Kubler Ross) - Answer-Denial - A protective mechanism that allows for
coping in an immediate time frame while organizing more effective defense
mechanisms.
Anger - Common to envy or resent others not affected by loss, anger may be directed at
self or displaced on loved ones, caregivers, or God
Bargaining - Not evident to others, often with God or a higher entity promises are made
in an attempt to reverse or postpone the loss, sometimes the promise is associated with
feelings of guilt for not having performed satisfactorily, appropriately, or sufficiently