In assessing the roles and power structure of a client’s nuclear famil

In assessing the roles and power structure of a client’s nuclear family, the nurse should specifi-cally ask the client:

1. “Who decides where to go on vacation?”
2. “What type of health care insurance do you have?”
3. “How many family members currently live in your home?”
4. “What types of social activities do you and your family enjoy?”

ANSWER

ANS: 1
Asking, “Who decides where to go on vacation?” enables the nurse to determine the power structure and patterning of roles and tasks of the family. Asking about health insurance does not assess the roles and power structure of the family. Inquiring about family members living at home may be used to help determine family form, not the power structure and roles of the family. Asking about social activities may provide information on the interactive processes of the family and how time is spent, but it does not assess the roles and power structure of the family.