A 76-year-old client who recently lost his wife is admitted for surger

A 76-year-old client who recently lost his wife is admitted for surgery. The nurse is using Erikson as a psychosocial framework for client assessment.

Which of the following behaviors would alert the nurse that the client has an alteration in the in-tegrity stage of his psychosocial development?
1. Accepting his own limitations
2. Verbalizing fear about the surgery
3. Expressing his thoughts about his care
4. Demanding excessive assistance from his daughter

ANSWER

ANS: 4
Being angry, being excessively dependent, and having a passive attitude are all behaviors sugges-tive of an altered self-concept. The older client, who has lost a spouse and is now demanding excessive assistance from a child, is demonstrating an alteration in the integrity stage of his psy-chosocial development. Accepting one’s limitations is not consistent with a disturbance in the integrity stage of psychosocial development. Verbalizing fear about the surgery is not consistent with a disturbance in the integrity stage of psychosocial development. Expressing thoughts about one’s care is not consistent with a disturbance in the integrity stage of psychosocial development.