Deck 8: Social Support, Family Caregiving, and End of Life

Question 1

As the text defines it, a crisis occurs when:

A) An extraordinarily tragic event occurs
B) Any event occurs that exceeds a person's normal coping ability
C) An unforeseen event causes someone distress
D) A person perceives that emergency personnel should be summoned

Answer 1

B
Explanation: What constitutes a crisis for one person may not for another.

Question 2

After Sabrina's surgery, her family insisted on doing everything for her. As a result, she recovered more slowly than people who were more active. The family provided too much assistance, which is also known as .

A) the cocoon effect
B) Overhelping
C) the elaboration likelihood model
D) either A or C

Answer 2

B
Explanation: People who are overhelped may perceive a loss of control, especially if others take on tasks for them without their consent

Question 3

Which of the following best describes palliative care offered by hospice?

A) It is meant to cure the patient.
B) It centers on a life-at-all-costs perspective.
C) It is designed to help people feel as comfortable as possible.
D) It involves intense physical regimens to keep the patient physically strong.

Answer 3

C
Explanation: Palliative care is not designed to cure the main illness but to offer comfort and quality of life.

Question 4

Which of the following best describes the "A Long Goodbye to Grandmother" case study about one man's family caregiver experiences?

A) Nicholas describes his family's frustration when medical professionals insisted on keeping his grandmother on life-support despite her wish to die peacefully.
B) Nicholas describes the hardships but also the meaningful moments of having his grandmother in his home while she coped with Alzheimer's disease.
C) Nicholas tells why he moved to another state to be near his dying grandmother and how he felt when she did not die as soon as expected.
D) All of these are part of Nicholas's story.

Question 5

Many people think they listen well, but their friends and clients secretly disagree. Your book includes all of the following tips for supportive listening EXCEPT:

A) Try to distract the other person from feeling unpleasant emotions.
B) Focus on the other person.
C) Concentrate on feelings rather than events.
D) Summarize what you hear.

Question 6

Juan feels it is a waste of time to exercise because people in his family typically develop heart disease even when they are physically fit. He reasons that he cannot change fate. Juan's attitude is best described in terms of:

A) An internal locus of control
B) The emotional muting effect
C) Low health self-efficacy
D) Social support

Question 7

While training to be a medical technologist, Tom did not anticipate how often he would be educating people about emotional aspects of health concerns. Luckily, he keeps in mind the following tip(s) from the text for dealing effectively with emotions:

A) If people do not seem emotional, they are probably coping well.
B) People need perspective. It often helps to minimize the person's loss or feelings of grief.
C) Be willing to talk honestly and openly.
D) All of these are effective tips.

Question 8

After watching a recent news item about whether to keep individuals in a persistent vegetative state on life support or not, you feel strongly that you would like to specify what care you would want in a similar circumstance. A document that specifies this is called a(n):

A) Personal medical edict
B) Protocol forecast for personal care
C) Advance-care directive
D) Personal decree of care directives

Question 9

When Tara was on crutches, her friends did her shopping for her. Performing tasks of this nature to help another person is called:

A) Informational support
B) Emotional support
C) Nurturing support
D) Instrumental support

Question 10

When Mario began looking for jobs as a physical therapist, he found that most of the ads said, "Must have excellent communication and critical thinking skills." He decided to brush up on communication tips from his text. In the section on being a supportive listener, Mario found all of the following tips EXCEPT:

A) Focus on the other person.
B) Help the other person make clear value judgments about people and events.
C) Concentrate on feelings rather than events.
D) Summarize what you hear.

Question 11

You work with a woman who has just been diagnosed with skin cancer. Although her prognosis is good, she seems to spend most of her energy thinking about what she might have done differently to prevent this condition. You try to help her accept what she cannot change and work toward healthier outcomes in the future. The aspect of coping that involves acceptance is called

A) Emotional adjustment
B) The outcome tolerance model
C) Coping equivocality process
D) Instrumental social support

Question 12

According to your book, when dealing with death and dying, it is best to:

A) Avoid talking about death because it makes everyone sad.
B) Learn more about dying experiences.
C) Keeping everyone focused on the positive aspects of death.

Question 13

As she walked out of the doctor's office, Maureen felt overwhelmed and confused. The doctor gave her so many details that her head was spinning. Providing more details than a person can accept or comprehend is called:

A) The information integration quotient
B) Social network overload
C) The data surplus principle
D) Overinforming

Question 14

On her first day on the job, Sharon treats a patient who is highly anxious and worried. What advice from your book should Sharon keep in mind?

A) It usually helps to point out to an emotional person that things could be worse.
B) If a patient is emotional, you should tell the person things will be okay, even if you are not sure what may happen.
C) Sharon should find a more experienced person to take over the case.
D) People usually appreciate it when others acknowledge their emotions and are willing to listen.

Question 15

You marvel at the strength of terminally ill people who accept that they do not have long to live and do everything they can to enjoy time with loved ones while they can. The aspect of coping that involves acceptance is called:

A) The outcome tolerance model
B) Coping equivocality process
C) Emotional adjustment
D) Instrumental social support

Question 16

When considering research on social support, it is most accurate to say that:

A) You can never get enough social support.
B) Too much support can hinder people's coping abilities.
C) Emotional support is more important than instrumental support.
D) Virtual communities are typically not helpful unless you are confined to your home.

Question 17

"I have tried relaxation and every medicine on the market, yet I cannot stop these debilitating migraines." This comment suggests that the speaker is experiencing:

A) Low health self-efficacy
B) An internal locus of control
C) The emotional muting effect
D) Inadequate social support

Question 18

Often, the first step in coping is to determine what things cannot be changed, in which case you would strive for ______, and which things you can do something about, in which case you would strive for __________.

A) empathy, lobbying
B) emotional adjustment, problem-solving
C) resignation, optimism
D) social approval, stigma avoidance

Question 19

Information is sometimes helpful in reducing the uncertainty people feel concerning health issues. But too much information, or information provided when we are not ready for it, can be distressing. The idea that information serves to stabilize our world in some circumstances and to challenge that stability in others is called:

A) The information integration quotient
B) The theory of problematic integration
C) Social network overload
D) The data surplus principle

Question 20

You were grief-stricken when you learned that your grandfather was terminally ill, but he comforted you by talking about the overarching meaning of his life. Which of the following describes perceiving a supra-meaning within a health episode?

A) Passive acceptance theory
B) Renovation phenomenon
C) Lay caregiving
D) Transcendent experience

Question 21

When people believe they can manage their health successfully they are said to have low health self-efficacy.

Question 22

You help a friend cope by reassuring her that she is loved and supported. Social support that builds self-esteem, acknowledges and expresses emotions, and provides companionship is known as nurturing support.

Question 23

From the perspective of the theory of problematic integration, uncertainty should be resolved as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Question 24

According to your book, the Nicholas Effect refers to the tension that often exists between parents and professional caregivers over who will perform which tasks for a sick child.

Question 25

Famous people waiting for donor organs are likely to get them more quickly than other people.

Question 26

Dialectical theory describes people's ongoing efforts to negotiate seemingly opposite but interdependent factors, as when a person is more "present" with a loved one because they take some time to be away from them now and then.

Question 27

You should assume that individuals who don't display much emotion during difficult circumstances are coping well.

Question 28

Some people, such as members of some traditional Native American cultures, prefer that bad news be delivered indirectly through metaphors and storytelling.

Question 29

It's a good idea to share bad news with people right away, even if that means a conversation in a busy hallway or over the phone.

Question 30

In Greek mythology, Bios represents death and is the rival of Thanatos, which is Greek for "life".

Question 31

How do an internal and an external locus of control differ? What impact does locus of control have on coping and health related decision making?

Question 32

What are two types of action-facilitating support? Give an example of each.

Question 33

Describe at least three tips from your book for supportive listening.

Question 34

Describe three ways in which people can be oversupportive. What are the likely outcomes of each type of oversupport?