Question

A nurse is reinforcing teaching with the family of a preschooler whose parent has a terminal diagnosis. Which of the following statements should the nurse include when discussing age-appropriate responses to death?

(a) Preschoolers may not understand the finality of death and may believe that their parent will return.

(b) Preschoolers may express their grief through play and may not be able to articulate their emotions.

(c) Preschoolers may have difficulty understanding the concept of illness and may believe that they can catch their parent's illness.

(d) Preschoolers may feel guilty or responsible for their parent's illness.

Answer 1

Preschoolers responding to death may misunderstand its finality, expressing grief through play without verbalizing emotions, and potentially feel guilty or think they can catch the illness. It is important for family members to be mindful of these developmental characteristics when talking to preschool children about death.

Step-by-step explanation:

Age-Appropriate Responses to Death in Preschoolers

When discussing age-appropriate responses to death with the family of a preschooler whose parent has a terminal diagnosis, it's important to consider the cognitive and emotional development of children at this age. Preschoolers may have difficulty understanding the permanence of death, and therefore, might believe the deceased loved one will return. Another key point is that preschoolers may express grief through play instead of articulating their emotions verbally, as they might not have the language to express their feelings. Furthermore, due to their limited understanding of illness, preschoolers may believe they can catch the terminal illness from their parent. Lastly, children at this stage of development might experience feelings of guilt or believe they are somehow responsible for their parent's illness.

These age-appropriate responses align with the developmental theories of Erikson, who highlights the task of initiative versus guilt in preschoolers, and Piaget, who notes that young children operate in a preoperational stage where they can think symbolically but do not fully understand abstract concepts such as permanence of death.