Substance Abuse and Abuse Q 71

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When a husband takes out his work frustrations and anger by abusing his wife at home, the nurse will identify this crisis as which type?

  

     A. Psychiatric emergency crisis

     B. Developmental crisis

     C. Anticipated life transition

     D. Dispositional crisis

    

    

Correct Answer D. Dispositional crisis

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A dispositional crisis is a response to an external situational crisis. External anger at work is the dispositional crisis displaced to his wife through abuse. These crises can ensue from a lack of information, such as not knowing which job to take, what type of medical referral to seek for a particular symptom, what one’s options are about living arrangements, whom to ask for what.

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Option A: Psychiatric emergency crisis is when the individual’s general functioning has been severely impaired, and the individual has been rendered incompetent. These are crisis situations in which one’s general functioning is severely impaired and one is rendered incompetent or unable to maintain responsibility for oneself; in other words, one is dangerous to oneself and/or others.

Option B: Developmental crisis occurs in response to triggering emotions related to unresolved conflict in one’s life. This is called a developmental crisis based on Freudian psychology. These occur as part of the process of growing and developing through various periods of life. Sometimes a crisis is a predictable part of the life cycle, such as the crisis described in Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development.

Option C: An anticipated life transition crisis is a crisis that is normal in the life cycle; transitional is one over which the person has no control. These are normative, developmental crises that are fairly common in our society. They may result from midlife career changes, getting married, becoming a parent, divorce, the onset of chronic or terminal illness, or changing schools.

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