A woman and her son fight constantly since the son started using drugs. The son tells his mother that his drug use is none of her business. Which of the following responses by the community health nurse would be most appropriate?

Question

a. Talk to the mother and son about their dysfunctional relationship, guiding them to understand that both of them are at fault.
b. Talk to the mother and son to help them recognize their present dysfunctional relationship, and find problem-solving interventions that benefit both.
c. Educate the mother about more effective ways to motivate her son to reconsider his desire to abuse drugs.
d. Refer the mother and son to family therapy because of the degree of dysfunction evident in their relationship.

Answer 1

B
Increasing understanding and promoting problem solving are desirable interventions. Finding fault would not be of therapeutic value. Educating the mother about ways to change her son's behavior would likely be less effective than increasing the son's insight and motivation. The need for family therapy would be dependent on the degree of dysfunction. In this case, although the mother's response to the son's drug abuse is dysfunctional (as is his response), no other data indicate pervasive dysfunction, so the need for family therapy is not established.