Violence Affecting Families
NUR4636 – Community Health Nursing
Case Study
Chapter 20
Crisis is a temporary state of severe disequilibrium for persons who face a
threatening situation. The community health nurse has been requested to follow up
on domestic violence cases as part of the workload. The student nurse is
accompanying the community health nurse on the visits. The community health
nurse is assessing the student nurse’s current understanding of violence affecting
families by asking some theoretical questions concerning this critical issue.
1. The student nurse shares with the community health nurse that a crisis is a
state that individuals can neither avoid nor solve with their usual coping
abilities and occurs when some force disrupts normal functioning, thereby
causing a loss of balance or normalcy in life. Crises create tension;
subsequently, efforts are made to solve the problem and reduce the tension.
The community health nurse asks the student nurse to identify and describe
the two main types of crisis. What is a brief description of the two types of
crisis?
2. The community health nurse has to follow up on an abuse case involving a
child and adolescent. The community health nurse asks the student nurse
what are the ages that child abuse occurs and how is shaken baby syndrome
or Munchausen syndrome diagnosed?
3. Community health nurses use three levels of prevention when working with
families. What type of focus is involved in the three levels of prevention?
4. People in crisis need and often seek help. Crisis intervention builds on these
two phenomena to achieve its primary goal—reestablishment of equilibrium.
What are the two major methods with a brief description of crisis
intervention?
