Chapter 35: The Adolescent and Family Perry: Maternal Child Nursing Care, 6th Edition

Chapter 35: The
Adolescent and
Family Perry:
Maternal Child
Nursing Care,
6th Edition

1. In girls, what is the initial indication of
puberty?
a. Menarche
b. Growth spurt
c. Growth of pubic hair
d. Breast development - CORRECT ANSWERANS: D
In most girls, the initial indication of puberty is
the appearance of breast buds, an event known
as the larche. The usual sequence of secondary
sexual characteristic development in girls is
breast changes, rapid increase in height and
weight, growth of pubic hair, appearance of
axillary hair, menstruation, and abrupt
deceleration of linear growth.
2. The mean age of menarche in the United
States is:
a. 11.5 years.
b. 12.5 years.
c. 13.5 years.
d. 14 years. - CORRECT ANSWER-ANS: B
The average age of menarche is 12 years and 4
months in North American girls, with a normal
range of 10.5 to 15 years.
3. By what age should concerns about pubertal
delay be considered in boys?
a. 12 to 12.5 years
b. 12.5 to 13 years
c. 13 to 13.5 years
d. 13.5 to 14 years - CORRECT ANSWER-ANS: D
Concerns about pubertal delay should be
considered for boys who exhibit no
enlargement of the testes or scrotal changes by
13.5 to 14 years of age. Ages younger than 13.5
years are too young for initial concern.
4. A 14 years old, mentions that he now has to
use deodorant but never had to before. The
nurse's response should be based on what
knowledge?
a. Eccrine sweat glands in the axillae become
fully functional during puberty.
b. Sebaceous glands become extremely active
during puberty.
c. New deposits of fatty tissue insulate the body
and cause increased sweat production.
d. Apocrine sweat glands reach secretory
capacity during puberty. - CORRECT ANSWERANS: D
The apocrine sweat glands, nonfunctional in
children, reach secretory capacity during
puberty. They secrete a thick substance as a
result of emotional stimulation that, when
acted on by surface bacteria, becomes highly
odoriferous. They are limited in distribution
and grow in conjunction with hair follicles in
the axillae, genital and anal areas, and other
areas. Eccrine sweat glands are present almost
everywhere on the skin and become fully
functional and respond to emotional and
thermal stimulation. Sebaceous glands become
extremely active at this time, especially those
on the genitals and the "flush" areas of the
body, such as face, neck, shoulders, upper back,
and chest. This increased activity is important
in the development of acne. New deposits of
fatty tissue insulate the body and cause
increased sweat production, but this is not the
etiology of apocrine sweat gland activity.
5. According to Erikson, what is the
psychosocial task of adolescence?
a. Intimacy
b. Identity
c. Initiative
d. Independence - CORRECT ANSWER-ANS: B
Traditional psychosocial theory holds that the
developmental crises of adolescence lead to
the formation of a sense of identity. Intimacy is
the developmental stage for early adulthood.
Initiative is the developmental stage for early
childhood. Independence is not one of Erikson's
developmental stages.
6. According to Piaget, the adolescent is in the
fourth stage of cognitive development with a
focus on what area?
a. Formal operations
b. Concrete operations
c. Conventional thought
d. Postconventional thought - CORRECT
ANSWER-ANS: A
Cognitive thinking culminates with capacity for
abstract thinking. This stage, the period of
formal operations, is Piaget's fourth and last
stage. The concrete operations stage usually
develops between ages 7 and 11 years.
Conventional and postconventional thought
refer to Kohlberg's stages of moral
development.