Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 80%
Simulated
A client is admitted to the psychiatric hospital for evaluation after numerous incidents of threatening others, angry outbursts, and two episodes of hitting a coworker at the grocery store where he works. The client is very anxious and tells the nurse who admits him, 'I didn't mean to hit him. He made me so mad I didn't know what to do.' Which of the following is the priority nursing intervention?
Correct answer
A
Rationale
Teaching anger management techniques is the priority to address the client's inability to control violent outbursts, providing tools to manage anger proactively. Anxiolytics may help anxiety but not the root issue, group therapy is secondary, and a no harm contract addresses safety but not skill-building.