NCLEX psychosocial integrity practice questions
- questions
- 88 questions
- of the exam
- 6–12% of the exam
- test-plan category
- Psychosocial integrity test-plan category
- last updated
- August 2026 last updated
Psychosocial items look easy and are not: four responses are all polite, and only one assesses. The 88 questions below cover therapeutic communication, mental health conditions, substance use, grief, and abuse, and each rationale explains why the other three responses close the conversation. Five are free below.
Written and reviewed by Dana Whitfield, RN, MSN · Updated August 2026
Psychosocial integrity
5 free psychosocial integrity questions
Playable here, no account. Rationales expand in place.
Psychosocial integrity · free set
1 of 5A client admitted with major depressive disorder tells the nurse, "Everyone would be better off without me." Which response is most appropriate?
Rationale
Ask directly. Asking about suicide does not plant the idea, and a veiled statement like this one has to be converted into an assessable answer before anything else happens — including exploring feelings. Reassurance dismisses the statement, deferring to group delays a safety assessment, and 'what made you feel this way' is a therapeutic question in the wrong order: safety first, then exploration.
Answer: B
Which tasks may the registered nurse delegate to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP)? Select all that apply.
Rationale
Delegate tasks, never the nursing process. Vital signs on a stable client, ambulation of a stable client, and recording intake and output are standardized, predictable, and have a known outcome — all delegable. Teaching and assessment belong to the RN, and the word that gives it away is 'newly': a new inhaler and a new admission both require judgement the UAP is not licensed to make.
Answer: A, C, E
A nurse on a medical unit receives report on four clients. Which client should the nurse assess first?
Rationale
Prioritization items are airway, breathing, circulation, in that order — the ranking survives every rewording. Audible gurgling around a fresh tracheostomy is a partially obstructed airway and it is the only option that can kill the client in the next few minutes. Fever, post-op pain, and a glucose of 232 are all real problems that need the nurse, just not first.
Answer: C
A nurse is preparing to feed a client who had a stroke and has mild dysphagia. Which action best reduces the risk of aspiration?
Rationale
Upright at 90 degrees with a chin tuck narrows the airway entrance and directs the bolus toward the esophagus — it is the single highest-yield positioning intervention for dysphagia. Thin liquids and straws move fastest and aspirate most easily, side-lying removes the gravity you want, and large bites overwhelm a swallow that is already impaired.
Answer: B
A client at 30 weeks' gestation reports a headache that will not resolve, blurred vision, and swelling of the hands. Blood pressure is 158/104 mm Hg. Which action should the nurse take first?
Rationale
Headache that will not resolve, visual changes, and a blood pressure of 158/104 after 20 weeks are severe features of preeclampsia — the client is at risk of seizing. Notify and prepare for magnesium sulfate, which is given for seizure prophylaxis rather than for the blood pressure itself. Resting and rechecking in an hour delays treatment, and a urine culture answers a different question entirely.
Answer: B
Breakdown
What is tested in psychosocial integrity
How the questions in this set are distributed, so you can see what you are buying before you buy it.
| Subtopic | Questions |
|---|---|
| Therapeutic communication | 26 |
| Mental health conditions | 24 |
| Crisis and suicide risk | 16 |
| Substance use | 12 |
| Grief, loss, and abuse | 10 |
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