Take the Test

1. Which definition is used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to describe “abusive head trauma”?

• a. A fracture to the skull of an infant or young child due to traumatic causes, including motor vehicle accidents, gunshot wounds, and falls
• b. A severe form of child abuse caused by blunt impact and/or violent shaking
• c. Injury to the scalp of an infant or young child due to an open or closed head fracture
• d. Subdural and retinal hemorrhages in the head of an infant or young child

2. For which reason are infants at greater risk than adults for head trauma?

• a. Their brains are larger proportionately to their body size and are easily compressed within the skull during a shaking episode.
• b. Their skulls are thick and rigid, with open fontanels that swell and bleed with excessive shaking.
• c. Their heads are smaller in relation to their body size, and their blood vessels are stiff and dilate when shaking occurs.
• d. Their brains have less water content and contain more brain cells than an adult brain.

3. Which assessment finding by the clinician indicates the highest risk for abusive head trauma?

• a. A mother states she is going back to work, leaving her 3-month-old infant with a neighbor who provides licensed in-home care for her own 6-month-old infant.
• b. A single mother states that her unemployed, live-in boyfriend will be caring for her 4-month-old infant, who was born prematurely, while she is at work.
• c. A new mother states that she is experiencing mild postpartum depression.
• d. A husband brings his 1-month-old infant to the family’s doctor appointment, stating that his wife is being treated for postpartum anemia.

4. Which question is omitted from a nursing neurological assessment of a child suspected of having an abusive head injury?

• a. Are facial movements symmetrical?
• b. Is each pupil the same size, shape, and able to react to light equally?
• c. Does the child appear well nourished?
• d. Does the child show unusual flaccidity or posturing?

5. Which injury describes normal developmental patterns of accidental injury in the 0- to 3-year-old age range?

• a. Rib fractures
• b. Trauma from falls down stairs or off of a bed or changing table
• c. Retinal hemorrhage and bilateral, hypoxic-ischemic brain injury
• d. Bruises with patterns such as handprints, loop or belt marks, or bite marks

6. Which intervention is considered first-tier therapy for a child with traumatic brain injury?

• a. Treatment of the injury
• b. Resuscitation and stabilization efforts
• c. Prevention of secondary brain injury
• d. Interviewing the caregiver

7. Which developmental consequence is often seen in children with abusive head trauma?

• a. Obstructive sleep apnea
• b. Childhood obesity
• c. Vision and/or hearing impairment
• d. Blood disorders

8. Which intervention by a healthcare professional is the best example of a primary child abuse prevention strategy?

• a. Offering a parenting course specifically to teen mothers at risk for child abuse
• b. Referring parents with “mental health” issues to a community mental health agency
• c. Providing all new parents with information on normal newborn crying and steps to take if they become frustrated
• d. Referring parents convicted of child abuse to a home-visiting program that teaches parenting skills

9. Which statement is true about the reporting of child abuse?

• a. Coroners are typically not required to report suspected child abuse or neglect.
• b. All states have laws that mandate the reporting of suspected child abuse or neglect.
• c. Healthcare professionals are the only group typically mandated to report child abuse or neglect.
• d. Reports of suspected child abuse or neglect may not be made anonymously.

10. Which statement describes “reasonable cause” to report child abuse?

• a. Having a “gut feeling” that the child’s caretaker is abusive
• b. Disliking the parents of the child
• c. Waiting for the results of diagnostic tests before making a report
• d. Believing that an injury is consistent with an act of abuse or neglect