The nurse is caring for an 8-year-old boy hospitalized for a bone marrow transplant. His parents are ...

D
Feedback:
Separation anxiety consists of three stagesprotest, despair, and detachment. In the protest stage, the child reacts aggressively to separation and exhibits great distress by crying, expressing agitation, and rejecting others who attempt to offer comfort. In the despair phase the child displays hopelessness by withdrawing from others, becoming quiet without crying, and exhibiting apathy, depression, lack of interest in play and food, and overall feelings of sadness. In the detachment stage the child shows interest in the environment, starts to play again, and forms superficial relationships with the nurses and other children. If the parents return, the child ignores them. A child in this phase of separation anxiety exhibits resignation, not contentment.