Pediatric ATI Practice Exam

What is an age-appropriate reaction to death in a preschool-age child?

1. The child views death as similar to sleep.

2. The child believes his thoughts can cause death.

3. The child recognizes that death is permanent.

4. The child thinks death is a punishment.

The correct answer is: The child views death as similar to sleep.

In preschool-age children, the understanding of death is generally very different from that of older children or adults. At this stage of cognitive development, children often perceive death in a literal and somewhat magical way. They might understand it in relation to concepts they are familiar with, such as sleep. When a preschooler sees a loved one who has died, they may think of it as a deep sleep from which the person will eventually awaken. This reflects their still-developing understanding of time, permanence, and causality. The other options reflect more complex understandings of death that typically develop later. For instance, the idea that one's thoughts can cause death speaks to a level of magical thinking that is very common in young children, but it's not the primary way they conceptualize death itself at this young age. The concept of death as permanent usually begins to develop around the age of 7, when children can grasp that death is irreversible. Similarly, the notion of death as a punishment also tends to emerge from more advanced reasoning about morality and consequences, which preschool children are not yet capable of comprehensively understanding. Thus, viewing death as similar to sleep is the most accurate portrayal of a preschool child's reaction to death.