When assessing a client’s hostility, what important behavior should be encouraged to foster improvement?

Fostering improvement in a client’s hostility necessitates encouraging behaviors that promote healthy expression and understanding of emotions. Verbalizing feelings appropriately is crucial as it allows clients to articulate their emotions in a constructive manner rather than resorting to aggressive or harmful behaviors. This process encourages self-awareness and helps clients learn how to communicate their needs and frustrations effectively, which is essential for interpersonal relationships and emotional regulation.

Having clients express their feelings verbally also facilitates therapeutic communication between the client and the nurse, establishing a trusting relationship that can lead to better understanding and management of the client’s hostility. This improvement can be pivotal in reducing aggressive behaviors and fostering more positive interactions with others.

The other options might not be effective in directly addressing hostility. While building a supportive network of friends can provide valuable social support, it does not focus specifically on recognizing or expressing feelings. Likewise, engaging in physical activity can help reduce overall stress and anger but may not address the underlying issues driving hostility. Complete withdrawal from social interactions can exacerbate feelings of isolation and does not promote healthy expression of emotions. Hence, encouraging the client to verbalize their feelings cultivates a more constructive approach to managing hostility.