A nurse is assessing a preschooler who has recently experienced an unexpected death in the family. Which of the following should the nurse recognize as an expected finding?

Rationale: A. The child believes the person will return: Preschoolers view death as temporary and reversible due to their developmental stage and limited understanding of permanence. Magical thinking often leads them to expect the deceased person to come back. B. The child focuses on his own mortality: This is more typical of older school-age children or adolescents, who have a more developed understanding of death’s permanence and may begin to consider their own vulnerability. C. The child refuses to talk about the death: Avoidance can occur at any age, but it is not the primary expected response in preschoolers. At this stage, they may ask repetitive questions or make statements that suggest misunderstanding, rather than complete refusal to talk. D. The child expresses curiosity about the death process: Curiosity about death’s physical aspects is more common in school-age children, who have greater cognitive ability to think concretely about biological processes.