Your client has recently been started on hospice for terminal cancer. Your client's wife has started saying things such as she doesn’t know what she is going to do when your client is gone, and she can’t think about the future. You suspect your client’s wife is experiencing:

Choice A reason: Anticipatory grieving occurs when individuals begin to experience grief before the actual loss happens. It is common in terminal illness situations where loved ones begin to emotionally prepare for the impending death. Expressions of fear, uncertainty, and sadness about the future are hallmark signs of anticipatory grief. Choice B reason: Hallucinations involve sensory perceptions without external stimuli, such as seeing or hearing things that are not present. The wife’s statements reflect emotional distress and future-oriented anxiety, not perceptual disturbances. Choice C reason: Flashbacks are intrusive, vivid recollections of past traumatic events. They are typically associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The wife’s comments do not indicate reliving past trauma but rather anticipatory concern about future loss. Choice D reason: Mourning refers to the outward expression of grief after a loss has occurred. Since the client is still alive, the wife is not yet in the mourning phase but is instead experiencing anticipatory grief.