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Grief

The alleviation of suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic

During the current global public health emergency, clinicians may likely struggle to meet the psychological, spiritual, social, and emotional needs of patients and family caregivers. [...]the burnout and existential distress experienced by healthcare professionals worldwide prior to COVID-19 will likely increase significantly amid the current pandemic (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2019; Parks, 2020; Pessin et al., 2015).

Mon, 11/16/2020 - 12:38

Caregiving and bereavement in palliative care: A cross-cultural study between Brazil and Portugal

Caregiving and bereavement outcomes are strongly influenced by socio-cultural context. Past research has found higher levels of caregiver burden and psychological morbidity in Portuguese compared to Brazilian caregivers. This study compared Brazilian and Portuguese family caregivers in palliative care to identify differences in psychological morbidity and caregiver burden and their relationship with psychosocial factors such as sociodemographic variables, circumstances of end-of-life care and dying, social support, family functioning, and perception of quality of care.

Tue, 07/14/2020 - 18:07

Family Caregivers’ Anticipatory Grief: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Its Multiple Challenges

The end-of-life trajectory of cancer patients in palliative care (PC) elicits an anticipatory grief (AG) process in family caregivers (FCs). Although widely recognized, AG lacks conceptual clarification. This study aims to qualitatively explore the experience of FCs of patients with terminal cancer to identify the core characteristics and the specific adaptive challenges related to AG in the context of end-of-life caregiving. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted in a clinical sample of 26 FCs of cancer patients in PC.

Tue, 07/14/2020 - 16:01

Effect of caregiving at end of life on grief, quality of life and general health: A prospective, longitudinal, comparative study

Background: Determining the effect of caregiving and bereavement remains a challenge.

Thu, 01/23/2020 - 10:16

Cartography of Factors Influencing Caregivers' Experiences of Loss: A Promising Tool to Help Social Workers Support Caregivers

This article introduces a cartography tool to help social workers work with and support family caregivers. This tool aims to determine (1) which caregivers are likely to need additional support during bereavement and (2) what resources the caregiver has that care teams can rely on for decision-making and planning. The purpose of this article is to present a preliminary assessment of the cartography based on the feedback collected from potential users regarding the tool’s content and usage.

Wed, 01/22/2020 - 10:07

Feeling Relieved After the Death of a Family Member With Dementia: Associations With Postbereavement Adjustment

Objective: After an extended period of caregiving, the death of a family member with dementia can provide a sense of relief to individuals because caregiving has ended and their loved one is no longer suffering. Little is known about predeath factors associated with feeling relieved after the death of a family member with dementia. This study examined 1) predeath factors associated with caregiver (CG) relief; and 2) whether CG relief is associated with postbereavement adjustment, namely complicated grief and depression symptoms.

Wed, 12/18/2019 - 10:52

Psychosocial Issues and Bereavement

Patients with serious illness and their family caregivers face numerous ongoing psychological and social concerns and stressors throughout the disease trajectory. Common challenges relate to the need to manage the disease by making complex and often difficult medical decisions. In addition, the presence of psychological and psychiatric distress, including depression and anxiety, may significantly add to the overall symptom burden for the patient and family caregivers. These challenges negatively impact mood, cognitive function, interpersonal relationships, and medical decision making.

Wed, 10/23/2019 - 09:35

Associations between Predeath and Postdeath Grief in Family Caregivers in Palliative Home Care

Background: Family caregivers in palliative care may be placed in a complicated emotional situation wherein they suffer the risk of grief reactions both pre- and postbereavement and may also experience symptoms of anxiety and depression. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate (1) associations between predeath grief and postdeath grief and (2) whether these are moderated by symptoms of anxiety and depression. Design: This was a prospective correlational study.

Tue, 09/10/2019 - 12:15

Exploring therapeutic interventions to reduce the experience of guilt in carers of people living with dementia

Family carers of people with dementia often describe feelings of guilt, grief and low mood, and are also at increased risk of clinical depression. Through a skilled assessment of a carer’s feelings of guilt, an Admiral Nurse identified specific psychological approaches helpful in relieving this potentially damaging and paralysing phenomenon.

Wed, 06/26/2019 - 14:21

Perceived Grief Among Caregivers of Patients With Dementia in China

Chinese family caregivers of dementia patients suffer considerable grief in their caregiving activity; little research has been conducted on dementia caregivers' grief in China. This study aims to (a) confirm the factor structure of the Mandarin version of the Marwit-Meuser Caregiver Grief Inventory-Short Form (MM-CGI-SF), (b) evaluate the levels of family caregivers' grief, and (c) explore the best predictors of family caregivers' grief. A cross-sectional study was conducted to collect data from 91 caregivers of dementia patients.

Tue, 06/25/2019 - 10:40