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International Journal of Environmental... Nov 2022Individuals bereaved by suicide experience substantial emotional distress and are at risk for poorer mental health, substance use concerns, and suicidal behaviors. This...
Individuals bereaved by suicide experience substantial emotional distress and are at risk for poorer mental health, substance use concerns, and suicidal behaviors. This study aimed to explore whether those bereaved by suicide reported different coping styles compared to those bereaved by sudden death in the first six months. It also aimed to determine whether a previous mental health diagnosis (PMHD) and experiencing stigma and/or shame impacted the utilization of adaptive and maladaptive coping. The sample was constituted by individuals bereaved by suicide ( = 142) compared to those bereaved by sudden death ( = 63), six months after loss. The study included immediate family members who were 18 years or older and understood the English language. After controlling for demographics there were no significant differences in coping styles between bereavement types. Regardless of bereavement type, having a PMHD was associated with increased avoidant and problem-focused coping, and stigma and shame were each associated with increased avoidant coping. Women were also more likely to report using adaptive coping. Findings demonstrate no difference by bereavement type and have implications for the tailoring of grief/postvention supports that are sensitive to perceived stigma/shame to better facilitate utilization of adaptive emotion-focused coping, particularly for men and those with pre-existing mental health problems.
Topics: Male; Humans; Female; Bereavement; Grief; Suicide; Death, Sudden; Adaptation, Psychological
PubMed: 36429427
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192214709 -
Omega Sep 2022We compared online discussion forum posts related to pet loss to those related to human bereavement. Posts (=401) were analyzed using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word...
We compared online discussion forum posts related to pet loss to those related to human bereavement. Posts (=401) were analyzed using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count software for frequencies of word use relevant to bereavement. Words related to anger, sadness, and negative emotions were used at similar frequencies for all grief. Sibling loss was associated with using first person pronouns at higher frequencies, and positive emotion words at lower frequencies than other categories of loss. There were some similarities in partners and pets in the word use related to friends and social connectedness. Words related to religion were highest when writing about losing a child and lowest when losing a pet. Our results highlight the similarities in the vocabulary in pet and human bereavement. Findings demonstrate the importance of online discussion forums for understanding the process of grief and specific relationship types.
Topics: Bereavement; Child; Grief; Humans; Linguistics; Siblings
PubMed: 32249671
DOI: 10.1177/0030222820914678 -
Sleep Medicine Reviews Oct 2020Severe, persistent and disabling grief occurs among a sizable minority experiencing bereavement, with diagnostic manuals newly including complicated grief (CG)...
Severe, persistent and disabling grief occurs among a sizable minority experiencing bereavement, with diagnostic manuals newly including complicated grief (CG) disorders. Sleep disturbances/disorders have been established as worsening affective and stress-related conditions. However, the role of sleep difficulties in bereavement and CG has not received similar scientific attention. We therefore conducted a systematic review with narrative syntheses on this topic to clarify the role of sleep in bereavement (PROSPERO: CRD42018093145). We searched PubMed, Web of Science and PsychInfo for peer-reviewed English-language articles including (at least one) bereaved sample and sleep disturbance measure. We identified 85 articles on 12.294 participants. We answered seven pre-defined research questions demonstrating: high prevalence of sleep disturbances in bereavement; positive associations of grief intensity with sleep difficulties; preliminary indications of risk factors of post-loss sleep disturbance; higher prevalence of sleep disturbances in CG, enhanced by psychiatric comorbidity (i.e., depression); and initial evidence of causal relationships between (complicated) grief and sleep. Grief therapy partly improves sleep difficulties, yet no intervention studies have specifically targeted sleep problems in bereaved persons. Causal relationships between sleep and grief require further examination in intensive longitudinal investigations, including randomized trials, thereby clarifying whether treating sleep problems enhances CG treatment effects.
Topics: Bereavement; Comorbidity; Depression; Humans; Prevalence; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 32505968
DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2020.101331 -
International Journal of Environmental... Oct 2022Bereavement by suicide and other unnatural causes is associated with suicide but evidence regarding risk of substance misuse is inconsistent. This may be due to...
Bereavement by suicide and other unnatural causes is associated with suicide but evidence regarding risk of substance misuse is inconsistent. This may be due to heterogeneity in patterns of alcohol or drug use after traumatic bereavement; some increasing use to cope with the loss and others reducing use. To highlight the problems of focussing on diagnostic thresholds when investigating substance use after traumatic loss, we aimed to test whether people bereaved by suicide or other unnatural causes are more likely to reduce or stop their substance use than people bereaved by sudden natural causes. Using multivariable logistic regression and data from an online survey of 1854 UK-based bereaved adults, we tested the association between bereavement by suicide and other unnatural causes and post-bereavement reduction/cessation in (i) alcohol and (ii) drug use. There were no group differences in the proportions who reduced/stopped alcohol use, but a significantly greater proportion of people bereaved by sudden unnatural causes reduced/stopped drug use post-bereavement than people bereaved by sudden natural causes (AOR = 2.61; 95% CI = 1.44-4.71; = 0.001; 4.1% versus 1.7%). In sub-group analyses this applied separately to people bereaved by suicide and non-suicide unnatural causes. Research into post-bereavement substance use should accommodate apparent divergent sub-diagnostic patterns.
Topics: Young Adult; Humans; Social Stigma; Death, Sudden; Cross-Sectional Studies; Bereavement; Grief; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 36293834
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192013245 -
Palliative Medicine Sep 2016Socially excluded populations have poorer access to care; however, little attention has been paid to lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or trans* people. Lesbian, gay, bisexual... (Review)
Review
The bereavement experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or trans* people who have lost a partner: A systematic review, thematic synthesis and modelling of the literature.
BACKGROUND
Socially excluded populations have poorer access to care; however, little attention has been paid to lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or trans* people. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or trans* people are at increased risk of certain life-limiting illnesses and may not receive the care and support they need at the end of life and into bereavement.
AIM
To identify and appraise the evidence of the bereavement experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or trans* people who have lost a partner and develop an explanatory model of lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or trans* partner bereavement.
DESIGN
Systematic review (in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines) and thematic synthesis with assessment of reporting and rigour. Quantitative or qualitative articles reporting bereavement experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or trans* partners were included, excluding articles reporting multiple losses in the context of HIV or AIDS.
DATA SOURCES
PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library. Inclusion dates: database inception - 30 April 2015.
RESULTS
A total of 23 articles reporting on 13 studies were identified. Studies described universal experiences of the pain of losing a partner; however, additional barriers and stressors were reported for lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or trans* people, including homophobia, failure to acknowledge the relationship, additional legal and financial issues and the 'shadow' of HIV or AIDS. A novel model was developed to explain how the experience for lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or trans* people is shaped by whether the relationship was disclosed and acknowledged in life and into bereavement and how this impacts upon needs and access to care.
CONCLUSION
There is a need for healthcare providers to avoid hetero-normative assumptions; be mindful of additional stressors in bereavement for lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or trans* people; and consider additional sources of support to deliver individualised holistic care.
Topics: Adaptation, Psychological; Bereavement; Female; Grief; Humans; Male; Sexual Partners; Sexual and Gender Minorities
PubMed: 26944532
DOI: 10.1177/0269216316634601 -
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management May 2024The death of a child may be the most traumatic event a family can experience. Bereavement care for parents is essential for their physical and mental well-being and is a... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
The death of a child may be the most traumatic event a family can experience. Bereavement care for parents is essential for their physical and mental well-being and is a psychosocial standard of care. Childhood mortality is higher in low- or middle-income countries (LMICs); however, little is known regarding bereavement support or interventions for parents in LMICs.
AIM
To identify programs, services, initiatives, or interventions offered to bereaved parents in LMICs in hospital settings.
METHODS
A systematic search was executed following the Preferred Reported Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Articles from LMICs describing interventions, programs, or resources provided to parents after the death of a child (0-18 years old) from any cause were included. Extracted data was categorized by demographics, study design, outcomes, and quality assessment using the McGill Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT).
RESULTS
We retrieved 4428 papers and screened their titles and abstracts, 36 articles were selected for full-text assessment, resulting in nine articles included in the final analysis. Most interventions described support for parents whose child died during the prenatal or neonatal period. The primary interventions included psychological counseling, creating mementos (such as photographs or footprints), and bereavement workshops. Only one paper described a fully established bereavement program for parents. Eight of the papers met high-quality criteria.
DISCUSSION
Although bereavement care is crucial for parents whose child has died, only a few studies have documented bereavement interventions in LMICs. More research may help with bereavement program implementation and improved care for bereaved parents in LMICs.
Topics: Child; Infant, Newborn; Female; Pregnancy; Humans; Infant; Child, Preschool; Adolescent; Developing Countries; Social Support; Grief; Parents; Bereavement
PubMed: 38244706
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2024.01.023 -
BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.) May 1991
Topics: Attitude to Death; Bereavement; Counseling; Female; Fetal Death; Grief; Humans; Infant Mortality; Infant, Newborn; Pregnancy
PubMed: 2043809
DOI: 10.1136/bmj.302.6786.1167 -
The American Journal of Psychiatry Apr 2021
Topics: Adolescent; Bereavement; Child; Grief; Humans
PubMed: 33789453
DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.21020154 -
The Lancet. Public Health Apr 2024Morbidity and mortality associated with bereavement is an important public health issue, yet economic and resource investments to effectively implement and sustain... (Review)
Review
Morbidity and mortality associated with bereavement is an important public health issue, yet economic and resource investments to effectively implement and sustain integrated bereavement services are sorely lacking at national and global levels. Although bereavement support is a component of palliative care provision, continuity of care for bereaved individuals is often not standard practice in palliative and end-of-life contexts. In addition to potentially provoking feelings of abandonment, failure to extend family-centred care after a patient's death can leave bereaved families without access to crucial psychosocial support and at risk for illnesses that exacerbate the already substantial public health toll of interpersonal loss. The effect of inadequate bereavement care disproportionately disadvantages vulnerable groups, including those living in resource-constrained settings. We build on available evidence and previous recommendations to propose a model for transitional care, firmly establishing bereavement care services within health-care institutions, while respecting their finite resources and the need to ultimately transition grieving families to supports within their communities. Key to the transitional bereavement care model is the bolstering of community-based supports through development of compassionate communities and upskilling of professional services for those with more substantial bereavement support needs. To achieve this goal, interprofessional health workers, institutions, and systems must shift bereavement care from an afterthought to a public health priority.
Topics: Humans; Hospice Care; Health Priorities; Public Health; Social Support; Bereavement
PubMed: 38492580
DOI: 10.1016/S2468-2667(24)00030-6 -
Psychoneuroendocrinology Jan 2022Spousal bereavement can lead to adverse health outcomes; however, not all widow(er)s experience the same degree of health problems. Thus, it is important to understand...
BACKGROUND
Spousal bereavement can lead to adverse health outcomes; however, not all widow(er)s experience the same degree of health problems. Thus, it is important to understand the contribution of disparities (e.g., childhood maltreatment and subjective social status) that may underlie adverse health outcomes that arise following bereavement.
METHODS
We collected data from 130 spousally bereaved individuals at 3-time points (3 months post-loss, 4 months post-loss, and 6 months post-loss). Using mixed models, we assessed the interaction of childhood maltreatment, subjective social status, and time to predict changes in proinflammatory cytokine production, depressive symptoms, grief symptoms.
RESULTS
We found a significant interaction between childhood maltreatment, subjective social status, and time predicting proinflammatory cytokine production (beta > -0.01, p = 0.048), depressive symptoms (beta = 0.008, p = .010), and grief symptoms (beta = 0.001 p = .001).
CONCLUSION
This study highlights the role of disparities related to childhood maltreatment and subjective social status on adverse health outcomes following spousal bereavement.
Topics: Adverse Childhood Experiences; Bereavement; Cytokines; Depression; Female; Grief; Health Status Disparities; Humans; Male; Social Determinants of Health; Social Status; Spouses; Time Factors
PubMed: 34837775
DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105595