• Livia B Guntern, Katja Erne, Anaïs Achermann, Martin Müller, Marie-Madlen Jeitziner, and Bjoern Zante.
• Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
• Chest. 2024 Sep 1.

BackgroundRelatives of patients who are critically ill who die are at high risk for symptoms of complicated grief (CG) with potential individual and social burdens. The prevalence and predictors of CG, and in particular the involvement of individual facets of relatives' coping strategies, are not well understood.Research QuestionHow high is the prevalence and what are the predictors of CG, and how are coping strategies associated with CG symptoms?Study Design And MethodsIn this observational single-center cohort study, relatives of patients who are critically ill who died while in the ICU were surveyed 6 months later, using the Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG) and the Brief COPE questionnaire, to assess CG symptoms and coping strategies, respectively. Patients' and relatives' characteristics were obtained. The primary outcome was the ICG sum score.ResultsRelatives of 89 of the 298 patients who died in the ICU during the study period were included. The mean ± SD ICG sum score was 41.6 ± 10.9. Eighty-four relatives (94.4%) had an ICG score ≥ 25. Multivariable analysis revealed that being a partner significantly affected the ICG sum score (coefficient, 4.9; 95% CI, 1.8 to 8.0; P = .003), as did the coping strategies self-distraction (coefficient, 4.4; 95% CI, 2.5 to 6.3; P < .001), acceptance (coefficient, -4.4; 95% CI, -6.3 to -2.5; P < .001), and self-blame (coefficient, 3.8; 95% CI, 1.4 to 6.3; P = .002).InterpretationAlmost all relatives of deceased patients who are critically ill exhibit symptoms of CG. Relatives' functional and dysfunctional coping strategies may be associated with their CG symptoms. Knowledge of individual relatives' coping strategies may be helpful in supporting them. Adequate supportive interventions should be developed.Copyright © 2024 American College of Chest Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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