Death studies
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Comparative Study
Bereaved parents' outcomes 4 to 60 months after their children's deaths by accident, suicide, or homicide: a comparative study demonstrating differences.
In this article, the authors revisit a controversial issue in the bereavement field: Does one violent cause of death of a child influence parents' outcomes more than another? To address this question, we observed 173 parents prospectively 4, 12, 24, and 60 months after their children's deaths by accident, suicide, or homicide. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were used to examine the influence of three types of a child's violent death and time since death upon 4 parent outcomes (mental distress, post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD], acceptance of the child's death, and marital satisfaction). ⋯ Nearly 70% of the parents reported that it took either 3 or 4 years to put their children's death into perspective and continue with their own lives; however the child's cause of death did not significantly influence parents' sense of timing in this regard. Clinical and research implications of the findings are discussed.
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Comparative Study
Post-mortem organ donation and grief: a study of consent, refusal and well-being in bereavement.
Concern about the grief processes of organ donors' families are reported by medical staff as a reason not to ask for organ donation. Objectives of the current study were to examine the relation between consenting to a post-mortem organ donation procedure and subsequent process of grief in the bereaved. A cross-section survey was conducted in a representative time-sample of 95 bereaved who lost a first-degree family member on intensive care wards in 27 Dutch hospitals. ⋯ No differences were found in levels of main outcome measures between three donation conditions. However, dissatisfaction with hospital care was associated with depressive and grief symptoms. The results indicate that consenting to organ donation in itself neither hinders nor furthers the grief process.
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This study examined medical school offerings on end-of-life issues between 1975 and 2000. Five national surveys of US medical schools were conducted in 1975, 1980, 1985, 1995, and 2000 (response rates of 95%, 96%, 90%, 93%, and 92%, respectively). Results revealed that between 1975 and 2000, the offerings in death and dying increased. ⋯ In 2000, palliative care was directly addressed in 87% of medical schools responding, and the majority of students were exposed to a hospice patient. The increased attention to death and dying in medical schools should enhance the medical student's relationship with terminally ill patients. An awareness of, and acquired knowledge about, these issues in the medicalization of students should result in end-of-life concerns being more tolerable for both patients, their families, and physicians.
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This is a preliminary report of a study that examined the clinical usefulness of the Chinese Grief Reaction Assessment Form (GRAF). The validity, reliability, and factor structure of the form were also explored. We administered the GRAF to 180 bereaved individuals during intake interview for bereavement counseling. ⋯ Bereaved women had stronger grief reaction than men. The item "I do not want to abandon him/her" obtained the highest mean ranked scores among both bereaved men and bereaved women. Our findings support the use of the GRAF as a clinical tool to assess psychological symptoms associated with bereavement among Hong Kong Chinese, which also holds promise for research and program evaluation.
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Although faith communities may seem to be logical places to discuss death and dying, few churches are engaged in extensive efforts to improve end-of-life care. To explore the meaning of a good death and potential roles for faith communities in this effort, the authors held focus groups involving 121 clergy and congregants affiliated with Christian churches in Honolulu. ⋯ A number of participants noted that attention to spiritual issues at life's end would be important to all people, and churches wanting to increase membership should expand offerings in this area. These findings suggest that faith communities can have a major impact on improving end-of-life care and that pastoral education include attention to these issues.