Experiences of participation in bereavement groups from significant others\u2019 perspectives; a qualitative study

Ulla Näppä,Kerstin Björkman-Randström

doi:10.1186/s12904-020-00632-y

Abstract

BackgroundWhen death ends a life, the impact of caring for person who suffered a period of illness or disease continues for significant others who are left to grieve. They should be offered support to avoid complicated grief. This can be provided in different ways and individually or in groups. This study aims to describe significant others’ experiences of participation in bereavement groups.MethodsTen bereavement groups that each met five times offered support for the significant others of deceased loved ones who had been cared for by a palliative-care team. After the five meetings, the grieving members (n = 46) completed written comments about the role of the groups; they also commented one year after participating (n = 39). Comments were analyzed with qualitative content analysis with a directed approach using the theory of a good death according to the 6S’s: self-image, self-determination, social relationships, symptom control, synthesis and summation, and surrender.ResultsBereavement groups were found to be a source for alleviating grief for some significant others, but not all experienced relief. Moreover, grief was found to persist during participation. Another finding involved the impact of the role of the palliative home-care team on bereavement support. To evaluate the experience of participating in a bereavement group, the use the 6S’s as a model was a strength of the analysis. Bereavement groups could enhance the self and offer relief from grief. Participation was described as social relationships that offered a sense of coherence and understanding in grief. The effects of participation were more meaningful close to the loss and could lose efficacy over time. Bereavement support provided before a loved one’s death was seen as valuable.ConclusionOverall, the bereavement groups eased the grief of significant others close to the death of their loved one. However, moving forward, several of the significant others were not sure that their participation eased their grief. To identify persons who may remain in a state of complicated grief, a routine of planned contacts with the bereaved should begin before death and be followed up later than six months after the death of a loved one.

Highlights

When death ends a life, the impact of caring for person who suffered a period of illness or disease continues for significant others who are left to grieve
The wording for the question was as follows: “If you participated in the bereavement group, what role has it had in your processing of grief?” Most participants wrote more than five sentences; only a few answered in only one sentence
A qualitative content analysis with a directed approach [29] was performed on the answers to the open question “If you participated in the bereavement group, what role has it had in your processing of grief?” using the predetermined structure of the 6S keywords

Summary

Introduction

When death ends a life, the impact of caring for person who suffered a period of illness or disease continues for significant others who are left to grieve. They should be offered support to avoid complicated grief. The impact of caring for the person who had suffered a period of illness or disease continues for significant others left to grieve. They enter a period of bereavement and grief. How significant others experience such support requires further research to gain knowledge about how to form effective bereavement groups in health care

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