Grief Research Articles

The Grief of the Transplanted Heart

My home is dead to me.I must pretend to fitmy new environment.I have to drug the locals,soldiers of immunity,to let me live.This comes with risk:they are the sole defenseagainst invadingenemies.The key is balance,balance to survive,but at a cost.Why don’t I changemy antigensand end the war?I wear them for identity.I can’t fit in,I won’t fit in,I must be me.I must display the flagsthat are my own,and beat my lonely drumthroughout the night.

Development of perinatal grief scale for single intrauterine fetal death and its reliability and validity

Objective To design perinatal grief scale (PGS) for single intrauterine fetal death(sIUFD) and evaluate its reliability and validity, so as to provide reference for psychological nursing of this kind of pregnant women. Methods Scale development study group was established, with the PGS as a framework, 24 items were enrolled after brainstorming, expert consultation and preliminary experiments. From January 2013 to December 2015, 100 pregnant women with sIUFD were enrolled from this hospital. Internal consistency reliability, retest reliability, content validity, and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) were used to analyze the sensitivity, specificity, etc. Results Cronbach′s α coefficient and split-half reliability of the scale were 0.896 and 0.806. Test-retest reliability and content validity index were 0.901 and 0.92. Except for the fifteenth item, the other items had a good correlation with total score (r=-0.263-0.779). With PGS as calibration, PGS of sIUFD had a good correlation with PGS (r=0.845, P<0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of PGS of sIUFD were 0.71 and 0.72. The cut-off value was 72 points. Conclusions The PGS of sIUFD has good reliability, validity and sensitivity. It has an important clinical value on assessing the sad mood of sIUFD. Key words: Perinatal grief scale; Single intrauterine fetal death; Reliability; Validity

Study of complicated grief, in methadone consumers, in cessation drug centers in Iran, in 2015

Background Complicated grief causes clearly functional disorders, and grief signs lasts at least a month after six months going through unfortunate incident. Researches about grief and complicated grief, requires a deeper understanding in etiology of creation and several therapeutic procedures. In this study we want to evaluate the relationship between the use of methadone and complicated grief. Methods Among methadone consumers in cessation drug centers in Mashhad in 2015 a sample of 285 person's were chosen randomly to answer ICG test (Inventory of Complicated Grief) and demographic questionnaire. Analysis performed by SPSS18. Findings The results showed that 35% of methadone consumers had grief. Complicated grief is more frequent in men than women ( P =0.01), and more in middle-aged people than the other ages ( P =0.002). The most frequent complicated grief among those with postgraduate diploma and the lowest rate is among MA ( P =0.003). People who have lost their first-grade relatives have more complicated grief than those who lost the other ones ( P =0.000). The individuals who have lost someone due to disease are more frequent than those who have lost someone suddenly ( P =0.00). Among the ICG test questions, hallucinations (seeing deceased) has the lowest frequency, and tendency to the places and things related to the deceased, has the greatest frequency. Conclusion Finding of this research showed that, Men, people with postgraduate diploma and people who have lost their first-grade relatives have experienced more complicated grief. Gender of deceased and marital status do not effect on the frequency of complicated grief.

Characteristics of patients in a new perinatal mental health program

Background Perinatal mental illness is a significant complication of pregnancy and the postpartum period. These disorders include depression, anxiety disorders, and postpartum psychosis. This mental health conditions have the potential to impact negatively on not only the woman but also her partner, infant, and family. Early detection and effective management of perinatal psychiatric disorders are critical for the welfare of women and their offspring. Objective To evaluate the characteristics of patients who came to the new perinatal mental health program in the last 6 months. Methods We recruited 13 mothers to take part in the study. Control variables included demographic and sociodemographic variables, pregnancy variables, antenatal and postpartum health behaviours, and birth outcomes. We assessed the improvement with Clinical Global Impressions Scale in the beginning of intervention and 3 months later. Results Eight mothers were in the antenatal period, three in the postpartum, and one had suffered the pregnancy lost in the 36 week. The mean age was 33,44. The diagnoses were anxiety disorder (4), antenatal depression (2), postpartum depression (2), obsessive-compulsive disorder (1), bulimia nervosa (1), adjustment disorder (2) and complicated grief (1). Nine of them have a previous psychiatric history. All of them have been treated with psychosocial interventions, and in six cases have received psychopharmacological treatment. In all the cases, we observed a clinical improvement (CGI scale) Conclusions Perinatal mental illness is a significant complication of pregnancy and the postpartum period, and need of specific programs and interventions.

Self-care following patient deaths: un-conceal grief and embrace vulnerability

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Mary Dorcey: The Poet's Gaze and Scalpel

Precision, vividness and colour characterise Mary Dorcey’s representations of individual and yet universal human experiences, such as love, loss, or grief. These are used like a surgeon’s scalpel: to frame, look inside, and closely observe sections of the individual’s body, and life. As we can see from the selection of poetic and prose texts presented here (alongside their translations into Italian), Dorcey cuts the skin of common definitions of private places and feelings (home, love, and grief). She looks at them from uncommon perspectives, bears witness to them, and gains insight from them. These and other issues are discussed in the interview, which is a revised version of a conversation that took place in Bologna (Italy) in November 2014.

Invented Grief and the Solidarity of Sensibility - A Study on the Variations of the Original Novel and the Fandom of Musical Frankenstein(2014) -

Invented Grief and the Solidarity of Sensibility - A Study on the Variations of the Original Novel and the Fandom of Musical Frankenstein(2014) -

Joy, S. (2013). Grief, Loss, and Treatment for Death Row Families: Forgotten No More

Joy, S. (2013). <i>Grief, Loss, and Treatment for Death Row Families: Forgotten No More</i>

An obituary to Professor A K M Rafiquddin : Words cannot express our grief

Abstract not available DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bmj.v43i1.21383 Bangladesh Med J. 2014 January; 43 (1): 58-60

Chronic grief: experiences of working parents of children with chronic illness.

Parents of children with chronic illness experience multiple stressors associated with their numerous roles. For parents who are working full time and caring for a child with chronic illness, the stressors related to managing work and caring responsibilities are magnified. Although the impact of caring for a child with chronic illness has been widely investigated, the literature reveals a paucity of research on the experiences of parents who are also in full time employment. This paper shares qualitative findings of a study involving interviews of twelve parents who were working full time while caring for a child with chronic illness. Data was collected through in-depth semi structured interviews and thematic analysis was then used to develop and categorise themes. Two intertwined themes are reported: (1) grief and (2) dealing with professionals. In this study, parents revealed the chronic grief they experienced in relation to their child's condition, which often recurred at various stages of the child's illness. The child's initial diagnosis was found to be the most stressful part of the grieving process, with most feeling their voices as parents were not being heard or valued by health professionals at this time. This affected parents' confidence in the health care system and triggered the re-emergence of grief, aggravating an already stressful situation. The findings illustrate that the grief experienced by these parents can be exacerbated by their dealings with health professionals. Implications for various health professionals are drawn from the findings in order to highlight avenues where guidance and support can be provided to these parents.

Faith Unravels: A Rabbi’s Struggle with Grief and God

Faith Unravels: A Rabbi’s Struggle with Grief and God

Understanding of Grief caused by Loss

Understanding of Grief caused by Loss

Complicated Grief Therapy Effective in Bereaved Elderly

Bereavement becomes increasingly common with age, and complicated grief (CG) reactions can be common (almost 10% in older bereaved women) and often

Reliability and validity of Chinese Version of Perinatal Grief Scale among abnormal pregnant women

Objective To analyze the reliability and validity of Chinese Version of Perinatal Grief Scale (PGS) in abnormal pregnant women. Methods After translating the original scale, we applied the back translation and cultural adaptation. Totals of 170 prenatal loss women were surveyed to analyze the item and exploratory factors. Another 110 cases were surveyed to do confirmatory factor analysis and reliability analysis. Results Except for the fifth item, the remaining 32 items and the correlation coefficient of total scale were higher (r=0.307-0.659). Two factors were extracted from exploratory factors analysis, accounting for a cumulative variance contribution rate of 60.82%. The results of confirmatory factor analysis were χ2/df=2.21, RMSEA=0.058, NFI=0.910, GFI=0.900, CFI=0.920. Conclusions The Chinese Version of PGS had good reliability and validity, and it is suitable for psychological assessment of abnormal pregnant women. Key words: Abnormal pregnancy; Perinatal grief scale; Reliability; Validity

“Se avessi un figlio!" Desideri frustrati di maternità nella poesia femminile ebraica

The desire of maternity, mostly a frustrated desire or perceived as such, is a recurring theme in the poetry of the so-called “founding mothers” of Hebrew female poetry, namely Anda Amir-Pinkerfeld, Rachel, Esther Raab, Yocheved Bat-Miriam. Although critics have often referred to this subject as a simple expression of private grief, it plays a significant role in the process of formation of a feminine poetic discourse in Hebrew and Israeli literature. This survey reviews the contribution of this topic to Hebrew and Israeli poetry through some significant examples selected from works published from 1929 to 2009.

Grief support groups in second life.

Online grief support groups serve as an avenue of support for the bereaved. In the past, facilitators have criticized the ability to provide group participants with a sense of therapeutic support, given the lack of face-to-face interaction in online groups. However, with the growing technological advances, 3-D virtual worlds, such as Second Life, may increase a participant's sense of presence and improve their group experience. A web-based survey was utilized to explore facilitator attitudes towards grief support groups in Second Life.

New normal in violence: Perspectives on US Gulf Region (New Orleans) post-disaster recovery

Violence is a public health risk and important concern for stakeholders in disaster-vulnerable Gulf region of the United States. Disaster-prone communities like New Orleans have recorded a higher rate of violence (violent and property crime) and this experience is potentially becoming a ‘new normal’ for the residents and the community as a whole. The concept of new normal in individual and community resilience is an important subject in recovery from disasters and adverse events. This paper reviews various factors which can help individuals and community to bounce back from traumatic events and also evaluates the mental states that adversely affect the general condition and psyche of the affected people post-disasters. While there are no formulas that can relieve the stress and adverse impact of violence and trauma, the paper tries to highlight the important positive mental states and attitudes that may help in dealing effectively with post-disaster grief feelings and bouncing back from adversities. Key words: Disaster, traumatic, new-normal, bounce-back, New Orleans, resilience, positive mentality, victims, affected people, violence.

Helping Mothers Cope with Their Autistic Children

When parents of a child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) first hear the diagnosis, they must cope with grief and mourn the loss of the idealized

Long-Term Bereavement May Follow Suicide of Close Family Member

For the immediate family of people who die by suicide, complicated grief, depression, and suicidal ideation are strongly associated with one another

The other side of care: Some thoughts on caregiving and grief

The other side of care: Some thoughts on caregiving and grief