scholarly journals Metaphors that shape parents' perceptions of effective communication with healthcare practitioners following child death: a qualitative UK study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Turner ◽  
Jeannette Littlemore ◽  
Anne Topping ◽  
Eloise Parr ◽  
Julie Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Video Conferencing ◽  
Child Death ◽  
Physical Nature ◽  
Successful Communication ◽  
Bereaved Parents ◽  
Death Of A Child ◽  
Effective Care ◽  
Physical Response ◽  
Linguistic Analyses ◽  
Parents Experiences

Objectives To offer an interpretation of bereaved parents' evaluations of communication with healthcare practitioners surrounding the death of a child. Design Interpretative qualitative study employing thematic and linguistic analyses of metaphor embedded in interview data. Setting England and Scotland. Participants 24 bereaved parents (21 women, 3 men) Methods Participants were recruited through the True Colours Trust website and mailing list, similar UK charities, and word of mouth. Following interviews in person or via video-conferencing platforms (Skype/Zoom), transcripts first underwent thematic and subsequently linguistic analyses supported by Nvivo. A focused analysis of metaphors used by the parents was undertaken allow in-depth interpretation of how they conceptualised their experiences. Results The findings illuminate the ways parents experienced communication with healthcare practitioners surrounding the death of a child. They show how their evaluations of effective care relate to the experience of the bereavement itself, as expressed through metaphor. We identified three broad themes: (1) Identity (2) Emotional and Physical Response(s) and (3) Time. Successful communication from healthcare practitioners takes account of parents' experiences related to these themes. Conclusions This study suggests that healthcare practitioners when communicating with bereaved parents need to recognise, and seek to comprehend, the ways in which the loss impacts upon an individual's identity as a parent, the 'physical' nature of the emotions that can be unleashed, and the ways in which the death of a child can alter their metaphorical conceptions of time.

Death of a Child and the Risk of Stroke: A Binational Cohort Study From Denmark and Sweden

Neurology ◽  
2022 ◽  
pp. 10.1212/WNL.0000000000013263
Author(s):  
Dang Wei ◽  
Jiong Li ◽  
Hua Chen ◽  
Fang Fang ◽  
Imre Janszky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Hemorrhagic Stroke ◽  
Child Death ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Bereaved Parents ◽  
Death Of A Child ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Deceased Child ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Child's Death

Background and Objectives:The death of a child is an extreme life event with potentially long-term health consequences. Accumulating evidence suggests that parents who lost a child have increased risks of cardiovascular diseases, including ischemic heart disease and atrial fibrillation. Whether bereaved parents have an increased risk of stroke is unclear and was investigated in this study.Methods:We conducted a population-based cohort study including parents who had a child born during 1973-2016 or 1973-2014 and recorded in the Danish and the Swedish Medical Birth Registers, respectively. We obtained information on child’s death, parent’s stroke and socioeconomic and health-related characteristics through linkage between several population-based registers. We used Poisson regression to examine the association between the death of a child and the risk of stroke.Results:Of the 6,711,955 study participants, 128,744 (1.9%) experienced the death of a child and 141,840 (2.1%) had a stroke during the follow-up. Bereaved parents had an increased risk of stroke; the corresponding incidence rate ratio (95% confidence intervals) was 1.23 (1.19-1.27). The association was present for all analyzed categories of causes of child death (cardiovascular, other natural and unnatural death), did not differ substantially according to the age of the deceased child, but was stronger if the parent had no or ≥3 than 1-2 live children at the time of the loss. The association was similar for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. The risk for hemorrhagic stroke was highest immediately after the death of a child and decreased afterwards. In contrast, there was no clear pattern over time in case of ischemic stroke.Discussion:The death of a child was associated with a modestly increased risk of stroke. The finding that an association was observed in case of unnatural deaths is suggestive of the explanation that bereavement-related stress may contribute to the development of stroke. Though the death of a child can often not be avoided, an understanding of its health-related consequences may highlight the need for improved support and attention from family members and healthcare professionals.

Living through the death of a child: A qualitative study of bereaved parents’ experiences

2011 ◽  
Vol 48 (11) ◽  
pp. 1384-1392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayne Price ◽  
Joanne Jordan ◽  
Lindsay Prior ◽  
Jackie Parkes
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Bereaved Parents ◽  
Death Of A Child ◽  
Parents Experiences

From Death Notification Through the Funeral: Bereaved Parents' Experiences and Their Advice to Professionals

2004 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Janzen ◽  
Susan Cadell ◽  
Anne Westhues
Keyword(s):  
Sudden Death ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Critical Period ◽  
Funeral Directors ◽  
Grieving Process ◽  
Bereaved Parents ◽  
Death Of A Child ◽  
Specific Advice ◽  
Death Notification ◽  
Parents Experiences

Parents who experience the sudden death of a child will interact with many professionals in the period immediately following the death notification through to the funeral. The way these professionals respond to the parents during this critical period may be perceived as helpful, and thus support them in beginning the process of managing the trauma and starting a healthy grieving process. It may also be perceived as unhelpful, though, and contribute to more prolonged and complicated grieving. This article identifies the interventions that a sample of 20 parents who had experienced the sudden death of a child found helpful with different aspects of grieving. Specific advice is given to police, nurses, doctors, coroners, social workers, crisis counselors, funeral directors, and chaplains or clergy.

scholarly journals Love and Death: Relational Metaphors Following the Death of a Child

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura R. Umphrey ◽  
Joanne Cacciatore
Keyword(s):  
Child Death ◽  
Living Organism ◽  
Bereaved Parents ◽  
Death Of A Child ◽  
Parent Narratives

Recognised as one of the most painful human experiences, the purpose of this study was to uncover the relational and metaphorical themes embodied in bereaved parent narratives following the death of a child. Using a grounded approach, 420 narratives were analysed. Results of the study found (a) relational trajectory, (b) grief/coping, and (c) communication as prominent relational themes. In the present study, bereaved parents often described their conjugal relationship metaphorically as being in motion, as a living organism, and as on a journey. Grief was primarily described metaphorically as a type of journey. Communication was metaphorically described in terms of being open or closed. Discovering the experiences of bereaved parents adds to our knowledge about how the stress of child death impacts relational resiliency. Implications are discussed.

scholarly journals Parental Grief and Marital Issues Aftermath: A Pilot Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Nur Atikah Mohamed Hussin ◽  
Azlinda Azman
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Coping Mechanisms ◽  
Mutual Understanding ◽  
Parental Grief ◽  
Limited Knowledge ◽  
Bereaved Parents ◽  
Death Of A Child

<p>The death of a child is difficult to the bereaved parents. Literature had associated the loss with marriage disruption. The issues on that the difficulties to communicate, gender-related coping mechanisms and sexual need were discussed as reasons for bereaved parents to have conflict in their relationship. However there is limited knowledge about this issue. A pilot study has been conducted among six bereaved parents. The bereaved parents were Malaysian Muslim bereaved parents. They were interviewed individually to explore the challenges or conflicts that they had experienced after the death of their child. This study revealed that there were situations which bereaved parents described as having difficulties in their relationship. However, this study also revealed that the mutual understanding and respect to each other are the most of important components for bereaved parents to maintain their relationship post-loss. This study suggested the importance of suggesting couple counselling to bereaved parents after the death of their child.</p>

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