Bereavement as a psychosocial transition: Processes of adaptation to change

Parkes, Colin Murray

doi:10.1017/cbo9780511664076.007

Cited by 151 publications

(165 citation statements)

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“…Adjusting to a world without the loved one is a part of the grief process, which may take considerable time and effort. 3,4 The death of a child is counter to the expected order of life events, and defies basic assumptions about the world. As a result, research has emphasized significant negative effects on adjustment, health outcomes, and social relationships after the death of a child.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in Parents After the Death of a Child To Cancer (702)

Gilmer

Foster

Gerhardt

2012

Journal of Pain and Symptom Management

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Context-Few studies have compared multiple perspectives of changes experienced by parents after a child's death.Objectives-This study used interviews with bereaved parents and siblings to examine changes in parents during the first year after the death of a child from cancer.Methods-Mothers (n = 36), fathers (n = 24), and siblings (n = 39) from 40 families were recruited from three hospitals in the U.S. and Canada 3-12 months post-death (M = 10.7, SD = 3.5). Semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions were conducted in the home with each participating parent and sibling separately. Content analysis identified emerging themes, and frequencies were compared between each paired set of reports (mother versus sibling, father versus sibling, mother versus father).Results-Parents and siblings identified two major categories of change experienced by bereaved parents. These changes occurred in their personal lives (e.g., emotions, perspectives and priorities, physical state, work habits, coping/behaviors, spiritual beliefs, and feeling something is missing) and relationships (e.g., family, others). Ninety-four percent of mothers, 87% of fathers, and 69% of siblings reported parental changes in at least one of these categories. Parents were more likely to report changes in priorities, whereas siblings reported more sadness in parents after the death.Conclusion-Positive and negative changes in parents after the death of a child from cancer occur in both personal and relational domains. Additional research is needed to determine the impact of a child's death on bereaved parents over time and to develop strategies to promote healthy adjustment.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in Parents After the Death of a Child To Cancer (702)

Gilmer

Foster

Gerhardt

2012

Journal of Pain and Symptom Management

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“…To date, there exists a wealth of work explicating models of bereavement (Atchley, 1975;Moos, 1995;Parkes, 1988;KublerRoss, 1969;Bowlby, 1980;Pollock, 1987), grief coping processes (Stroebe & Schut, 1999;Maxwell, 1995;Lindstrom, 1999;Jacobs, Kasl, Schaefer, & Ostfeld, 1994), and adjustment (Parkes, 1988;Schut, Stroebe, van den Bout, & Keijser, 1997;Stein, Folkman, Trabasso, & Richards, 1997). Attempts to classify an appropriate response to the loss of a spouse are numerous yet admittedly approximate.…”

Section: Models Of Grief and Bereavement Adjustmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The death event and time to follow is recognized to be one of many psychosocial transitions inherent to the natural human lifespan (Parkes, 1988;Balk & Vesta, 1998). That is, according to Parkes (1988) and Shapiro (1996), it involves a shift from one set of assumptions and beliefs about the world to another set of revised and appropriate assumptions and beliefs.…”

Section: Psychosocial Transition Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…That is, according to Parkes (1988) and Shapiro (1996), it involves a shift from one set of assumptions and beliefs about the world to another set of revised and appropriate assumptions and beliefs. The ability of individuals to mourn their losses, experience and manage emotions, maintain adequate vocational and social functioning, fulfill personal responsibilities, and incorporate their experiences into a satisfying life are recognized indicators of adjustment and psychosocial transition (Stroebe & Stroebe, 1983;Moos, 1995;Folkman, Lazarus, Gruen, & DeLongis, 1986;Maxwell, 1995).…”

Section: Psychosocial Transition Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ability of individuals to mourn their losses, experience and manage emotions, maintain adequate vocational and social functioning, fulfill personal responsibilities, and incorporate their experiences into a satisfying life are recognized indicators of adjustment and psychosocial transition (Stroebe & Stroebe, 1983;Moos, 1995;Folkman, Lazarus, Gruen, & DeLongis, 1986;Maxwell, 1995). Responses to the death allowing a person to modify personal and internal assumptions about the surrounding world and affairs within are proposed to be essential to optimal adjustment (Parkes, 1988;Hansson & Remondet, 1988) and develop as a function of cognitive flexibility, problem-solving skills, social support and resilience.…”

Section: Psychosocial Transition Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The Relationship Between Adjustment and Bereavement-Related Distress: A Longitudinal Study

Henderson

Hayslip

King

2004

Journal of Mental Health Counseling

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The current study assessed 125 conjugally bereaved persons using multiple self-report measures as indicators of personal adjustment and bereavement distress across three times of testing (initial, 6-month, and 3-year follow-up). Cross-lagged panel analyses were conducted to examine the causal relationships between adjustment and bereavement distress indicators and overall factors. Exploratory factor analyses indicate measures of adjustment load on a single Adjustment factor and measures of bereavement distress load on a single Grief factor. Considering results using composite scores for each variable, adjustment was significantly more predictive of bereavement distress than bereavement distress was predictive of adjustment for both Time 1 to Time 3 and Time 2 to Time 3.

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Impact Upon the Child and Family

Lowes¹

2007

Nursing Care of Children and Young People With Chronic Illness

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Bereavement as a psychosocial transition: Processes of adaptation to change

Cited by 151 publications

References 0 publications

Changes in Parents After the Death of a Child To Cancer (702)

Changes in Parents After the Death of a Child To Cancer (702)

The Relationship Between Adjustment and Bereavement-Related Distress: A Longitudinal Study

Impact Upon the Child and Family

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