Bereavement-related regrets and unfinished business with the deceased

Holland, Jason M.; Plant, Christopher; Klingspon, Kara L.; Neimeyer, Robert A.

doi:10.1080/07481187.2018.1521106

Cited by 23 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…to be face valid and consistent with current theoretical understandings of regret and unfinished business. 3,9,15 They have demonstrated concurrent validity in prior research. 15…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Parents in such an intensive caregiving role are vulnerable to regret, defined as negative emotion related to a belief that one could have done something differently in the context of the relationship with the deceased, decisions made during caregiving, or at the end of life. 2,3 Regret can be viewed as a byproduct of hindsight bias, the tendency to believe that one should have behaved differently in the past because they are dissatisfied with the outcome of a situation. [4][5][6] While there is a growing literature on regret in bereavement more broadly speaking, research on regret in the context of pediatric cancer is surprisingly limited.…”

Section: What This Paper Adds?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1 Studies have shown that caregivers of adult patients commonly experience regret, with prevalence estimates ranging from 38% to 71%. 3,[7][8][9] Regrets take their toll. Regretrelated intrusive thoughts in bereaved caregivers of adult cancer patients have been associated with lower quality of life, prolonged grief (characterized by unremitting, debilitating grief symptoms), and depressive symptoms.…”

Section: What This Paper Adds?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Regretrelated intrusive thoughts in bereaved caregivers of adult cancer patients have been associated with lower quality of life, prolonged grief (characterized by unremitting, debilitating grief symptoms), and depressive symptoms. 3,7,8,[10][11][12][13] Regret appears more common among bereaved spouses with chronic grief (synonymous with prolonged grief), 14 and when regret worsens over time, levels of grief tend to be higher. 9 The construct of regret overlaps with, yet is distinguished from, the concept of unfinished business, which refers to unresolved aspects of the relationship with the deceased such as conflict or something important not having been communicated.…”

Section: What This Paper Adds?mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Regret and unfinished business in parents bereaved by cancer: A mixed methods study

et al. 2020

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Background: Prior research has demonstrated that the presence of regret and unfinished business is associated with poorer adjustment in bereavement. Though there is a growing literature on these constructs among caregivers of adult patients, the literature on regret and unfinished business in bereaved parents has been limited. Aim: The aim of this study was to examine regret and unfinished business in parents bereaved by cancer, as well as their associations with caregiving experiences and prolonged grief. Design: This was a cross-sectional mixed methods study that utilized self-report questionnaires with open-ended items. Setting/Participants: The multisite study took place at a tertiary cancer hospital and pediatric cancer clinical research institution. Participants were 118 parents (mothers = 82, fathers = 36) who lost a child aged 6 months to 25 years to cancer between 6 months and 6 years prior. Results: Results showed that 73% of the parents endorsed regret and 33% endorsed unfinished business, both of which were more common among mothers than fathers ( p ⩽ 0.05). Parents were on average moderately distressed by their regrets and unfinished business, and both regret-related and unfinished business–related distress were associated with distress while caregiving and prolonged grief symptoms. Conclusion: Findings have implications for how providers work with families, including increasing treatment decision-making support, supporting parents in speaking to their child about illness, and, in bereavement, validating choices made. Grief interventions that use cognitive-behavioral and meaning-centered approaches may be particularly beneficial.

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“…to be face valid and consistent with current theoretical understandings of regret and unfinished business. 3,9,15 They have demonstrated concurrent validity in prior research. 15…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: What This Paper Adds?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: What This Paper Adds?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: What This Paper Adds?mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Regret and unfinished business in parents bereaved by cancer: A mixed methods study

et al. 2020

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“…End-of-life discussions with healthcare providers in particular are lacking and occur with only 22% of caregivers in long-term care, which likely impedes preparedness (Morin et al, 2016). Having unresolved conflicts with the person who is dying (i.e., unfinished business) and a perceived inability to provide comfort, are also linked to poor caregiver outcomes and distress in bereavement (Holland et al, 2020); highlighting the need for strategies such as reconciling, promoting comfort and personhood described as facilitators of preparedness in this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“A Crazy Roller Coaster at the End”: A Qualitative Study of Death Preparedness With Caregivers of Persons With Dementia

et al. 2020

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Introduction Caregivers of persons with dementia experience challenges that can make preparing for end-of-life particularly difficult. Feeling prepared for death is associated with caregiver well-being in bereavement and is promoted by strategies supporting a palliative approach. Further conceptualization of caregiver preparedness for death of persons with dementia is needed to guide the practice of healthcare providers and to inform development of a preparedness questionnaire. Objectives We aimed to: 1) explore the end-of-life experiences of caregivers of persons with dementia to understand factors perceived as influencing preparedness; and 2) identify the core concepts (i.e., components), barriers and facilitators of preparedness for death. Methods This study used an interpretive descriptive design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with sixteen bereaved caregivers of persons with dementia, recruited from long-term care homes in Ontario. Data was analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis. Findings Four themes were interpreted including: ‘A crazy rollercoaster at the end’ which described the journey of caregivers at end-of-life. The journey provided context for the development of core concepts (i.e., components) of preparedness represented by three themes: ‘A sense of control, ‘Doing right’ and ‘Coming to terms’. Conclusion The study findings serve to expand the conceptualization of preparedness and can guide improvements to practice in long-term care. Core concepts, facilitators and influential factors of preparedness will provide the conceptual basis and content to develop the Caring Ahead: Preparing for End-of-Life with Dementia questionnaire.

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What Can Be Done to Improve Outcomes for Caregivers of People With Serious Illness?

Waldrop,

Anderson

2023

Evidence-Based Practice of Palliative Medicine

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Bereavement-related regrets and unfinished business with the deceased

Cited by 23 publications

References 20 publications

Regret and unfinished business in parents bereaved by cancer: A mixed methods study

Regret and unfinished business in parents bereaved by cancer: A mixed methods study

“A Crazy Roller Coaster at the End”: A Qualitative Study of Death Preparedness With Caregivers of Persons With Dementia

What Can Be Done to Improve Outcomes for Caregivers of People With Serious Illness?

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