Psychological Distress of the Bereaved Seeking Medical Counseling at a Cancer Center

Abstract

Psychological distresses of the bereaved who have lost a loved one and have asked for medical counseling are revealed. Their distresses are strongly related to the cancer trajectory of a family member. Some of these distresses are related to medical misunderstanding about the course of cancer. These findings might provide basic information for considering their appropriate treatment.

Development of a Standard for Hospital-Based Palliative Care Consultation Teams in Japan Using a Modified Delphi Method

“…In Japan, although bereavement care is relatively well provided in palliative care wards, 33 sufficient resources and systems for bereavement care are not being developed in designated cancer hospitals. 34,35 This situation is consistent with a previous report 36 that bereaved families did not receive specialized bereavement care and did not expect such support from physicians and nurses in Japan. In the future, we need to develop a system that can provide sufficient bereavement care within designated cancer hospitals.…”

Assisting the bereaved: A systematic review of the evidence for grief counselling

“…One study examined the need for and provision of bereavement services at a medical examiner's office [39]. Two Japanese studies examined the prevalence and predictors of distress and psychiatric disorders among bereaved families of deceased cancer patients [40,41]. Nineteen studies used qualitative interviews and focus groups with bereaved individuals (n=8), health care providers (n=10) or both (n=1).…”

Communication Disparity Between the Bereaved and Others: What Hurts Them and What Is Unhelpful? A Nationwide Study of the Cancer Bereaved

“…Bereaved Family Members' Perceived Distress. First, with no specific measurement tool available to evaluate the experience of the bereaved regarding communication with people around them, we developed a questionnaire based on a systematic literature review 8,23,24 and discussion among the authors. The questionnaire included 13 items that may be regarded as unhelpful and/or distressing in the context of communication between the bereaved and others.…”

“…'' 15e17 In the case of cancer, over 60% of the bereaved have received secondary harm through communication with others, resulting in additional hardships beyond the pain of bereavement. 8,18 Some studies have demonstrated that social support has both positive and negative aspects; therefore, we need to consider the importance of providing appropriate support. 19,20 However, to our knowledge, little is known about problems such as unhelpful communication in a cancer support setting.…”