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Bereavement stressors and psychosocial well-being of young adults following the loss of a parent – A cross-sectional survey

Lundberg, Tina ; Forinder, Ulla ; Olsson, Mariann ; Fürst, Carl Johan LU ; Årestedt, Kristofer and Alvariza, Anette (2018) In European Journal of Oncology Nursing 35. p.33-38
Abstract

Purpose: The knowledge about young adults who have lost a parent to cancer is limited, and to reach a broader understanding about this group, this study used the Dual Process Model of Coping with Bereavement (Stroebe and Schut, 1999) as a theoretical framework. The purpose of this study was to describe loss- and restoration-oriented bereavement stressors and psychosocial wellbeing of young adults following the loss of a parent to cancer. Method: This survey used baseline data from a longitudinal study. Young adults, aged 16–28 years, who lost a parent to cancer more than two months earlier and agreed to participate in support groups held at three palliative care services in Sweden, responded to a comprehensive theory-based... (More)

Purpose: The knowledge about young adults who have lost a parent to cancer is limited, and to reach a broader understanding about this group, this study used the Dual Process Model of Coping with Bereavement (Stroebe and Schut, 1999) as a theoretical framework. The purpose of this study was to describe loss- and restoration-oriented bereavement stressors and psychosocial wellbeing of young adults following the loss of a parent to cancer. Method: This survey used baseline data from a longitudinal study. Young adults, aged 16–28 years, who lost a parent to cancer more than two months earlier and agreed to participate in support groups held at three palliative care services in Sweden, responded to a comprehensive theory-based study-specific questionnaire. Results: Altogether, 77 young adults (64 women and 13 men) answered the questionnaire an average of five-to-eight months after the loss. Twenty percent (n = 15) had not been aware of their parent's impending death at all or only knew a few hours before the death, and 65% (n = 50) did not expect the death when it occurred. The young adults reported low self-esteem (n = 58, 76%), mild to severe anxiety (n = 55, 74%), mild to severe depression (n = 23, 31%) and low life satisfaction. Conclusion: Young adults reported overall poor psychosocial wellbeing following bereavement. The unexpectedness and unawareness of the parent's imminent death, i.e., loss-oriented bereavement stressors, might influence psychosocial wellbeing. Despite these reports, restoration-oriented stressors, such as support from family and friends, helped them to cope with the loss.

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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Bereavement, Cancer, Palliative care, Parental death, Psychosocial, Young adult
in
European Journal of Oncology Nursing
volume
35
pages
6 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85047055134
  • pmid:30057081
ISSN
1462-3889
DOI
10.1016/j.ejon.2018.05.004
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
43250bf6-d6e5-453d-8aec-7c58c2a99e0d
date added to LUP
2018-05-29 13:32:30
date last changed
2024-02-13 21:04:06
@article{43250bf6-d6e5-453d-8aec-7c58c2a99e0d,
  abstract     = {{<p>Purpose: The knowledge about young adults who have lost a parent to cancer is limited, and to reach a broader understanding about this group, this study used the Dual Process Model of Coping with Bereavement (Stroebe and Schut, 1999) as a theoretical framework. The purpose of this study was to describe loss- and restoration-oriented bereavement stressors and psychosocial wellbeing of young adults following the loss of a parent to cancer. Method: This survey used baseline data from a longitudinal study. Young adults, aged 16–28 years, who lost a parent to cancer more than two months earlier and agreed to participate in support groups held at three palliative care services in Sweden, responded to a comprehensive theory-based study-specific questionnaire. Results: Altogether, 77 young adults (64 women and 13 men) answered the questionnaire an average of five-to-eight months after the loss. Twenty percent (n = 15) had not been aware of their parent's impending death at all or only knew a few hours before the death, and 65% (n = 50) did not expect the death when it occurred. The young adults reported low self-esteem (n = 58, 76%), mild to severe anxiety (n = 55, 74%), mild to severe depression (n = 23, 31%) and low life satisfaction. Conclusion: Young adults reported overall poor psychosocial wellbeing following bereavement. The unexpectedness and unawareness of the parent's imminent death, i.e., loss-oriented bereavement stressors, might influence psychosocial wellbeing. Despite these reports, restoration-oriented stressors, such as support from family and friends, helped them to cope with the loss.</p>}},
  author       = {{Lundberg, Tina and Forinder, Ulla and Olsson, Mariann and Fürst, Carl Johan and Årestedt, Kristofer and Alvariza, Anette}},
  issn         = {{1462-3889}},
  keywords     = {{Bereavement; Cancer; Palliative care; Parental death; Psychosocial; Young adult}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{08}},
  pages        = {{33--38}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{European Journal of Oncology Nursing}},
  title        = {{Bereavement stressors and psychosocial well-being of young adults following the loss of a parent – A cross-sectional survey}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejon.2018.05.004}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.ejon.2018.05.004}},
  volume       = {{35}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}