The Validation of the Texas Revised Inventory of Grief on an Older Latino Sample

Abstract

Purpose: Bereavement is considered to be one of the most profound experiences in older adulthood. However, assessments of emotional reactions to grief and loss have often been based on measures tested on primarily Anglo samples. This study examined the validity and factor structure of a commonly used bereavement measure on an older Latino sample.

Design and Methods: Using convergent and discriminant validation procedures, this instrument was tested using a purposive sample of 134 older, recently bereaved Latinos.

Results: While the instrument was originally designed to measure two domains of grief: Past Behaviors and Present Feelings, confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis revealed a three-factor solution for this sample which included also Disbelief of the loss. Items within this domain included anger, rejection, and a sense of injustice.

Implications: This study underscores the need for improved measures in research on grief and bereavement to capture the intensity and severity of grief in a cross-cultural context.     

The role of the welfare state in supporting economic transitions following family bereavement: Comparing Britain and Israel

Despite its centrality to the experience of death and grief, it is only in recent years that the economic burden following family bereavement has been recognized by social care professionals and scholars. Based on the realization that death and bereavement are grounded in social context, and assuming this economic burden is a multifaceted phenomenon, the present study compares the British and Israeli welfare systems in three policy settings: social security, funeral services, and bereavement leave. The findings suggest that while in both systems bereavement and especially widowhood is considered a deserving category, recent pressures for restructuring the British welfare state have been successful in shifting provision from the state to the market. The findings also show that in both cases, albeit to a lesser extent in Israel, current policy measures are not fully aligned with critical scholarship on bereavement and its financial consequences, nor with socio‐economic and demographic trends. These disparities are addressed using the notion of disenfranchised grief and by emphasizing the pivotal, although often overlooked role of the welfare state in constituting it. Lastly, the differences between the two cases are discussed in terms of the powerful role of Judaism in shaping Israeli policy.     

Social Work,Siblings, and SIDS: Conceptual and Case-Based Guidance for Family System Intervention

ABSTRACT

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a tragic loss event within the family, impacting adults as well as children. This article uses three case illustrations to discuss the role of a SIDS event on the family system with a special focus on the emergent challenges for surviving siblings of various ages. Practice application examples are woven throughout the review to illustrate the age-specific grief responses which may occur following a SIDS event. The article also presents a theoretically supported intervention matrix that integrates models of bereavement support and family system responses, taking into account children's varying developmental needs and tasks based on sibling age.     

The Post-Funeral Ritual in Bereavement Counseling and Grief Work

While a great deal has been written about phenomena associated with assisting persons in coping with losses, and, more specifically, the meaning of funeral practices in grief work, little discussion has taken place regarding the importance of "ritual leave-taking" during the post-funeral period. In order to ascertain the potential of a significant relationship between active ritual leave-taking and grief adjustment, 50 widowed persons were interviewed regarding the rituals they practiced before, during and after the death of their spouse. The data collected reflect the number and type of rituals practiced and the potential for discovering a significant relationship between the practice of post-funeral rituals and grief adjustment. While preliminary in nature, the outcomes of the study illustrate a link between positive grief work and post-funeral rituals. Suggestions for those who regularly assist the bereaved in grief work are advised to give greater attention to the potential of focusing their bereavement counseling on post-funeral "ritual leave-taking."     

Grief Support Groups Used by Few—

Abstract

Few adult bereaved attend closed grief support groups, yet many of those who do attend say they are extremely helpful. This research explores factors influencing support group attendance, and the extent to which bereavement support needs are being met. Focus group discussions reveal that a broad scope of sources of support is available to the bereaved. Results show what is seen as unhelpful to them, and what might be more helpful to them. The study indicates many adult bereaved suffer from an overall lack of support and would benefit from more caring overtures from those around them. Findings from this small frontline hospice bereavement study point toward ideas for adjustments in support groups and innovative bereavement education and programming.     

Grief and Intellectual Disability

Abstract

People with intellectual disabilities are living longer, which in turn leads to a higher probability that they will experience significant loss due to the death of someone they know. This paper describes a systemic therapeutic model, ROC, which combines bereavement therapy with training and support for staff. On reporting the effects of the ROC model, it is noted that changes over time in the type and nature of referrals has shown the ther apeutic value of the program. The author makes a case that the best way to detect and possibly prevent serious emotional problems in this population is to provide training and support in dealing with death and related issues for the service network surrounding these individuals.     

In Conclusion: Current Themes in Bereavement and Widowhood Research

A number of important themes and controversies emerged from the preceding papers. These include (a) what kinds of losses lead to grief; (b) how long grief lasts; (c) how to conceptualize "recovery," (d) the nature of "normal" grief; (e) whether bereavement has lasting effects on health; and (f) what characteristics of the individual, the relationship, or the nature of the death create a greater risk for poor outcome of bereavement. Consideration of these issues should help develop more effective strategies for intervention with sufferers, and social policies sensitive to the needs of those at greatest risk.     

Stillbirth: The Mother's Experience and Implications for Improving Care

ABSTRACT

More children die as a result of stillbirth than all other causes of infant deaths combined (Ananth, Shiliang, Kinzler, and Kramer, 2005; Goldenberg, Kirby, and Culhane, 2004; Froen, 2005; National Institute of Health, 2004); yet, mothers experiencing stillbirth are often left without support afterwards (Kubler-Ross, 2004; Fahey-McCarthy, 2003; Fletcher 2002; Saddler, 1987; DeFrain, 1986; Kirkley-Best & Kellner, 1982). Despite social work's growing involvement in care at the end of life, parents of stillborn children have not experienced consistent, relevant, and competent professional care in coping with the tragedy of death. Forty-seven women between the ages of 19 and 51 were recruited through nonprofit agencies that provide bereavement care to grieving families. Results of this qualitative study suggest that stillbirth is emotionally complex with long-lasting symptoms of grief and significant struggles to find meaning. The findings also support the need for perceived psychosocial and spiritual support from professional caregivers, family, and friends. The women's own experiences argue for comprehensive approaches to support the grief and loss of stillbirth, and for the importance of social work involvement in both immediate and longer term interventions.     

Intimate partner violence and women's experiences of grief

A greater understanding of women's emotional and behavioural responses to intimate partner violence (IPV) may be aided by an examination of the grief course. Women going through the process of leaving their abusers, like women leaving non‐violent partners, experience grief during and at the termination of their relationship, even if they feel relief at the cessation of violence. Through qualitative interviews with 14 female survivors of IPV, we critically examine the utility of Kubler‐Ross' grief model to understand how women come to terms with their experiences of violence and the end of their violent relationships. Results suggest that Kubler‐Ross' model helps explain the emotional reactions and decision‐making of IPV survivors in regard to staying, leaving and returning to their partners. While a model developed to explain grief due to death may not entirely explain the reactions of IPV survivors going through the process of leaving abusive partners, and does not account for psychological reactions to trauma, social workers and mental‐health professionals can use this grief model as a framework to better tailor services to survivors of IPV.     

Death Does Not Become Us

Abstract

The social issues of death, dying and bereavement represent important but neglected research areas, and such issues need attention both for practical reform and for deciphering what living with intellectual disability entails. The difficulties which life poses for people with intellectual disabilities may well persist in the times before and after death. As research issues they offer not only potential practical significance, but also a means of determining the social status and value of people with intellectual disabilities. This paper reviews the issues of death and dying from the viewpoint of sociological research and seeks to identify the ways death and dying have been treated within the research literature on living with intellectual disability. It is suggested that these issues have been discounted with some important consequences for the way intellectual disability is perceived. Important areas for research in this area are highlighted.     

Social work, siblings, and SIDS: conceptual and case-based guidance for family system intervention

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a tragic loss event within the family, impacting adults as well as children. This article uses three case illustrations to discuss the role of a SIDS event on the family system with a special focus on the emergent challenges for surviving siblings of various ages. Practice application examples are woven throughout the review to illustrate the age-specific grief responses which may occur following a SIDS event. The article also presents a theoretically supported intervention matrix that integrates models of bereavement support and family system responses, taking into account children's varying developmental needs and tasks based on sibling age.     

The Grief Experience of Prison Inmate Hospice Volunteer Caregivers

Correctional institutions are obligated to provide end-of-life care to a population with complex medical needs. Prison hospices are increasingly being formed to address this demand. Few empirical studies have examined the impact of caring for dying inmates on the hospice inmate volunteers, who, in several prison health care systems, provide direct care. In this study, experiences of the inmate hospice volunteers with death were investigated to illuminate their grief processes. Understanding the bereavement needs of hospice volunteers and how prison hospice volunteers navigate grief and remain committed to providing excellent hospice care can inform the grief processes and practices of hospice care professionals.     

Grief,loss, and separation: Experiences of birth children of foster carers

Previous research identifies the increased exposure of birth children of foster carers to experiences of separation, grief, and loss due to the transient nature of foster care, but little is known about how birth children manage this loss. This paper reports findings from a qualitative study that examined the retrospective experiences of 15 adult birth children of foster carers (aged between 18 and 28 years) in Ireland. Findings suggest that birth children experience grief and loss when foster children leave their families. They report experiencing a range of emotional responses such as guilt, blame, and sadness. A reluctance to discuss their emotional responses with either their parents or foster care professionals was also reported. Instead, birth children developed strategies to manage the loss, such as distancing themselves from the foster care process. The study highlights the importance of social workers and foster carers explaining to birth children why foster children are leaving and, where possible, maintaining contact between birth children and foster children. Additionally, findings indicate the need for birth children to have safe nonjudgmental spaces to discuss their emotional reactions to loss.     

The Process of Change in Complicated Grief Group Therapy for Bereaved Dementia Caregivers: An Evaluation Using the Meaning of Loss Codebook

ABSTRACT

Caring for a person with dementia has adverse health and mental health effects that, for 9–25% of caregivers, persist as complicated grief (CG). For bereaved dementia caregivers unable to satisfactorily grieve, specialized Complicated Grief Group Therapy (CGGT) can restore healthy grief. We investigated therapeutic change in CGGT participants, using an adapted version of the Gillies’ Meaning of Loss Codebook. Participants demonstrated positive gains in 16 thematic areas, notably in moving on with life, summoning pleasant memories, and ascribing bad memories to disease rather than decedent. Meaning transitioned from negative to positive interpretations of the death over the course of treatment.     

丧礼与《诗经》悼亡诗

丧礼反映了上古先民的丧葬礼俗,表达了事死如事生的观念,更是对于人生最后阶段的高度重视。丧礼的存在强调了对于个体生命归宿的尊重,对于个体生命价值的肯定,同时亦包含着对个体生命一生行为品质的总结。丧礼表达的是生命终结时的恭送情怀。丧礼的重要特征是体现孝道,这是君子品德的重要体现。“人为歌声以助哀”的《诗经》悼亡诗,体现了臣对君、子对父、妻对夫的情感,反映的是生命世界的伦理秩序。与此同时,丧礼与挽歌,反映了个体生命的意义和价值。丧礼的规格大小之别,不仅是生命世界等级秩序的体现,更是强调死者对于社会贡献大小的区别。丧礼越是隆重,个人的价值就越是充分,对于生者的示范意义就越大,事死如事生的意义就越明确,死者为大的意义就更加突显。     

Digital Storytelling: Families’ Search for Meaning after Child Death

Bereaved families that collectively make meaning of their grief experiences often function better than those that do not, yet most social work bereavement interventions target individuals rather than family units. In this article, authors describe an innovative social work intervention that employs digital storytelling. This is a narrative technique that combines photography, music, and spoken word to help families bereaved by child death make meaning of their loss and envision a future without their deceased child.     

Toward a Theoretical Framework for Perinatal Bereavement

Correspondence to Dr Keith Brownlee, School of Social Work, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7B 5E1 CANADA. E-mail: keith.brownlee{at}lakeheadu.ca or oikonenj{at}imail.tbh.net Summary For many women a foetal or neonatal death is a significant life-alteringevent. Modern medicine has offered pregnant women an early awarenessof their developing foetus coupled with an opportunity for advancedfeelings of attachment, which, in most cases, accentuates thegrief and sense of loss. While crisis intervention serviceshave become standard practice in hospital settings and typicallymeet many clinical and short-term needs of bereaved parents,conventionally held theories of grief fall short of the realitiesdescribed by such parents. This paper critically examines theclinical and research support for current approaches to perinatalgrief and argues that theory development specific to perinatalloss is needed within the field and that social workers canplay an important role in this respect. Some emerging ideasare discussed that appear to hold promise for establishing modelsthat would be more responsive to the particular complexitiesof perinatal bereavement.