What makes grief difficult? Perspectives from bereaved family caregivers and health care providers of advanced cancer patients
Date
2010
Authors
Stajduhar, Kelli I.
Martin, Wanda
Cairns, Moira
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Abstract
Objective: Family members who take on the role of caregiving for someone who is dying begin
bereavement after being emotionally and physically taxed by the caregiving experience. The
course of bereavement is influenced by a number of factors, including health problems, financial
concerns, social support, and family relationships. This paper reports on findings from a
secondary analysis of qualitative data from a study examining family caregiver coping in end-of-life
cancer care, to describe, from the perspectives of bereaved family caregivers, their
perspectives on what made their grief difficult.
Method: Qualitative data from three focus groups with family caregivers (n ¼ 19) and two
focus groups with health professionals (n ¼ 14) were subjected to interpretive thematic
analysis.
Results: Our finding suggest three broad areas that make family caregivers’ grief difficult:
(1) dealing with occurrences in everyday life; (2) dealing with challenges specific to the
caregiving situation; and (3) dealing with the healthcare system.
Significance of results: The findings provide an important beginning point in understanding
the types of issues that seem to make grief difficult for family caregivers of cancer patients
at the end of life and can help professional groups to understand what is needed by family
caregivers in terms of support and delivery of services.
Description
Keywords
Advanced cancer, Grief, Bereavement, Family caregivers, Healthcare providers
Citation
Stajduhar, K.I., Martin, W., & Cairns, M. (2010). What makes grief difficult? Perspectives from bereaved family caregivers and health care providers of advanced cancer patients. Palliative and Supportive Care, 8, 277-289.