The National Archive of Grief Support Studies
The National Archive of Grief Support Studies(NAGSS) database provides bibliographical information and summaries of recent articles selected for their relevance to grief and bereavement service providers. The articles that are summarized are selected from scholarly, peer-reviewed journals and are intended to highlight key concepts as well as provide a brief statement of implications for service providers. Bibliographical information may be used to obtain the original article.
End-of -Life Communication and Adjustment: Pre-Loss Communication as a Predictor of Bereavement-Related Outcomes
Authors:
Metzger, Patricia L.
Gray, Matt J.
Source:
Death Studies: 2008. Volume 32, pp. 301-325.
Summary
This study was based upon 60 individuals recruited from an Internet based grief support group. Each of the participants had experienced the death of a close family member; the deaths had been expected or anticipated because of a terminal illness. The researchers concluded that pre-loss acceptance of the death was significantly associated with lower levels of complicated grief symptoms and depression post-loss. In addition, pre-loss acceptance of the death was associated with higher levels of posttraumatic growth.
Key words: accept, communicate, pathology
Service Provider Implications
Programs that offer, or are considering offering, an anticipatory grief component may find the results of this study relevant in their efforts to help family members prepare for a death. The results indicate that when an individual is able to accept the death before it occurs, less distress and more personal growth is experienced after the death.
