Peer relationships of bereaved siblings and comparison classmates after a child's death from cancer
adolescent; Child; Female; Humans; Male; bereavement; Neoplasms; Interpersonal Relations; Siblings; Peer Group; social support; Age Factors; Sex Factors; Schools; Social Behavior; sibling bereavement
OBJECTIVES: To compare peer relationships among bereaved siblings and matched classmates, and to examine gender, grade level, and time since death as moderators. METHODS: Families were recruited from cancer registries at four hospitals 3-12 months after a child's death. Measures of social behavior and peer acceptance were completed by children in the classrooms of 105 bereaved siblings (ages 8-17 years). Teachers also reported on children's social behavior. Three classmates were matched for gender, race, and age to each bereaved sibling to form a comparison group (n = 311). RESULTS: Teachers reported bereaved siblings were more prosocial than comparison classmates. Peers perceived bereaved boys as more sensitive-isolated and victimized, while bereaved siblings in elementary grades were perceived by peers as less prosocial, more sensitive-isolated, less accepted, and as having fewer friends. Peers and teachers viewed bereaved siblings in middle/high school grades as higher on leadership-popularity. CONCLUSIONS: Bereaved siblings who were male and in elementary grades were more vulnerable to social difficulties, while those in middle/high school may exhibit some strengths. Ongoing research to inform the development of interventions for bereaved siblings is warranted.
Gerhardt CA; Fairclough DL; Grossenbacher JC; Barrera M; Gilmer MJ; Foster TL; Compas BE; Davies B; Hogan NS; Vannatta K
Journal Of Pediatric Psychology
2012
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsr082" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10.1093/jpepsy/jsr082</a>
Nutritional differences in neurologically impaired children
OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the recommended nutritional intake of moderately to severely neurologically impaired children is congruent with current growth parameter expectations. METHODS: Observational cross-sectional study at a children's hospice and a tertiary care children's hospital. Medically stable enterally fed children followed by the palliative care team underwent anthropometric assessment and chart review for diagnosis, intake and medications. Intakes, guidelines and recommendations were compared. RESULTS: Intakes were less than recommended. All children were <50th percentile weight-for-age, with many <3rd percentile. Fourteen of 15 were in higher percentiles for absolute and relative body fat. CONCLUSIONS: Recommended dietary intakes were not achieved by these children. Despite this, measures of body fat indicate adequate intake. Low weight values may reflect diagnosis-related growth stunting or decreased muscle mass and bone density from immobility. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Georgia, USA) weight-for-age and body mass index are not suitable measures of adequate intake in this group of children.
Riley A; Vadeboncoeur C
Paediatrics & Child Health
2012
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1093/pch/17.9.e98" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10.1093/pch/17.9.e98</a>
Changes in siblings after the death of a child from cancer.
adolescent; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Male; bereavement; Death; Neoplasms; Adult; Parents; Middle Aged; Siblings; Qualitative Research; Time Factors; Nursing Methodology Research; Adaptation; Psychological; IM; sibling bereavement; N
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Our findings offer guidance to improve aftercare for bereaved siblings and their families. Additional research is needed to further delineate the needs of bereaved siblings and to develop strategies to promote adaptation to loss.
Foster TL; Gilmer MJ; Vannatta K; Barrera M; Davies B; Dietrich MS; Fairclough DL; Gerhardt CA
Cancer Nursing
2012
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1097/NCC.0b013e3182365646" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10.1097/NCC.0b013e3182365646</a>
Death and Grief On-Line: Virtual Memorialization and Changing Concepts of Childhood Death and Parental Bereavement on the Internet
‘Virtual memorials’ intended to memorialize the lives of children imply significant shifts in the conceptualization of death, particularly for grieving parents. Created by parents in memory of their deceased children, on-line memorials constructed using templates reflect strong cultural beliefs about the nature of childhood deaths, grief and the development of a kind of digital afterlife. Virtual memorials create a new social value for the deceased, and shift death and bereavement from private into more public experiences. Building upon this work, we describe a kind of ‘on-line immortality’ created through virtual memorials where the virtual presence of the deceased in text and images, and practices intended to sustain a relationship with the deceased, can extend bereavement and the social lives of the dead indefinitely. While such memorials can offer solace, they also potentiate business opportunities for those hoping to create lasting customers. As such, they may also extend mourning indefinitely. This may be especially true for certain kinds of deeply problematic deaths, such as those of children.
Mitchell LM; Stephenson PH; Cadell S; Macdonald ME
Health Sociology Review
2012
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="https://doi.org/10.5172/hesr.2012.21.4.413" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.5172/hesr.2012.21.4.413</a>
Informing social work practice through research with parent caregivers of a child with a life-limiting illness
Adaptation; Adult; Attitude to Health; caregivers; Child; Female; Focus Groups; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Palliative Care; Parent-Child Relations; Parents; Professional-Family Relations; Psychological; social support; Social Work; Stress; Terminal Care
Pediatric palliative care is an evolving field of practice in social work. As such, research plays a critical role in informing best social work practices in this area. For parents, caring for a child with a life-limiting illness (LLI) is a stressful experience that compounds the usual challenges of parenting. The negative aspects of caring for a child with an LLI are well documented. In the face of such adversity, parent caregivers can also experience positive changes caring for children with even the most serious conditions. This article presents results from a research study of posttraumatic growth in parents who are caring for a child with a LLI. Using mixed methods, two overarching themes were prominent in both the quantitative and qualitative data. The first describes stress related to financial burden associated with caregiving. The second theme concerns the posttraumatic growth experienced by the parent caregivers. The quantitative and qualitative data have been woven together to underscore issues and parental perspectives related to these two themes. This provides a unique and important platform for parent caregivers' experiences that can inform the work of social workers and other pediatric palliative care professionals.
Cadell S; Kennedy K; Hemsworth D
Journal Of Social Work In End-of-life & Palliative Care
2012
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15524256.2012.732021" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10.1080/15524256.2012.732021</a>
Pediatric palliative care in Canada
In Knapp, Madden & Fowler-Kerry (Eds.) Pediatric Palliative Care: Global Perspectives. Springer Publishing, 301-321.
Widger K, Cadell S, Davies B, Siden H, Steele R
In Knapp, Madden & Fowler-Kerry (Eds.) Pediatric Palliative Care: Global Perspectives. Springer Publishing, 301-321.
Springer Publishing
2012
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
A Review Of Pediatric Palliative Care Service Utilization In Children With A Progressive Neuromuscular Disease Who Died On A Palliative Care Program
Pediatrics; Adolescent; Child; Child Preschool; Female; Humans; Infant; Male; Neuromuscular Diseases/ Mortality/ Nursing; Palliative Care/ Methods/ Utilization; Retrospective Studies; Terminal Care
Recent studies and consensus statements have expressed the need to involve palliative care services in the care of children with progressive neuromuscular diseases (PMD), yet there have been no reviews of the utilization of palliative care services by children who died on a palliative care program. We conducted a retrospective chart review of all children who had a PMD who died on a single-center palliative care program. Twenty cases were identified. Services utilized by these patients included respite care, transition services, pain and symptom management, and end-of-life care. Prominent symptoms in the last 24 hours of life included respiratory distress, pain, nausea/vomiting, and anxiety; however, symptom management was very good. Utilization of services differed depending on the disease trajectory, with respite playing a critical role in the care of children with PMD. Good symptom management can be achieved.
Ho C; Straatman L
Journal Of Child Neurology
2012
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0883073812439345" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10.1177/0883073812439345</a>
Changes In Parents After The Death Of A Child From Cancer
Adaptation Psychological; Bereavement; Death; Adult; Canada; Child; Emotions; Family/ Psychology; Female; Humans; Male; Parents/ Psychology; Siblings/psychology; United States
CONTEXT: Few studies have compared multiple perspectives of changes experienced by parents after a child's death. OBJECTIVES: This study used interviews with bereaved parents and siblings to examine changes in parents during the first year after the death of a child from cancer. METHODS: Mothers (n=36), fathers (n=24), and siblings (n=39) from 40 families were recruited from three hospitals in the U.S. and Canada three to 12 months after the death (M=10.7, SD=3.5). Semistructured interviews with open-ended questions were conducted in the home with each participating parent and sibling separately. Content analysis identified emerging themes, and frequencies were compared between each paired set of reports (mother vs. sibling, father vs. sibling, and mother vs. father). RESULTS: Parents and siblings identified two major categories of change experienced by bereaved parents. These changes occurred in their personal lives (e.g., emotions, perspectives and priorities, physical state, work habits, coping/behaviors, spiritual beliefs, and feeling something is missing) and relationships (e.g., family, others). Ninety-four percent of the mothers, 87% of the fathers, and 69% of the siblings reported parental changes in at least one of these categories. Parents were more likely to report changes in priorities, whereas siblings reported more sadness in parents after the death. CONCLUSION: Positive and negative changes in parents after the death of a child from cancer occur in both personal and relational domains. Additional research is needed to determine the impact of a child's death on bereaved parents over time and to develop strategies to promote healthy adjustment.
Gilmer MJ; Foster TL; Vannatta K; Barrera M; Davies B; Dietrich MS; Fairclough DL; Grollman J; Gerhardt CA
Journal Of Pain And Symptom Management
2012
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2011.10.017" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2011.10.017</a>