Cultivating Gratitude in Bereaved Families: Description of the Impact of the Bereavement Workshop on Families of Deceased Patients in the Pediatric Palliative Care Program

Cultivating Gratitude in Bereaved Families: Description of the Impact of the Bereavement Workshop on Families of Deceased Patients in the Pediatric Palliative Care Program

Cuervo M; Devia A; Pereira L; Alvarez T; Molina K; Bolanos J; Correa I; Garcia X

Pediatric Blood and Cancer

2022

active listening; bereavement; butterfly; child; conference abstract; coping behavior; genetic transcription; grief; group therapy; human; learning; music therapy; nonhuman; palliative therapy; perception; qualitative research; quantitative analysis; ritual; writing

Background and Aims: Grief in parents has been described as a very intense long-lasting experience, characterized by deep sadness, and social isolation, therefore, the recommendation of scientific societies in pediatrics is to provide bereavement care to parents and relatives of deceased children who have previously been cared for by health professionals. In this study, a bereavement workshop for parents is proposed as an intervention strategy, providing accompaniment to the families of deceased patients who received pediatric palliative care (PPC). Method(s): We conducted a quantitative and qualitative study in a focus group of parents of deceased children who participated in a bereavement workshop. The intervention consisted of a bereavement workshop, guided by the multidisciplinary PPC team, in which 4 activities were developed: group psychotherapy, music therapy, gratitude activity, symbolic ritual of delivery of butterfly. The gratitude activity consisted of motivating the families to express their gratitude by writing on cards with phrases that encourage reflection: during this process I am grateful for., I thank my child or family member for. . . , I thank the pediatric palliative care program for. . .; the cards were transcribed into a database constructed for this study and analyzed by 4 evaluators, thematic categories were assigned to each reflective sentence. Result(s): 60 families received the personalized letter of condolences with invitation to the workshop, 23 families attended the workshop. From the gratitude activity, families made 49 thank you cards, the following categories were highlighted: Communication, Hope, compassion, acceptance, humanization, learning, gratitude, active listening, coping strategies, regards, faith and humanization Conclusion(s): Strategies that favor adequate emotional management of the grieving process should be promoted. This study reflects the perceptions of parents attending a bereavement workshop. It highlights the gratitude, feelings and reflections of the family members during the health process and the death of the child while receiving accompaniment by a pediatric palliative care team.

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December List 2022