Experiences of presence are common in bereavement. The bereaved person may see the deceased, hear their familiar voice, or otherwise feel they are close at hand. But although common, they are experiences not without controversy. They have come under a variety of descriptions, from 'hallucinations', lacking in meaning and even essentially meaningless, to 'continuing relationships', of rich personal significance. The current thesis represents the first systematic investigation of the properties and meaning of experiences of presence. Narrative biographic interviews with bereaved informants were analysed using Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis. Analytical focus was on the ways in which participants made such experiences meaningful. As a novel approach, this thesis reports several new findings about these phenomena. Firstly, the experiences happened in a variety of bonds (including spouses, parents, grandparents, children, siblings and others), and in a variety of circumstances of the bereavement (including sudden and expected deaths). In all cases, they were described as richly meaningful experiences and as relying on several sources for this meaning. The personal histories of participants were of particular importance in making sense of experiences of presence. Within this context, the experience acquired sense as a continuation of some aspect of the relationship with the deceased. The experiences also had diverse functions, from soothing to destructive. Sometimes, the experiences helped the bereaved to resolve unfinished business with the deceased; at other times, the help was with a much more ordinary problem. On some occasions the experiences of presence caused the bereaved more problems; they simply pronounced the grief or continued a fraught relationship. Participants showed that they had many cultural resources available to them in making sense of their experiences but they did not use all of them. Many informants used some spiritual and psychological ideas to make sense of their experiences. The thesis concludes that many of the most popular theories for these experiences impoverish them by stripping them of their diversity and important aspects of their meaning. The thesis also makes recommendations for psychotherapy for those who have problems of living as a result of their experiences of presence. The study also has implications for psychological research as none of these findings could have been observed through the use of an experimental methodology.

The purpose of this research study was to capture the experience of a multigenerational, resilient family who had experienced a nonnormative stressor event. A phenomenological case-study approach was utilized as methodology to guide this study. Interviews were held collectively with the entire family and individually with participating family members. All interviews were audio-taped and transcribed. The family's story of resilience emerged from this transcript material. In addition, the process of thematic analysis yielded nine main intergenerational themes that helped to explain this family's resilience. They included: 1) Be flexible about communication; 2) Connect with one another; 3) Have access to and accept support; 4) Detach from the experience; 5) Normalize the stressor; 6) Minimize the children's distress; 7) Focus on the positive; 8) Find strength in religion and 9) Find creative ways of coping. Results also indicated a strong multigenerational component to this family's resilience. In addition, resilience was found to be a process made up of both struggle and occasional costs. Findings were compared to relevant professional literature on family resilience, including The Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation developed by McCubbin, McCubbin, Thompson and Thompson in 1995. All of these findings led to a number of implications for counselling practice, as well as for future research. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

The research literature documents the relative disadvantage of widows in coping with grief, both in a greater vulnerability themselves for mortality or ill health, but also for a sudden loss of resources from losing a spouse. Moreover, widowhood in the Canadian cultural communities may be an additional burden if met with service from mainstream care professionals and agencies at variance with their culturally-appropriate grieving practices and assumptions. Specifically, the meaning(s) of bereavement and grief for Hindu-Canadian widows are not well understood, and the goal of this study is to enhance transcultural understanding of this population in counselling and beyond. An inductive, descriptive qualitative method focusing on the subjective, lived experience of key co-researchers, using selective and nonprobability sampling was utilized to maximize the relatively small sample size typical of a phenomenological approach. This was used to describe and explain the meanings and experiences of grief for five older Hindu-Canadian widows within the context of their own cultural setting and world view. Data were collected from five female members of the Hindu- Canadian communities. An additional triangulation method of a general class of culmraUy-informed co-researchers was used to help corroborate the obtained themes. The co-researcher's responses were the data for this study, and a method of "constant comparative analysis" (I^ininger, 1985) was utilized in a search for themes through a process of higher abstraction. Data analysis of the verbatim transcripts occurred simultaneously with data collection and, guided by Leininger's (1990) 'Thases of Analysis for Qualitative Data," the process unfolded with: (a) collecting and documenting raw data; (b) identification of descriptors; (c) pattern analysis; and (d) theme formulation. Ultimately six themes were abstracted from forty-five sub-categories as a portrait of the meanings and experiences of widowhood for this group of Hindu-Canadian widows. Themes for this group of key co-researchers are as follows: First, status transition from wife to widow meant resignation to the husband's death, rather than acceptance through discrete stages of recovery: Second, meanings and expressions of grief centered on beliefs about the enduring and eternal quality of the husband's life force as intrinsic and essential to the widow's own lifeways: Third, the transition from wife to widow entailed a double affliction in status loss as well as in the personal domain of intimacy and partnership: Fourth, the meanings and expressions of both grief phenomena and status transition reflect an ethic of collective good and duty-based interpersonal morality, but with acculturation causing a nascent and generational transition in such moral orientation: Fifth, status transition can entail a degree of liminality, out of bicultural dislocation and transformational variables such as education: Finally, a fundamental meaning of their Hindu-Canadian widowhood experience is its spiritual opportunity. Despite some diversity in their Hindu diaspora and sect, the explicated themes illustrate a common experience and meaning attendant on widowhood for the co-researchers. This study investigated a portion of the underlying cultural logic of widowhood and grief phenomena for these constituents of Hinduism, and highlighted their cultural constructions of meaning and experience, allowing us to improve our transcultural knowledge and understanding of the unique needs of this population in the field of Counselling and beyond. As a phenomenological study, themes and suppositions abstracted from this relatively small sample are limited beyond the precisely-defined context of its five co-researchers. Nevertheless, a counsellor might well benefit from the potential offered here for finer-grained assessments and therapeutic relationships with widows in our Hindu communities. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

Bakgrund: Att som barn ha ett svårt sjukt syskon eller förälder är en traumatisk händelse som kan leda till en kris. Då barn uppfattar döden och förluster på olika sätt beroende på person och ålder, bearbetar de även en kris på olika sätt. Det är enligt lag sjuksköterskans ansvar att ta hänsyn till barns behov av stöd i dessa situationer, varpå det är viktigt att ha kunskap om lämpligt tillvägagångssätt. Syfte: Att beskriva hur sjuksköterskan kan ge stöd till barn med ett svårt sjukt syskon eller förälder samt vilka konsekvenser obearbetad sorg kan leda till. Metod: En litteraturstudie som baserades på 11 vetenskapliga artiklar, varav 6 kvalitativa och 5 kvantitativa. Resultatet bearbetades och delades in i två områden baserade på syfte och frågeställningar, därefter identifierades totalt fem kategorier. Resultat: De fem kategorier som identifierades var ge information, inkludera och uppmärksamma, erbjuda samtalsstöd, ångest och depression samt självskadebeteende och substansbruk. Slutsats: För att som sjuksköterska kunna ge stöd till ett barn som har en svårt sjuk förälder eller syskon är det viktigt att informera och inkludera barnet samt erbjuda samtalsstöd. Obearbetad sorg kan leda till ångest och depression samt självskadebeteende och substansbruk. / Background: To have a sibling or parent with a severe illness is a traumatic experience, which can lead to a crisis. Children perceive death and losses in a different way depending on person and age, which makes them cope with a crisis in different ways. Purpose: To describe how the nurse can provide support to children who have a sibling or parent with a severe illness, and the consequences that can occur following unresolved grief. Method: A literature review based on a total of 11 scientific articles, of which six had a qualitative approach and five of quantitative approach. The result was analysed and divided into two areas based on purpose and formulated questions, followed by identifying a total of five categories. Result: The five categories identified were: Give information, include and acknowledge, offer counsellor support, anxiety and depression, self-injury and use of substances. Conclusion: For nurses giving support to children having a sibling or parent with a severe illness it is important to provide the children with information, include them and to offer counsellor support. Unresolved grief can result in anxiety and depression, self-injury and use of substances.

Familial caregivers are providing increasing amounts of care to advanced cancer patients. Increased understanding of caregivers' needs is vital in providing necessary support to lessen caregiver burden and comorbidity. This study examines particular information needs across a variety of specific events in the advanced cancer disease trajectory. A cross-sectional sample of 107 familial caregivers (24 current and 83 bereaved) of people with advanced cancer completed a needs assessment survey along with a measure of health information-seeking behavior. Analyses extend current research by including more specific disease-related events along the advanced cancer trajectory through bereavement. In all information categories, endorsement of wanted information differed across broad stages of Cancer Progression, Treatment, End of Life, and Post-Patient Death. For all information categories, except Dying and Spirituality, greatest information was wanted at the Cancer Progression stage. Information need also differed across specific events within broad stages. The categories of Disease/Medical and Relating to the Patient were the most endorsed at events involving patient care. Spirituality was least endorsed. At patient death, Caregiver Well-being has the highest endorsement. For events thereafter, information on Caregiver Well-being, Spirituality, Future Outlook, and Family and Close Others was most endorsed. Information needs did not differ based on age or education. Whether or not a caregiver had experienced a given event on the cancer trajectory impacted some categories of information desired at the events of leaving the hospital for home, going into hospice, patient death, immediately after death, and bereavement. In all cases, those who had experienced the event wanted more information. In comparing current to bereaved caregivers, no differences in information endorsement occurred for events of the Cancer progression or Treatment stages. This study also involved the validation and factor analysis the Health Information-Seeking Behavior Survey. Two factors, Health Information-Seeking and Health Information-Avoiding, emerged. Health Information-Seeking correlates positively with some of the information categories at some of the stages. Increased understanding of caregiver needs at specific key events in the advanced cancer illness trajectory can now be used to inform the development of effective familial caregiver education interventions.

In this study, after-death communication (ADC) is defined as spontaneously occurring encounters with the deceased. Reported occurrences of ADC phenomena range widely among published ADC research studies, so a systematic review of 35 studies was conducted. A rubric was developed to evaluate the methodological quality; final inter-rater reliability among three raters was r = .90. Results were used to rank the studies; the methodologically strongest studies were used to arrive at best estimate answers to four research questions/subquestions: (1) How common are experiences of ADC? How does occurrence vary by gender, age, marital status, ethnicity, religious practice, religious affiliation, financial status, physical health, educational level, and grief status? (2) To what extent do ADCrs report ADC experiences to be beneficial and/or detrimental? What are the leading benefits and/or detriments? (3) What is the incidence of research studies in which the researchers mentioned that the research participants appeared mentally healthy? (4) What is the incidence of sensory modalities—for example, visual, auditory, and kinesthetic—in which ADCs occur? Best estimate results were compiled into a one-page fact sheet that counselors and others can use to educate people who seek empirically-based information about ADC.

Sufficient evidence exists to suggest that the death of a parent during the formative years of a child, which includes the senior primary school years, can have a devastating impact on the child's adjustment. Present available statistics in South Africa also suggest that many more school-going children will loose their parents over the next number of years due to a number of environmental factors, and also especially as a result of terminal illnesses such as HIV/AIDS. It was against this background that the study was undertaken. The problem is formulated as follows: <ul><li> what factors and corresponding experiences influence the adjustment of senior primary school children who have been bereft of a parent? </li><li> what guidelines can be prescribed to effectively assist children who have been bereft of a parent? </li><li> to identify and describe bereaved senior primary school children's perceptions of the death of a parent in terms of related factors and corresponding experiences; and </li><li> to describe guidelines for assisting children who have been bereft of a parent based on the findings of the research. <br></li></ul> Because the research is aimed at an in-depth study of the factors and corresponding experiences of bereaved children, the qualitative research methodology is employed. Data is obtained through conducting phenomenological interviews, as well as through direct observation of the bereaved subjects during the interviews. The data is analyzed according to the descriptive research approach. The present empirical research findings are compared with relevant accessible available literature, and unique contributions emerging from the present research is identified. Themes from the present empirical research as well as from the literature study are identified, and these themes form the basis for describing guidelines for the assistance of bereaved children. The present empirical research findings suggest that the support systems of bereaved children are generally not very effective in terms of facilitating the bereavement process of these children. This conclusion was reached as a result of the bereaved children's descriptions of the factors and corresponding experiences related to the death of their parent, during the interviews only, and not through any contact with the support systems, which was beyond the scope of this study. The problem is that although the relevant support systems are available, they don't appear to be very effective in their assistance of bereaved children. Certain components of the relevant support systems also don't appear to be adequately equipped/qualified for their supportive task in these circumstances. The literature suggests that some support systems appear to be uncertain regarding the supportive role that they can play or are expected to play. There also appears to be somewhat inadequate communication and cooperation between the various support systems. Against this background, the suggestion is that a collective, well-organized, well-coordinated approach should be established, in which all the support system components are well qualified and well equipped, and in which they all cooperate in assisting bereft children so that their adjustment does not restrict their normal development. / Thesis (PhD (Educational Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

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Play can be beneficial and effective for children experiencing the stress, fears, and anxieties associated with illness or death by expressing their feelings into activity (Brown 2018). It can be difficult for children to verbally communicate complex emotions because they usually are unsure of what words to say to express their emotions. Therapeutic play is a great coping mechanism for coping with death because it allows children to express their emotions through play. Professionals working with children would be better equipped to meet children’s needs with a firmer understanding on the ways in which therapeutic play techniques can be incorporated into their practice. The impact therapeutic play makes can also be beneficial for families as it can help the families understand what the children comprehend which can lead to more efficient communication between members of the family. Professionals aim to assist children in reaching optimal outcomes, which in turn has beneficial impacts for the family overall.

abstract: The aim of this research was to better understand the experience of bereaved individuals following their return to work, and the ways in which they communicatively negotiate their relationships at work and at home. One of the most salient facts of life is that everyone will all experience the death of a loved one. The amount, frequency, type, and recovery response for the bereaved may be vastly different, but inevitably everyone has to cope with death. Even though it is an integral part of life, the bereavement experience often is acknowledged as one of the most traumatic and stressful processes that occurs in individuals’ lives (McHorney & Mor, 1988; Miller & McGowan, 1997). In fact, roughly 5% of the workforce is affected by the passing of a close family member each year, and this number excludes those who experience the deaths of close friends (Wojcik, 2000). Evidence suggests that bereavement affects the physical and mental health of survivors, many of whom are in the workforce (Bauer & Murray, 2018; Hazen, 2003, 2008, 2009; Wilson, Punjani, Song, & Low, 2019). In order to explore how work-life roles are integrated into the lives of bereaved individuals, this dissertation qualitatively analyzed 36 interviews with bereaved employees (12), cohabitants (12), and coworkers (12). Through the use of procedural coding (Saldaña, 2009) and emergent codes, this dissertation answered the five posited research questions and their sub-questions. The results of this analysis have numerous implications for social support, emotion at work, grief, and bereavement leave policy. The following dissertation delineates the significance of this research, the literature review providing rationale for study of bereaved employees, qualitative methodological design, analysis of the data, and conclusions about bereavement and work-life relationships. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Communication 2020