This mixed method study explored continuing bonds in children who lived with advanced cancer, as well as in bereaved families who lost a child to cancer. The study also examined associations among continuing bonds, coping strategies, and grief symptoms. Participants included 107 bereaved parents and siblings (ages 8-18) of 41 children who died from cancer. Survivors separately answered 2 open-ended questions and completed 3 questionnaires. Qualitative content analysis identified major themes related to continuing bonds, and quantitative correlations identified associations among continuing bonds, coping strategies, and grief symptoms. In sum, continuing bonds may be a response to stress for bereaved families and ill children, including both coping strategies and automatic responses, resulting in both positive and negative grief symptoms. This study contributes to the state of the science on continuing bonds within pediatric palliative care.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VANDERBILT/oai:VANDERBILTETD:etd-03302008-221648 |
| Date | 14 April 2008 |
| Creators | Foster, Terrah Leigh |
| Contributors | Mary Jo Gilmer, Bruce E. Compas, Mary S. Dietrich, Melanie Lutenbacher, James C. Pace |
| Publisher | VANDERBILT |
| Source Sets | Vanderbilt University Theses |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.vanderbilt.edu/available/etd-03302008-221648/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to Vanderbilt University or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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