Purpose: The response of each child to terminal illness treatment is highly individual. This will certainly affect the level and type of perceived needs. This study is conducted to examine the needs of children with terminal illness from the perspective of nurses and parents. Method: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted in this research.…

This qualitative study examined messages of everyday communication (small talk and routine interactions). The importance of these messages was highlighted in light of their role in creating structure, safety, and meaning making in the family at the end of life. In addition, family rituals that developed from children's everyday communication were…

Individuals coping with the chronic or terminal illness of a family member are presented with a unique challenge that may influence their adjustment and overall well-being. This study investigated variables that relate to college adjustment and subjective well-being, including attachment, social support, coping, and illness-related constructs, in…

Several studies have shown that the symptoms of grief are different from symptoms of depression among bereaved family members. This study is an attempt to replicate this finding among advanced cancer patients and examine clinical correlates of patient grief and depression. Analyses were conducted on data from interviews with 123 advanced cancer…

Loneliness is a universal phenomenon, and its pain is intensified by a diagnosis of a terminal illness. The present study is an investigation of the strategies used by patients with Multiple sclerosis (MS), by individuals diagnosed with cancer, and by the general population to cope with loneliness. Three hundred and twenty nine MS patients, 315…

Background: Formal training in dealing with death and dying issues is not a standard content area in communication sciences and disorders programmes' curricula. At the same time, it cannot be presumed that pre-professional students' personal background equips them to deal with these issues. Aim: To investigate the perceptions of pre-professional…

A qualitative, community study of 58 parentally bereaved children and their 35 surviving parents illustrates how families take advantage of forewarning of death to foster connections between children and dying parents and prepare for youngsters' continued attachment to dying parents after the death. Children and parents displayed strong yearnings…

The study surveyed 135 health care professionals (74 nurses, 32 physicians, and 29 social workers) to examine their personal death attitudes and experiences in relation to their reported advance directive communication practice behavior. Negative correlations were found between collaborating with other health care professionals regarding the…

Presents a model of transpersonal intervention that social work clinicians can use when working with terminally-ill clients. Model assumes that individuals possess a level of transpersonal development, with related dimensions of spiritual awareness and personal death perspective; the degree of interrelatedness of these two dimensions influences…

Administered measures of overt and covert fear of death to 20 healthy men and 13 men diagnosed with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Groups did not differ significantly on overt measure; AIDS group had higher total scores on covert measure. Findings suggest that one's life trajectory is redefined when the diagnosis of terminal illness…

Examined coping and family adaptation in siblings (n=32) of cancer patients, their ill brothers and sisters (n=19), and control group of nonclinical children (n=10) with healthy siblings. Gender and age of sibling, birth order, and number of siblings were examined. Found better adaptation in larger families and decreased family involvement among…

Presents memoirs written by those who have cared for severely ill and disabled loved ones. Such memoirs reveal multiple meanings--many of them positive--inherent in caregiving, contradicting the professional paradigm that family caregiving equals stress. These memoirs can provide an empathic point of entry for clinicians. (RJM)

This study examined the work behaviors of individuals with graduate degrees who provide clinical services to terminally ill individuals, family members, and the bereaved. An instrument was developed to assess the frequency and importance of work behaviors of individuals working with dying individuals and their families. Participants were randomly…

Discusses the development of Canuck Place, North America's first free-standing pediatric hospice of its kind, opened in British Columbia, Canada, in 1995. Discusses the process of assessing the need for Canuck Place. Data from traditional quantitative and less-traditional qualitative sources were used to document and develop an argument in support…

Investigates experiences of Greek mothers who cared for a child dying of cancer. Highlighted some needs during the terminal period. Fifteen mothers were interviewed and both quantitative and qualitative procedures were used to analyze findings. Family networks played a significant role in supporting mother-child units, especially when death…