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- Eilegård Wallin, Alexandra, 1975-
(author)
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Delaktiga i vården : då mår syskon bättre
- 2015
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In: Barn&Cancer. - Stockholm : Barncancerfonden. - 0284-7507. ; :5, s. 14-15
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Journal article (pop. science, debate, etc.)
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| 3. |
- Eilegård Wallin, Alexandra, 1975-, et al.
(author)
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Insufficient communication and anxiety in cancer-bereaved siblings : a nationwide long-term follow-up
- 2016
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In: Palliative & Supportive Care. - 1478-9515 .- 1478-9523. ; October, s. 488-494
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine siblings’ long-term psychological health in relation to their perception of communication with their family, friends, and healthcare professionals during a brother or sister's last month of life.Method: A nationwide questionnaire study was conducted during 2009 in Sweden of individuals who had lost a brother or sister to cancer within the previous two to nine years. Of the 240 siblings contacted, 174 (73%), participated. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was employed to assess psychological health (anxiety). The data are presented as proportions (%) and relative risks (RR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI 95%).Results: Siblings who were not satisfied with the amount they talked about their feelings with others during their brother or sister's last month of life were more likely to report anxiety (15/58, 26%) than those who were satisfied (13/115, 11%; RR = 2.3(1.2–4.5)). The same was true for those who had been unable to talk to their family after bereavement (RR = 2.5(1.3–4.8)). Avoiding healthcare professionals for fear of being in their way increased siblings’ risk of reporting anxiety at follow-up (RR = 2.2(1.1–4.6)), especially avoidance in the hospital setting (RR = 6.7(2.5–18.2)). No such differences were seen when the ill brother or sister was cared for at home.Significance of results: Long-term anxiety in bereaved siblings might be due to insufficient communication. Avoiding healthcare professionals, especially when the brother or sister is cared for at the hospital, may also increase the risk of anxiety.
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| 4. |
- Eilegård Wallin, Alexandra, 1975-, et al.
(author)
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Insufficient communication and anxiety in cancer-bereaved siblings : A nationwide long-term follow-up
- 2016
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In: Palliative & Supportive Care. - Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. - 1478-9515 .- 1478-9523. ; 14:5, s. 488-494
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine siblings' long-term psychological health in relation to their perception of communication with their family, friends, and healthcare professionals during a brother or sister's last month of life.Method: A nationwide questionnaire study was conducted during 2009 in Sweden of individuals who had lost a brother or sister to cancer within the previous two to nine years. Of the 240 siblings contacted, 174 (73%), participated. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was employed to assess psychological health (anxiety). The data are presented as proportions (%) and relative risks (RR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI 95%).Results: Siblings who were not satisfied with the amount they talked about their feelings with others during their brother or sister's last month of life were more likely to report anxiety (15/58, 26%) than those who were satisfied (13/115, 11%; RR = 2.3(1.2-4.5)). The same was true for those who had been unable to talk to their family after bereavement (RR = 2.5(1.3-4.8)). Avoiding healthcare professionals for fear of being in their way increased siblings' risk of reporting anxiety at follow-up (RR = 2.2(1.1-4.6)), especially avoidance in the hospital setting (RR = 6.7(2.5-18.2)). No such differences were seen when the ill brother or sister was cared for at home.Significance of results: Long-term anxiety in bereaved siblings might be due to insufficient communication. Avoiding healthcare professionals, especially when the brother or sister is cared for at the hospital, may also increase the risk of anxiety.
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- Eilertsen, Mary-Elizabeth Bradley, et al.
(author)
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Cancer-bereaved siblings' positive and negative memories and experiences of illness and death : A nationwide follow-up.
- 2018
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In: Palliative & Supportive Care. - Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. - 1478-9515 .- 1478-9523. ; 16:4, s. 406-413
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to explore bereaved siblings' positive and negative memories and experiences of their brother's or sister's illness and death.METHOD: In our nationwide Swedish study, 174 of 240 (73%) bereaved siblings participated, and 70% responded to two open-ended statements, which focused on siblings' positive and negative memories and experiences of illness and death. The data were analyzed using systematic text condensation.RESULTS: The bereaved siblings' responses were categorized into four different themes: (1) endurance versus vulnerability, (2) family cohesion versus family conflicts, (3) growth versus stagnation, and (4) professional support versus lack of professional support. The first theme expressed endurance as the influence that the ill siblings' strong willpower, good mood, and stamina in their difficult situation had on healthy siblings, whereas vulnerability was expressed as the feeling of emptiness and loneliness involved with having an ill and dying sibling. In the second theme, family cohesion was expressed as the bonds being strengthened between family members, whereas family conflicts often led siblings to feel invisible and unacknowledged. In the third theme, most siblings expressed the feeling that they grew as individuals in the process of their brother's or sister's illness and death, whereas others experienced stagnation because of the physical and mental distress they bore throughout this time, often feeling forgotten. In the last theme-professional support-most siblings perceived physicians and staff at the hospital as being warm, kind, and honest, while some siblings had negative experiences.SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: The study shows that bereaved siblings can have positive memories and experiences. The significance of the positive buffering effect on bereaved siblings' own endurance, personal growth, family cohesion, and social support should be noted. This knowledge can be valuable in showing healthcare professionals the importance of supporting the siblings of children with cancer throughout the cancer trajectory and afterwards into bereavement.
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- Lövgren, Malin, et al.
(author)
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Bereaved Siblings' Advice to Health Care Professionals Working With Children With Cancer and Their Families
- 2016
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In: Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing. - : SAGE Publications. - 1043-4542 .- 1532-8457. ; 33:4, s. 297-305
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction: Siblings of children with cancer experience psychosocial distress during the illness and after bereavement, but often stand outside the spotlight of attention and care. This study explored bereaved siblings' advice to health care professionals (HCPs) working with children with cancer and their families. Materials and Methods: In a nationwide Swedish survey of bereaved siblings, 174/240 (73%) participated. Of these, 108 answered an open-ended question about what advice they would give to HCPs working with children with cancer and their families. In this study, responses to this single question were analyzed using content analysis. Results: The most common advice, suggested by 56% of siblings, related to their own support. One third suggested giving better medical information to siblings. Some siblings wanted to be more practically involved in their brother's/sister's care and suggested that HCPs should give parents guidance on how to involve siblings. Other common advice related to psychosocial aspects, such as the siblings' wish for HCPs to mediate hope, yet also realism, and the importance of asking the ill child about what care they wanted. Conclusion: Information, communication, and involvement should be emphasized by HCPs to support siblings' psychosocial needs in both the health care setting and within the family.
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- Lövgren, Malin, et al.
(author)
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Care at end of life influences grief : A nationwide long-term follow-up among young adults who lost a brother or sister to childhood cancer
- 2018
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In: Journal of Palliative Medicine. - Larchmont, New York : Mary Ann Liebert Inc. - 1096-6218 .- 1557-7740. ; 21:2, s. 156-162
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: A majority of cancer-bereaved siblings report long-term unresolved grief, thus it is important to identify factors that may contribute to resolving their grief.OBJECTIVE: To identify modifiable or avoidable family and care-related factors associated with unresolved grief among siblings two to nine years post loss.DESIGN: This is a nationwide Swedish postal survey.MEASUREMENTS: Study-specific questions and the standardized instrument Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Primary outcome was unresolved grief, and family and care-related factors were used as predictors.SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Cancer-bereaved sibling (N = 174) who lost a brother/sister to childhood cancer during 2000-2007 in Sweden (participation rate 73%). Seventy-three were males and 101 females. The age of the siblings at time of loss was 12-25 years and at the time of the survey between 19 and 33 years.RESULTS: Several predictors for unresolved grief were identified: siblings' perception that it was not a peaceful death [odds ratio (OR): 9.86, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.39-40.65], limited information given to siblings the last month of life (OR: 5.96, 95% CI: 1.87-13.68), information about the impending death communicated the day before it occurred (OR: 2.73, 95% CI: 1.02-7.33), siblings' avoidance of the doctors (OR: 3.22, 95% CI: 0.75-13.76), and lack of communication with family (OR: 2.86, 95% CI: 1.01-8.04) and people outside the family about death (OR: 5.07, 95% CI: 1.64-15.70). Depressive symptoms (OR: 1.27, 95% CI: 1.12-1.45) and time since loss (two to four years: OR: 10.36, 95% CI: 2.87-37.48 and five to seven years: OR: 8.36, 95% CI: 2.36-29.57) also predicted unresolved grief. Together, these predictors explained 54% of the variance of unresolved grief.CONCLUSION: Siblings' perception that it was not a peaceful death and poor communication with family, friends, and healthcare increased the risk for unresolved grief among the siblings.
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| 8. |
- Lövgren, Malin, et al.
(author)
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Spirituality and religious coping are related to cancer-bereaved siblings' long-term grief
- 2019
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In: Palliative & Supportive Care. - Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. - 1478-9515 .- 1478-9523. ; 17:2, s. 138-142
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: Many bereaved siblings have still not come to terms with their grief many years after the loss, but few studies have focused on what can help. The aims of this study were to identify cancer-bereaved adolescents' and young adults' ways of coping with grief after loss of a sibling, and examine whether these ways of coping were related to their experience of having worked through their grief. Method: This nationwide survey of 174 cancer-bereaved siblings (73% participation rate) is based on one open-ended question about coping with grief ("What has helped you to cope with your grief after your sibling's death?") and one closed-ended question about siblings' long-term grief ("Do you think you have worked through your grief over your sibling's death?"). The open-ended question was analyzed with content analysis; descriptive statistics and Fisher's exact test were used to examine the relation between type of coping and siblings' long-term grief. Result: The siblings described four ways of coping: (1) thinking of their dead brother/sister and feeling and expressing their grief; (2) distracting or occupying themselves; (3) engaging in spiritual and religious beliefs/activities; and (4) waiting for time to pass. One of these categories of coping with grief, namely, engaging in spiritual and religious beliefs and activities, was associated with siblings' experience of having worked through their grief two to nine years after the loss (p = 0.016). Significance of results: Those siblings who had used spirituality, religious beliefs, and activities to cope were more likely to have worked through their grief than those who had not.
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| 9. |
- Vegsund, Hilde Kristin, et al.
(author)
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Resilience as a predictive factor towards a healthy adjustment to grief after the loss of a child to cancer
- 2019
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In: PLOS ONE. - San Francisco : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 14:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- INTRODUCTION: Grief among bereaved parents is known to cause psychological distress and physical illness, but knowledge concerning factors that can contribute to health promotion after bereavement is scarce. Childhood cancer remains the most common non-accidental cause of death among children in Norway. The aim of the present study was to explore if resilience factors among cancer-bereaved parents could predict whether they will be able to come to terms with their grief 2-8 years following the loss.METHODS: A Norwegian cross-sectional national survey was conducted among 161 cancer-bereaved parents using a study-specific questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to explore whether resilience factors predicted parents' grief outcome 2-8 years after their loss.RESULTS: On the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA), three of the resilience factors contributed significantly in predicting whether the parents in the present study would come to terms with their grief 2-8 years after the loss their child: "Perception of self "(OR 2.08, p = .048), "Social resources" (OR 2.83, p = .008) and "Family cohesion" (OR .41, p = .025). The results showed a negative relationship between time since loss (2-6 years) and whether the parents answered that they had come to terms with their grief (p = < .05). The loss of a parent (OR .30, p = .030) combined with the loss of their child had a negative and significant effect on whether they indicated that they had processed their grief.CONCLUSION: The total score of RSA and three of the six resilient factors contributed significantly in predicting whether cancer-bereaved parents in the present study indicated that they had come to terms with their grief to a great extent. The present study supports hypotheses that regard resilience as an important contribution in predicting healthy outcomes in people exposed to adverse life events.
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- Vegsund, H. -K, et al.
(author)
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Translation and linguistic validation of a swedish study-specific questionnaire for use among Norwegian parents who lost a child to cancer
- 2018
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In: Social Sciences. - : MDPI AG. - 2076-0760. ; 7:10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Research is needed on how to help cancer-bereaved parents, as they are considered to be a vulnerable population and they are at risk of developing ill health following the loss of a child to cancer. The purpose of the present study was to translate and linguistically validate a Swedish study-specific questionnaire that was developed for Swedish cancer-bereaved parents. The translated questionnaire will be used in a nationwide study in Norway. Methods: Forward and backward translations of the Swedish study-specific questionnaire were conducted, followed by linguistic validation based on telephone interviews with six Norwegian cancer-bereaved parents. Result: It was found that several medical terms and conceptual issues were difficult for the Norwegian parents to understand. There were also four issues regarding the response alternatives. Conclusions: Although Sweden and Norway have quite similar cultures and languages, the results off this pilot study show that, to ensure the quality of a translated questionnaire, linguistic validation as well as translation is necessary.
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