Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - How grandparents experience the death of a grandchild with a life-limiting condition
AU - Tatterton, Michael
AU - Walshe, Catherine Elizabeth
N1 - The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Journal of Family Nursing, 25 (1), 2019, © SAGE Publications Ltd, 2019 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Journal of Family Nursing page: http://journals.sagepub.com/home/JFN on SAGE Journals Online: http://journals.sagepub.com/
PY - 2019/2/1
Y1 - 2019/2/1
N2 - Traditionally, family-focused care extends to parents and siblings of children with life-limiting conditions. Only a few studies have focused on the needs of grandparents, who play an important role in the families of children with illness and with life-limiting conditions, in particular. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used as the methodological framework for the study. Seven bereaved grandparents participated in this study. Semistructured, individual, face-to-face interviews were conducted. A number of contextual factors affected the experience of bereaved grandparents, including intergenerational bonds and perceived changes in role following the death of their grandchild. The primary motivation of grandparents stemmed from their role as a parent, not a grandparent. The breadth of pain experienced by grandparents was complicated by the multigenerational positions grandparents occupy within the family. Transition from before to after the death of a grandchild exacerbated the experience of pain. These findings about the unique footprint of grandparent grief suggest the development of family nursing practice to better understand and support grandparents during the illness of a grandchild, in addition to bereavement support.
AB - Traditionally, family-focused care extends to parents and siblings of children with life-limiting conditions. Only a few studies have focused on the needs of grandparents, who play an important role in the families of children with illness and with life-limiting conditions, in particular. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used as the methodological framework for the study. Seven bereaved grandparents participated in this study. Semistructured, individual, face-to-face interviews were conducted. A number of contextual factors affected the experience of bereaved grandparents, including intergenerational bonds and perceived changes in role following the death of their grandchild. The primary motivation of grandparents stemmed from their role as a parent, not a grandparent. The breadth of pain experienced by grandparents was complicated by the multigenerational positions grandparents occupy within the family. Transition from before to after the death of a grandchild exacerbated the experience of pain. These findings about the unique footprint of grandparent grief suggest the development of family nursing practice to better understand and support grandparents during the illness of a grandchild, in addition to bereavement support.
KW - bereavement
KW - child
KW - Grandparents
KW - grief
KW - family nursing
KW - hospice care
KW - palliative care
U2 - 10.1177/1074840718816808
DO - 10.1177/1074840718816808
M3 - Journal article
VL - 25
SP - 109
EP - 127
JO - Journal of Family Nursing
JF - Journal of Family Nursing
SN - 1074-8407
IS - 1
ER -