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Original research
Bereaved parents’ quality of life: resilience and professional support
  1. Omid Rasouli1,2,
  2. Hilde Kristin Vegsund3,
  3. Alexandra Eilegård Wallin4,
  4. Odin Hjemdal5,
  5. Trude Reinfjell5,
  6. Unni Karin Moksnes1,
  7. Bendik Lund6 and
  8. Mary-Elizabeth Bradley Eilertsen1
  1. 1 Department of Public Health and Nursing, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
  2. 2 Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
  3. 3 Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, St.Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
  4. 4 School of Health Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
  5. 5 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
  6. 6 Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
  1. Correspondence to Dr Omid Rasouli, Department of Public Health and Nursing, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway; omid.rasouli{at}ntnu.no

Abstract

Objectives The study aimed to compare the quality of life (QoL) among cancer-bereaved parents with a control group and explore how resilience and support from healthcare professionals associated with QoL of parents 2–8 years after the loss of a child to cancer.

Methods This nationwide, cross-sectional survey was administered among parents (n=161) who lost their child to cancer between 2009 and 2014, compared with a matched control parent group (n=77). A study-specific questionnaire, Resilience Scale for Adults (six factors: ‘Perception of self’, ‘Planned future’, ‘Social competence’, ‘Structured style’, ‘Family cohesion’ and ‘Social resources’), and a single-item measure of parents’ QoL were included for the study.

Results There was a lower QoL in both bereaved parents (mean=5.1) compared with the control parents (mean=5.8) (p<0.001). Two resilience factors, ‘Perception of self’ (OR=1.8, p=0.004) and ‘Planned future’ (OR=2.05, p<0.001), and given sufficient information during the child’s last month (OR=2.63, p=0.003) were positively associated with long-term QoL in cancer-bereaved parents.

Conclusion The findings indicate lower QoL among both fathers and mothers 2–8 years after losing a child to cancer. The study also highlights the positive role of resilience and the importance of informational support on long-term QoL in cancer-bereaved parents. Bereavement support should be tailored for supporting individual needs.

  • bereavement
  • supportive care
  • quality of life
  • psychological care
  • family management
  • paediatrics

Data availability statement

Data are available upon reasonable request. The dataset used for analysis is available from the corresponding author upon request.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjspcare-2020-002840

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    Data availability statement

    Data are available upon reasonable request. The dataset used for analysis is available from the corresponding author upon request.

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors HKV and MEE designed the study. HKV collected the data. OR performed statistical analyses and wrote the original draft. HKV, AEW, OH, TR, UKM, BL and MEE performed critical revisions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final version of this manuscript and were involved in data interpretation. OR is the guarantor for this study.

    • Funding This study was funded by the Research Council of Norway (grant number 238331), the Norwegian Childhood Cancer Society and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

    • Disclaimer The funders had no role in study design, data collection, analysis, decision to publish or manuscript preparation.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.