BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

This study examines how grieving Filipinos use Facebook to cope and find support. It investigates the combination of traditional mourning practices and the influence of social media. By exploring this intersection, the study fills an essential gap in the existing literature on digital mourning within Filipino culture. Understanding these digital bereavement practices can inform palliative care interventions, particularly in providing psychosocial support to grieving families.

The study used a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, conducting in-depth interviews with ten bereaved Filipinos selected by specific criteria. Data were gathered through video calls and in-person interviews to explore their experiences, and the qualitative data was thematically analyzed for key insights.

The analysis revealed three key themes: (1) blending mourning traditions with Facebook for emotional support; (2) Facebook interactions that provide relief and validation in grief; and (3) digital mourning experiences that foster healing. Social media enhances grieving practices for Filipinos, allowing them to honor loved ones and strengthen community connections.

The study stresses the need for culturally sensitive digital spaces and grief support services that combine online and offline mourning practices. It calls on healthcare providers and grief counselors to incorporate digital mourning and highlights the need for further research on grief expressions on social media.

Humans ; COVID-19 ; Pandemics ; Grief ; SARS-CoV-2

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about multiple losses to various groups, namely patients, families and healthcare professionals. Grief, which is the reaction to these losses, could cause strain on these individuals' physical and mental health if not identified and managed early. This scoping review analysed loss, grief and how they were managed among these groups during the pandemic. METHOD: This scoping review utilised the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) and the Joanna Briggs Institute framework for scoping reviews. Only qualitative studies relating to loss and grief and their management were included. Of 166 studies screened, 69 were included in the study. Qualitative analysis and data coding of each record were conducted through qualitative data analysis software. RESULTS: Losses included the death of family members, patients, colleagues and others. They also included the loss of usual routines, lifestyles and physical health. The grief experienced was multidimensional, affecting mainly the emotional, physical, social and existential realms. Anger, guilt and fear resulted from unsatisfactory farewells, issues with funerals, social isolation, financial strain and stigmatisation. Management strategies could be categorised into 5 themes: communication, finance, counselling, education and spiritual care. CONCLUSION Loss and grief identification and management among patients, family members and healthcare professionals are critically important during this COVID-19 pandemic. Current operating guidelines have proven insufficient in managing loss and grief. Innovative strategies are essential to tackle the many dimensions of loss and grief. Nevertheless, further research is necessary to better understand the effectiveness of implemented policies.
Humans ; COVID-19 ; Grief ; Health Personnel ; Pandemics ; Qualitative Research

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the attitudes and skills of grief counseling in the front-line medical workers from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) designated hospitals in Wuhan for the bereaved family members and to provide the basis for proper hospital management strategies. METHODS: The convenience sampling method was applied to select 422 medical workers who kept touch with the bereaved family members in five COVID-19 designated hospitals in Wuhan from January to February 2020. Questionnaire regarding grief counseling attitudes and questionnaire regarding grief counseling skills were used to evaluate the attitudes and skills of grief counseling in medical workers. The scores of grief counseling attitudes and skills in group of different characteristics were further compared. Pearson correlation was used to analyze the attitudes and skills of grief counseling in medical workers. RESULTS: The scores of grief counseling attitudes in medical workers were 15-46 (33.00±9.31). Length of service, professional title, whether or not receiving relevant training, frequency of contact with bereaved family members contributed to impacting the medical workers' attitudes of grief counseling (all <0.05). The scores of grief counseling skills in medical workers were 9-30 (19.30±4.42). Length of service, professional title, religion, whether or not receiving relevant training, frequency of contact with bereaved family members contributed to impacting the medical workers' skills of grief counseling (all <0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between the attitudes and skills of grief counseling in the medical workers (=0.608, <0.01). CONCLUSIONS The attitudes and skills of grief counseling in the medical workers from COVID-19 designated hospitals in Wuhan still need to be improved. Grief counseling group and a long-term, comprehensive training system are recommended.
Attitude of Health Personnel ; Betacoronavirus ; China ; Coronavirus Infections ; psychology ; Counseling ; Grief ; Health Personnel ; psychology ; Hospitals ; Humans ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; psychology

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between end of life care competencies and terminal care stress of nurses in long term care hospitals. METHODS: For this study, 140 nurses were sampled among those that have over 6-month end of life care experience and were working at long term care hospitals located in A city and C city of Chungcheongnam-do. Using a questionnaire, data were collected from January 2018 through March 2018. Data were analyzed using the SPSS, Windows version 21.0, according to the purpose of the study and analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, one way ANOVA, Schéffe's test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The mean score on terminal care stress of nurses was above the normal level. The scores on end of life care competencies significantly varied by age, total career at hospitals, death/hospice and palliative care education, and bereavement experience. The mean score of end of life care competencies was negatively correlated with the mean score of lack of knowledge and skills among the sub-items of the terminal care stress category (r=−0.260, P=0.002). CONCLUSION: To decrease the terminal care stress of long term care hospital nurses, it is suggested to carry out end of life care education tailored to nurses' characteristics.
Bereavement ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Clinical Competence ; Education ; Long-Term Care ; Palliative Care ; Terminal Care

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to identify factors influencing on the mental health in bereaved adults. METHODS: A descriptive and correlational study was conducted in 160 adults who had experienced bereavement. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, and hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses with SPSS 26.0. RESULTS: The participants' mental health showed a positive correlation with complicated grief (r=.31, p<.001) and a negative correlation with grief and meaning reconstruction (r=−.30, p<.001). Sex, sleeping time, intimacy with the deceased, grief reaction, and grief and meaning reconstruction were significant factors influencing on the mental health. The total explanatory power of these variables was 31.8%. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to explore the persistent and impairing grief after experiencing bereavement. Our study findings will be fundamental evidence to develop nursing interventions to improve adult mental health dealing with bereavement and grief.
Adult ; Bereavement ; Grief ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Mental Health ; Nursing

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to determine whether severity and severity change of coexisting psychiatric symptoms might affect change of complicated grief (CG) regarding the Sewol ferry disaster. METHODS: Data from a cross-sectional survey were obtained 18 months (Time 1) and 30 months (Time 2) after the disaster. We ascertained sociodemographic variables and variables obtained from self-reporting questionnaires (i.e., CG, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD], insomnia, embitterment, and suicidal risk) among 56 bereaved family members. RESULTS: Severity of other psychiatric symptoms at Time 1 had no effect on change of CG at Time 2. However, changes in severity of PTSD over a year affected change of CG. CONCLUSION: It is important to evaluate changes in severity of PTSD and its treatment during management of CG, especially when it involves bereaved families experiencing a traumatic accident.
Anxiety ; Bereavement ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depression ; Disasters ; Follow-Up Studies ; Grief ; Humans ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, and complicated grief in Korean high school students who experienced a peer suicide. METHODS: A total of 956 students were included in the statistical analysis. One week after a peer suicide, a school-based crisis intervention program was conducted. The cohort was followed-up at one week and five months after a peer suicide. The program consists of screening tests, educational sessions, and further interview with psychiatric specialists for the selected group. Screening tests were conducted for all students to measure the Child Report of Post-traumatic Symptoms (CROPS), the post-traumatic stress symptoms (The University of California at Los Angeles post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD] reaction index; UCLA-PTSD-RI), the anxiety symptoms (The Korean-Beck Anxiety Inventory; K-BAI), the depressive symptoms (The Korean-Beck Depression Inventory-II; K-BDI-II), and the complicated grief reaction (The Inventory of Complicated Grief; ICG). For statistical analysis, the SPSS Statistics 21.0 program was used. RESULTS: At baseline and five months follow-ups, 8.6% and 2.9% of the students showed post-traumatic stress symptoms. At five months follow-up, there was a statistically significant decline in the post-traumatic stress symptoms, anxiety, depression, and complicated grief among the ‘trauma group.’ A higher proportion of the female students showed post-traumatic stress symptoms after the incident of peer suicide than the male students. CONCLUSION: School-based crisis intervention helps improvement of trauma-related symptoms. It might be an effective way to prevent suicide spreading among students by alleviating trauma-related symptoms.
Anxiety ; California ; Child ; Cohort Studies ; Crisis Intervention* ; Depression ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Grief ; Humans ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Specialization ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic ; Suicide*

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the variables influencing acceptability and perception towards suicide among the elderly in Bucheon city, South Korea. METHODS: A total of 1099 elderly over 65 years old participated in this study. The subjects completed a self-questionnaire including their demographic characteristics, psychiatric characteristics, factor 1 and 4 of the Attitudes Towards Suicide-20, and Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form Korea Version. One-way analysis of variance was performed to identify the variables associated with the acceptability and perception towards suicide. RESULTS: As result of this study, the demographic characteristics (older age, lower education level, lower economic state, bereavement, divorce or separated marital status, and life without spouse) and psychiatric characteristics (psychiatric past history, treatment history, and suicidal attempt history) were found to be associated with a more acceptable attitude toward suicide. In addition, a lower education level, no psychiatric history, and no psychiatric treatment history influenced the lack of perception to suicide. CONCLUSION: For public services to prevent suicide of the elderly population who lack spontaneity and accessibility to suicidal evaluations, it would be important to focus on the variables identified in this study for enhancing the effectiveness of the services.
Aged* ; Bereavement ; Depression ; Divorce ; Education ; Gyeonggi-do* ; Humans ; Korea ; Marital Status ; Suicide*

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether there were differences in mental health specific to regions in Korea, and the factors that affected mental health status. METHODS: Data from the 2016 Community Health Survey in Korea were used; 224,421 health survey participants provided responses on mental health issues, demographics, and health behavior, and were included in the study. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference was observed in the incidence of mental health status between different regions of Korea. Independent variables that affected mental health were sex, age, marital status, household income, economic activity, whether living with dementia patients, self-reported health status, smoking, alcohol drinking, sleep time, and chronic diseases. Risk factors associated with symptoms of depression were gender (female), bereavement or being divorced, low household income, family member with dementia, poor self-reported health status, currently smoking, level of physical activity, insufficient hours of sleep and suffering from chronic diseases. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that a standardized healthcare policy is needed to reduce regional variation in mental health. In the future, similar studies that include medical expenses for mental healthcare and relevant variables according to regions of Korea should be conducted.
Alcohol Drinking ; Bereavement ; Chronic Disease ; Delivery of Health Care ; Dementia ; Demography ; Depression ; Divorce ; Family Characteristics ; Health Behavior ; Health Surveys* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Marital Status ; Mental Health* ; Motor Activity ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking