Introduction: In palliative care, the prospect of separation can precipitate acute distress and suffering for family members. Hope has emerged as a crucial factor in navigating this anguish. One of the items on the Herth Hope Index deals with faith, making it pertinent to study the relationship between the two concepts and how it occurs in palliative care, in families experiencing anticipatory grief. Aim of the research: To gain insight into the relationship between faith, spirituality, resilient coping and hope in family carers' experiences of anticipatory grief in the context of palliative care at home. Approach and Method: A mixed approach was employed in accordance with Creswell's theory of triangulation of methods. The data was gathered from a convenience sample of informal caregivers of patients receiving palliative home care in an urban setting on the outskirts of Lisbon. Quantitative data were collected using a questionnaire comprising sociodemographic and family data, and scales validated for the Portuguese reality. These included the Herth Hope Index for caregivers, the Brief-RCOPE for religious coping, the Scale for the Assessment of Spirituality in Health Contexts, and the Marwit-Meuser Grief Inventory for Caregivers (Reduced Form). Qualitative data was obtained through semi-structured interviews and analysed according to Clarke and Braun's Thematic Analysis using WebQDA®. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyse the quantitative data, utilising SPSS. The study satisfied the quality criteria of the GRAMMS guideline and was approved by the local Ethics Committee. Results: The sample comprised 13 participants. The sample was 53.8% male and comprised individuals aged between 36 and 74, with an average age of 55.67. The majority of participants were children (53.9%), 38.5% were professionally active, 54.5% provided care for a relative on a 24-hour basis, and 36.4% provided care for up to 12 hours per day. The carers displayed a tendency towards anticipatory mourning (M=2.98; Me=2.83), although they exhibited a notable level of sadness and longing (Me=4) and demonstrated a relatively high level of hope (Me=3.5). The participants demonstrated moderate spirituality (M=2.80), indicating that carers primarily employ positive coping strategies (Me=2.57) to a greater extent than negative coping strategies (Me=1.33) to cope with suffering. Spearman's correlations revealed a significant association between spirituality, hope, and anticipatory grief on the affiliative and affective dimensions. The results indicate the presence of positive religious coping, facilitated by faith, which translates into increased hope and a greater willingness to confront anticipatory grief. Conclusion: It is evident that the themes of faith and hope play a crucial role in the experience of healthy anticipatory grief in families caring for their loved ones in palliative care. It can be concluded that these dimensions foster a positive outlook on life and equip individuals with strategies for navigating adversity. This illustrates that suffering and bereavement can be endured with hope.
Date of Award | 18 Dec 2024 |
---|
Original language | Portuguese |
---|
Awarding Institution | - Universidade Católica Portuguesa
|
---|
Supervisor | Ana Isabel Fernandes Querido (Supervisor) |
---|
- Faith
- Spirituality
- Hope
- Anticipatory grief
- Palliative care
- Mestrado em Cuidados Paliativos
A fé e a esperança das famílias que experienciam o luto antecipatório em cuidados paliativos
Corgas, D. S. D. C. L. (Student). 18 Dec 2024
Student thesis: Master's Thesis