A Mixed Methods Approach of End-of-Life Care, Social Rites, and Bereavement Outcomes: A Transnational Perspective

Abstract

The current article focused on examining the potential benefits of the End-of-Life (EoL) informal caregiving, communication, and ritualistic behaviors in adaptation to the conjugal bereavement across two different cultural-background contexts: France and Togo, West Africa. The investigation adopted a transnational approach including a total of 235 bereaved spouses. Despite the variation in the length of time since death, no significant difference was found between the Togolese and French bereaved with respect to the level of complicated grief symptoms. However, the Togolese bereaved perceived a significant postloss growth, fostered by EoL communication with the dying and the performance of ritualistic behaviors. In the French sample, bereaved individuals who had experienced more intimate communication with their dying spouse reported a high level of postloss growth. Moreover, findings showed that EoL caregiving without ritualistic support or communication is associated with poor postbereavement outcomes. These findings suggest a clinical need to promote informal caregiving to the dying, communication with the dying, and ritualistic support during the process of dying as entangled components of EoL care.Résumé Dans cet article, nous avons examiné le potentiel effet positif de l'assistance au conjoint en fin de vie, de la communication avec lui et des actes rituels sur

Ritual in Therapy for Prolonged Grief: A Scoping Review of Ritual Elements in Evidence-Informed Grief Interventions

“…In French bereaved individuals, experiencing more intimate communication with the dying spouse was associated with a higher level of postloss growth. The authors concluded that informal caregiving to the dying, communication with the dying, and ritual support need to be promoted as integrated components of end-of-life care (7).…”

“…Rituals around grief and death have been practiced since the early beginnings of culture (3)(4)(5). Across countries, communities and historical periods, rituals have been a crucial element in dealing with grief and loss (6)(7)(8)(9). Although many traditionally religious practices have been decreasing in Western societies, grief rituals remain in secular contexts (9).…”

The ICD‐11 and DSM‐5‐TR prolonged grief criteria: Validation of the Traumatic Grief Inventory‐Self Report Plus using exploratory factor analysis and item response theory

“…The present study represents an international contribution to the validation of the TGI‐SR+ in French‐speaking countries. Prior published French studies relied on translated versions of the Inventory of Traumatic Grief‐30 items (Delespaux et al, 2013; Delespaux & Zech, 2015; Zech, 2006), the Inventory of Complicated Grief‐Revised (ICG‐R) (Gana & K'Delant, 2011; Kokou‐Kpolou et al, 2017; Kokou‐Kpolou, Moukouta, Sani, et al, 2020) and short version drawn from ICG‐R items (Kokou‐Kpolou, Moukouta, Sani, et al, 2020, Kokou‐Kpolou et al, 2021). Thus, there is a lack of formal and reliable validated ICD‐11 and DSM‐5‐TR PGD assessment tools in French‐speaking countries.…”

Honoring Grief Journeys Following the Death of a Loved One

“…Despite many valid resources for helping understand established grief responses, it is vital to recognize the uniqueness of each individual's grief experience. Kokou-Kpolou et al (2020) found variations in the amount of self-reported post-loss growth and intensity of grief reaction between different groups and in some instances even within a specific group of bereaved individuals, providing evidence of the uniqueness of each person's grief journey. Listening attentively with one's heart and offering the gift of presence conveys respect of the individual and where he/she is in the grief journey.…”