Early Interventions Following the Death of a Parent: Protocol of a Mixed Methods Systematic Review

Abstract

BackgroundPrevious meta-analyses examined the effectiveness of interventions for bereaved children showing small to moderate effect sizes. However, no mixed methods systematic review was conducted on bereavement interventions following the loss of a parent focusing on the time since death in regard to the prevention of grief complications.ObjectiveThe overall purpose of the review is to provide a rigorous synthesis of early intervention after parental death in childhood. Specifically, the aims are twofold: (1) to determine the rationales, contents, timeframes, and outcomes of early bereavement care interventions for children and/or their parents and (2) to assess the quality of current early intervention studies.MethodsQuantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods intervention studies that start intervention with parentally bereaved children (and/or their parents) up to 6 months postloss will be included in the review. The search strategy was based on the Population, Interventions, Comparator, Outcomes, and Study Designs (PICOS) approach, and it was devised together with a university librarian. The literature searches will be carried out in the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), PsycINFO, Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL). The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool will be used to appraise the quality of eligible studies. All data will be narratively synthetized following the Guidance on the Conduct of Narrative Synthesis in Systematic Reviews.ResultsThe systematic review is ongoing and the data search has started. The review is expected to be completed by the end of 2017. Findings will be submitted to leading journals for publication.ConclusionsIn accordance with the current diagnostic criteria for prolonged grief as well as the users’ perspectives literature, this systematic review outlines a possible sensitive period for early intervention following the death of a parent. The hereby presented protocol ensures the groundwork and transparency for the process of conducting the systematic review.Trial RegistrationInternational Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) CRD42017064077; http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.asp?ID=CRD42017064077 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6rMq6F0fv)

Longitudinal patterns of adversity from childhood to adolescence: Examining associations with mental health through emerging adulthood using a random-intercept latent transition analysis.

“…Potential disruptions and stressors within the family, as evidenced by our latent class findings in elementary school, in turn, can impact social, emotional, and cognitive development and mental well-being. As such, examining the heterogeneity in adverse exposures allows for a better understanding of what domains of a child's environment to bolster with preventive interventions (e.g., intervention following death of a parent focused on reducing socioemotional distress related to grief and enhancing children's coping strategies; Pereira et al, 2017).…”

Case Report: Parental Loss and Childhood Grief During COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Physical activity and physiotherapy have been consistently associated with activation of multiple neurophysiological processes involved in discomfort relief and mood improvement ( 28 , 29 ). As bereavement also interferes in occupations and occupational performance of bereaved child, the occupational therapist should also be included in support teams providing spaces of speech, resignification, and reflection to reduce occupational losses ( 28 , 30 ). Therefore, grief intervention in children should be carried out by a coordinated multidisciplinary team comprising healthcare professionals from different disciplines, who work in regular collaboration with one another and with schools and families to ensure the provision of consistent, goal-directed care ( 30 ).…”

“…As bereavement also interferes in occupations and occupational performance of bereaved child, the occupational therapist should also be included in support teams providing spaces of speech, resignification, and reflection to reduce occupational losses ( 28 , 30 ). Therefore, grief intervention in children should be carried out by a coordinated multidisciplinary team comprising healthcare professionals from different disciplines, who work in regular collaboration with one another and with schools and families to ensure the provision of consistent, goal-directed care ( 30 ). However, multidisciplinary work to help children regain educational, recreational, and social skills is hampered by school and extracurricular activities suspension, meetings and consultations restrictions, and other COVID-19 protection measures.…”

An Appeal for Implementing Social Assistance and Welfare Programs for European Children Challenged by Parental Loss

“…3 If symptoms of grief and pain coping are neglected and left untreated, the damage and suffering experienced by individuals during childhood may persist and amplify during their adult life. 16 Different theoretical frameworks and psychosocial interventions have been proposed to offer adequate care, 16 including pharmacotherapy, self-help, family interventions, support groups, as well as coaching in community resilience groups. 16 The therapeutic interventions in adult age were performed by a variety of professionals (eg, general practitioners, social workers, psychologists, nurses, pastoral teams) using different methods (eg, individual or group therapeutic meetings, home visiting, the Internet, telephone).…”

“…16 The therapeutic interventions in adult age were performed by a variety of professionals (eg, general practitioners, social workers, psychologists, nurses, pastoral teams) using different methods (eg, individual or group therapeutic meetings, home visiting, the Internet, telephone). 16 These interventions were moderately effective. 17 By contrast, pediatric support programs that targeted treating high-risk children as early as possible after parental loss were more effective.…”