Continued encounters: the experience of after-death communication.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze and categorize the various forms of after-death communication (ADC) and describe the effects on the bereaved.


METHODS
In this qualitative descriptive study of 9 men and 9 women, data were collected during in-depth interviews using the Grief and Mourning Status Interview and Inventory and semistructured interview questions. Transcripts of the interviews were analyzed and coded for content.


RESULTS
Four categories of ADCs were identified: (a) visions and dreams, (b) lost-things-found, (c) symbolic messages, and (d) sightings. Both men and women experience ADCs; however, women are more likely to discuss the events with others.


CONCLUSIONS
Although not everyone encounters or recognizes the phenomenon of ADC, it is a common aspect of the bereavement experience.


CONCLUSIONS
Nurses and other health care providers have an important role in supporting and educating the public, especially the bereaved, regarding the phenomenon of ADC.
Daggett
Luann M
LM
University of Southern Mississippi, School of Nursing, Meridian Campus, USA.
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001293:Attitude to Death; D001601:Bereavement; D005260:Female; D018939:Holistic Nursing / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D024802:Nurse's Role; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D012737:Sex Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology* / Q000451:nursing; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017805:Widowhood / Q000523:psychology*