Find a way out: bereavement support in Taiwan hospice.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study was to explore one of the possibilities to enhance bereavement care in Taiwan hospice due to insufficient attention and resources. Meanwhile, a theoretical assumption about the relationship between anticipatory grief and postdeath grief was made and examined.


METHODS
Through convenience sampling, 109 most bereaved families of terminally ill cancer patients were included. Data were collected by the Anticipatory Grief Scale (Theut SK et al (1991) Caregiver's anticipatory grief in dementia: a pilot study. Int J Aging Hum Dev 32:113-118), Perinatal Grief Scale (Potvin L, Lasker J, Toediter T (1989) Measuring grief: a short version of the Perinatal grief scale. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 11:29-45), and a background information sheet.


RESULTS
Anticipatory grief was correlated with postdeath grief significantly but mildly. Age was associated with anticipatory grief, not with postdeath grief. However, relationship and gender did not statistically relate to anticipatory grief and postdeath grief.


CONCLUSIONS
Although anticipatory grief could predict postdeath grief, the result was not encouraging enough. Prevention is still the best way not only for the bereaved in theoretical point of view but also for hospice staff in practical application. However, how to screen out high-risk bereaved family in order to provide help in advance require more effort.
Liu
Nai-Chih
NC
Mackay Hospice and Palliative Care Center, 45 Minsheng Road, Tamshui, Taipei 251, Taiwan.
Lai
Enoch Y L
EY
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001293:Attitude to Death; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D017051:Hospice Care / Q000523:psychology*; D006738:Hospices; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D010166:Palliative Care; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan