Family management after the sudden death of a family member.
Although more is known about how individuals within families make decisions and manage more discrete issues when a family member is dying, less is known about how families as a unit manage after the sudden death of a family member. The article discusses an investigation that was conducted to better understand how families respond to the life-threatening illness or injury and eventual death of a family member. The purpose of the study was to define Family Management Styles (FMSs) and determine distinctive characteristics of each FMS used by families after the death of a family member who had life-sustaining therapy withdrawn as a result of an unexpected, life-threatening illness or injury. Interviews are conducted with 8 families (22 family members) 1 to 2 years after the death of their family members. A modified typology of FMSs based on a directed analysis that was then inductively modified includes: progressing, accommodating, maintaining, struggling, and floundering. Understanding FMSs and how FMSs may change over time, reflecting the changing focus of family work, will further aid in the development of family-focused interventions as well as develop FMSs within the context of end of life.
University of Maryland School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. wiegand@son.umaryland.edu
Debra L
DL
Wiegand
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001601:Bereavement; D003643:Death; D005192:Family Health; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008020:Life Support Care / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D014481:United States; D028761:Withholding Treatment