title: The bereavement process of tissue donors' family members: responses of grief, posttraumatic stress, personal growth, and ongoing attachment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Donated tissues can save lives of critically burned patients and those needing a heart valve replacement. Tissues enhance the lives of a million recipients annually through transplants of corneas, bones, tendons, and vein grafts. Unfortunately, the need for some tissues exceeds their availability.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The goal of the quantitative component of this mixed methods study was to identify the grief, posttraumatic stress, personal growth, and ongoing attachment response of tissue donors' family members during a 2-year period.
  
  
  METHODS
  Simultaneous mixed methods design.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample for this study consisted of 52 tissue donors' family members, mostly widows (83%).
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected for 2 years to test changes in grief, posttraumatic stress, panic behavior, personal growth, and ongoing attachment. The bereaved participants experienced significantly fewer grief reactions, less posttraumatic stress, and greater personal growth. There was no significant difference in the ongoing attachment to their deceased loved ones.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study may reinforce the positive meaning that tissue donors' family members can find in tissue donation. Findings also demonstrate that the bereavement process corroborates contemporary bereavement and attachment theories. Health professionals are encouraged to seek donations with less worry that tissue donors' family members will experience adverse outcomes during bereavement.
authors.affiliation: Loyola University Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hogan
authors.affiliation: Loyola University Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Lee
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation, Edison, New Jersey.
authors.forename: Maggie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coolican
mesh_terms: D001601:Bereavement; D003625:Data Collection; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D019962:Reactive Attachment Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology*; D014019:Tissue Donors