Finding Meaning In A Child's Death
Sense of Control: Finding the meaning in a child's death.
There’s no doubt that anticipating the death of a child comes as a challenge. As mentioned in Mack & Wolf ‘s (2006) article, the course of illness for children is often unpredictable. In class it was also mentioned that the exact event leading to death is often impossible to pin point, therefore early conversations about death are essential. I feel nurses are in an upright position to have theses difficult conversations. Beginning conversations with sentences like: “What is your understanding of what is ahead for your child? “(Mack & Wolf,2006) are door openers to the parents hopes, worries and fears. Another aspect discussed this week in class was meaning-finding. I believe that
health care professionals (HCP) can foster communication that can help parents find a meaning to their child’s death. This would be favorable as research shows that parents who found the meaning and significance in the death of their child have less mental distress and better overall health than parents who were unable to cope (Murphy & al, 2010). Murphy S., Johnson L., Lohan J., (2010), FINDING MEANING IN A CHILD'S VIOLENT DEATH: A FIVE-YEAR PROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF PARENTS' PERSONAL NARRATIVES AND EMPIRICAL DATA, Death Studies Journal, Volume 27, Issue 5, Pages : 381-404.
There’s no doubt that anticipating the death of a child comes as a challenge. As mentioned in Mack & Wolf ‘s (2006) article, the course of illness for children is often unpredictable. In class it was also mentioned that the exact event leading to death is often impossible to pin point, therefore early conversations about death are essential. I feel nurses are in an upright position to have theses difficult conversations. Beginning conversations with sentences like: “What is your understanding of what is ahead for your child? “(Mack & Wolf,2006) are door openers to the parents hopes, worries and fears. Another aspect discussed this week in class was meaning-finding. I believe that
health care professionals (HCP) can foster communication that can help parents find a meaning to their child’s death. This would be favorable as research shows that parents who found the meaning and significance in the death of their child have less mental distress and better overall health than parents who were unable to cope (Murphy & al, 2010). Murphy S., Johnson L., Lohan J., (2010), FINDING MEANING IN A CHILD'S VIOLENT DEATH: A FIVE-YEAR PROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF PARENTS' PERSONAL NARRATIVES AND EMPIRICAL DATA, Death Studies Journal, Volume 27, Issue 5, Pages : 381-404.