Archives

  • 2018-10
  • 2018-11
  • 2019-04
  • 2019-05
  • 2019-06
  • 2019-07
  • 2019-08
  • 2019-09
  • 2019-10
  • 2019-11
  • 2019-12
  • 2020-01
  • 2020-02
  • 2020-03
  • 2020-04
  • 2020-05
  • 2020-06
  • 2020-07
  • 2020-08
  • 2020-09
  • 2020-10
  • 2020-11
  • 2020-12
  • 2021-01
  • 2021-02
  • 2021-03
  • 2021-04
  • 2021-05
  • 2021-06
  • 2021-07
  • 2021-08
  • 2021-09
  • 2021-10
  • 2021-11
  • 2021-12
  • 2022-01
  • 2022-02
  • 2022-03
  • 2022-04
  • 2022-05
  • 2022-06
  • 2022-07
  • 2022-08
  • 2022-09
  • 2022-10
  • 2022-11
  • 2022-12
  • 2023-01
  • 2023-02
  • 2023-03
  • 2023-04
  • 2023-05
  • 2023-06
  • 2023-08
  • 2023-09
  • 2023-10
  • 2023-11
  • 2023-12
  • 2024-01
  • 2024-02
  • 2024-03
  • 2024-04
  • 2024-05

    • Methodological advances in bereavement research in recent ye

    2018-10-26

    Methodological advances in bereavement research in recent years have improved the quality of research outputs, not least through the introduction of the Integrated Risk Factor Framework (IRFF) (Stroebe, Folkman, Hansson, & Schut, 2006). A key feature of this framework is that variables from a number of domains interact to influence outcomes following bereavement. These variables may include the circumstances of the death (e.g. whether the death was sudden or anticipated, violent, or as a result of the actions of another individual), interpersonal risk factors for the individual (e.g. social support, relationship status), intrapersonal risk factors (e.g. gender, age), nature of the relationship with decedent (e.g. child, young partner, elder parent), and coping mechanisms (e.g. avoidance, rumination). Stroebe et al. (2006) noted that the IRFF is derived largely from bereavement literature relating to the most common types of bereavement such as partner or parent loss and that the factors associated with different types of bereavement, including following the death of a child, merit specific investigation. Yet, to date, socioeconomic status and literacy level and their association with bereavement outcomes in parents have received little research interest. While being a bereaved parent is considered to increase vulnerability to poor psychological outcomes for individuals and buy apexbio dilution (Cacciatore et al., 2014), so does low socioeconomic status and education. Clinical depression, anxiety (WHO, 2007) and posttraumatic stress (Parto, Evans, & Zonderman, 2011) are believed to be twice as common in people living in poverty. Lower levels of education have also been associated with all three of these distress states (CDC, 2012; Brewin, Andrews, & Valentine, 2000) in general, non-bereaved populations. Despite this, many studies which have considered the risk factors for psychological distress following bereavement have struggled to recruit participants from poorer backgrounds or with lower levels of education (Sanders, 1988). Socioeconomic status has not been researched widely in general bereavement and is mentioned even less often in the specific experience of parental bereavement. The socioeconomic cost of bereavement is a new area of research (e.g. Socio-Economic Costs of Bereavement in Scotland Project Research Group, 2013) and this in turn is likely to lead to research in the area of poverty as a potential risk factor for socioeconomic impact, as well as health.
    Method This study is a retrospective, cross-sectional analyses of factors associated with clinical symptoms in an online support forum for bereaved parents. Ethical approval was granted by the Institutional Review Board of the principal investigator׳s academic institution and by the ethics committee of the non-profit organization which facilitated the online forum where email addresses were registered. All participants gave their informed consent to take part in the beginning of the survey. Details of the methods used are presented here in summary form, in compliance with the the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE): explanation and elaboration guidelines recommended for improving observational research (Vandenbroucke et al., 2007). This type of study predominates in bereavement research when identifying risk factors for bereavement outcomes. The guidelines strengthen such research outputs by providing checklists of information required in reports to give reviewers and readers of research the optimum information to appraise and evaluate research findings.
    Results
    Conclusion
    Acknowledgments
    Introduction Black people have higher mortality than Whites in the US (Isaacs & Schroeder, 2004; Sautter, Thomas, Dupre, & George, 2012). Excess mortality in older Blacks has been attributed to poorer health status, more widespread adverse health behaviors, more limited access to care, and lower socioeconomic status (SES) among Black Americans. These factors explain a substantial proportion of racial mortality differences, but a sizable unexplained residual remains (Isaacs & Schroeder, 2004; Thorpe et al., 2012; Williams, Mohammed, Leavell, & Collins, 2010). The unexplained portion may be attributed to limitations such as inadequate or imprecise measurement of contributing factors, insufficient adjustment for unmeasured factors, small samples, or unrepresentative populations. Ideally, SES measures should be individual level, but large population databases usually lack such measures (Adler, Bush, & Pantell, 2012). Smaller databases containing individual level SES measures are often not generalizable, and lack power to detect differences from which definitive conclusions may be made (Adler et al., 2012; Isaacs & Schroeder, 2004).