Long-term grief experiences of parents who lost a child to cancer– Results from a multicenter cross-sectional study
Peter Francis Raguindin, Eddy Carolina Pedraza, Anna Katharina Vokinger, Eva De Clercq, André Oscar von Bueren, Katrin Scheinemann, Eva Maria Tinner, Eva Bergstraesser, Gisela MichelBackground:
Childhood cancer deaths may be associated with persistent parental grief. Evidence on grief symptoms beyond ten years post-loss remains limited.
Aims:
We described grief symptoms, identified grief profiles, and examined associations between grief intensity and sociodemographic, cancer-related characteristics, and time since death.
Design:
This multicenter cross-sectional survey was conducted in Switzerland (July 2022–July 2023). We used PG-13. Items were rated on a 5-point scale (1–5). We calculated the sum score to assess grief intensity (range 11–55). We employed descriptive statistics, latent profile analysis, and linear regression analyses.
Setting/participants:
Eligible parents had a child diagnosed with cancer (⩽18 years), who had received treatment at one of three participating Swiss pediatric oncology centers and had died ⩾1 year prior to study participation. Participants were identified via the Swiss Childhood Cancer Registry and invited by the child’s former treatment facility.
Results:
Of 388 identified cases, 103 parents of 81 deceased children participated. Mean grief intensity was 23.3 (SD = 9.0);
Conclusions:
Parental grief symptoms can persist long after the death of a child to cancer. Integrated palliative care, anticipatory guidance, and multidisciplinary collaboration may identify at-risk parents early, and ensure sustained support within the community.