Supporting Caregivers Through Child Loss: An Assessment of Hospital-Based Bereavement Services
Jessika C. Boles, Maile T. Jones, Briana Keller, Avery SweetBackground:
The death of a child has lasting effects on caregiver well-being. Some hospitals provide bereavement support services to help families navigate their grief, but research on these services remains limited, particularly regarding caregiver perceptions.
Objectives:
This study examined bereaved caregivers’ engagement with, and perceptions of hospital-based bereavement support services.
Design:
An electronic survey design was used.
Setting/Subjects:
Participants included 55 primary caregivers of children who died at a children’s hospital in the southeastern United States between 2009 and 2024.
Measurements:
Participants completed an electronic survey identifying services received and perceptions of their helpfulness. All of the measures were created by the research team.
Results:
Many participants reported not receiving key bereavement support services. Those received and rated most helpful included memory-making items, bedside nutrition at the time of death, and anniversary cards. Grief counseling referrals, breastfeeding resources, and autopsy information were rated least helpful.
Conclusions:
Findings highlight gaps in service provision and suggest that while grief is highly individualized, certain bereavement supports may be more universally valued. Enhancing access to meaningful bereavement interventions may improve support for grieving families.