ArticlePalliative medicine2020
Regret and unfinished business in parents bereaved by cancer: A mixed methods study.
Article in Palliative medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 65 citations in OpenAlex.
- Insight into the content of and experiences with follow-up conversations with bereaved parents in paediatrics: A systematic review.Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) · 2022Pooled it
- An Intervention in Congruence for End-of-Life Treatment Preference: A Randomized Trial.Pediatrics · 2022Trial
- "Golden" moments and more in grief talk: Healthcare professionals' approaches to discussing loss and grief with parents of children with severe neurological impairment.Palliative medicine · 2026Article
- Navigating the interplay between feelings of failure and newfound kindness: a qualitative study exploring the experiences of cancer bereaved fathers.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy for Cancer Caregivers: Study protocol of a randomized controlled trial.Trials · 2026Article
- Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy for Cancer Caregivers Study protocol of a randomized controlled trial.Research square · 2026Article
- Supporting parent treatment decision-making in relapsed and refractory neuroblastoma: co-design of a web-based intervention.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2025Article
- Decision-making when a child with haematological malignancy relapses following haematopoietic stem cell transplantation: A meta-ethnographic review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Review
- Posttraumatic growth in parents long after their child's death from cancer-a cross-sectional survey in Switzerland.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Article
- Parents' experiences of the financial and employment impacts of their child receiving end-of-life care: a national qualitative study.BMC palliative care · 2025Article
- Feasibility of a Serious Illness Communication Program for Pediatric Advance Care Planning.JAMA network open · 2024Article
- How we approach sharing child-caregiver PRO disagreement.Pediatric blood & cancer · 2024Article
- Parent values and preferences underpinning treatment decision-making in poor-prognosis childhood cancer: a scoping review.BMC pediatrics · 2022Article
- Voicing their choices: Advance care planning with adolescents and young adults with cancer and other serious conditions.Palliative & supportive care · 2022Article
- Psychosocial outcomes of parents in pediatric haploidentical transplant: parental hematopoietic cell donation as a double-edged sword.Bone marrow transplantation · 2022Article
- Bereaved Parent Perspectives on the Benefits and Burdens of Technology Assistance among Children with Complex Chronic Conditions.Journal of palliative medicine · 2022Article
- Adolescent and Young Adult Initiated Discussions of Advance Care Planning: Family Member, Friend and Health Care Provider Perspectives.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Article
- Article
- Stuck Moments and Silver-Linings: The Spectrum of Adaptation Among Non-Bereaved and Bereaved Parents of Adolescents and Young Adults With Advanced Cancer.Journal of pain and symptom management · 2021Article
- Parent values and preferences underpinning treatment decision making in poor prognosis childhood cancer: a scoping review protocol.BMJ open · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
15 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPrior research has demonstrated that the presence of regret and unfinished business is associated with poorer adjustment in bereavement. Though there is a growing literature on these constructs among caregivers of adult patients, the literature on regret and unfinished business in bereaved parents has been limited.
aimThe aim of this study was to examine regret and unfinished business in parents bereaved by cancer, as well as their associations with caregiving experiences and prolonged grief.
designThis was a cross-sectional mixed methods study that utilized self-report questionnaires with open-ended items. SETTING/
participantsThe multisite study took place at a tertiary cancer hospital and pediatric cancer clinical research institution. Participants were 118 parents (mothers = 82, fathers = 36) who lost a child aged 6 months to 25 years to cancer between 6 months and 6 years prior.
resultsResults showed that 73% of the parents endorsed regret and 33% endorsed unfinished business, both of which were more common among mothers than fathers (
conclusionFindings have implications for how providers work with families, including increasing treatment decision-making support, supporting parents in speaking to their child about illness, and, in bereavement, validating choices made. Grief interventions that use cognitive-behavioral and meaning-centered approaches may be particularly beneficial.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.