ArticleBMJ open2021
Experiences of preparing children for a death of an important adult during the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed methods study.
Article in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed.
- Evaluating an intervention for healthcare professionals to facilitate family-centred conversations when an adult patient has a serious illness.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Using the Person-based Approach to plan and develop an intervention for healthcare professionals to facilitate family-centred conversations when an adult patient has a serious illness.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- 'I'm tired of justifying why my life has stopped': A qualitative analysis of the experiences and support needs of young people caring at the end of life and into bereavement.Palliative care and social practice · 2026Article
- Translating palliative care narratives into art: An arts-based knowledge translation pilot with young adult artists.Palliative care and social practice · 2026Article
- Supporting the bereaved child in the adult ICU: a narrative review.Intensive care medicine · 2025Review
- Grief in Children in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic.Current psychiatry reports · 2024Review
- Knowledge and practices of youth awareness on death and dying in school settings: a systematic scoping review protocol.Systematic reviews · 2024Article
- Adult mental healthcare professionals' experiences of family centred conversations with patients who are parents: a qualitative study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
- Public Opinions About Palliative and End-of-Life Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Twitter-Based Content Analysis.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- Parental perspectives on the grief and support needs of children and young people bereaved during the COVID-19 pandemic: qualitative findings from a national survey.BMC palliative care · 2022Article
- 'It's not just all about the fancy words and the adults': Recommendations for practice from a qualitative interview study with children and young people with a parent with a life-limiting illness.Palliative medicine · 2022Article
- Conversations About Children When an Important Adult Is at End of Life: An Audit.The American journal of hospice & palliative care · 2022Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThe objectives of this study were to investigate how families prepared children for the death of a significant adult, and how health and social care professionals provided psychosocial support to families about a relative's death during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN/
settingA mixed methods design; an observational survey with health and social care professionals and relatives bereaved during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK, and in-depth interviews with bereaved relatives and professionals were conducted. Data were analysed thematically.
participantsA total of 623 participants completed the survey and interviews were conducted with 19 bereaved relatives and 16 professionals.
resultsMany children were not prepared for a death of an important adult during the pandemic. Obstacles to preparing children included families' lack of understanding about their relative's declining health; parental belief that not telling children was protecting them from becoming upset; and parents' uncertainty about how best to prepare their children for the death. Only 10.2% (n=11) of relatives reported professionals asked them about their deceased relative's relationships with children. This contrasts with 68.5% (n=72) of professionals who reported that the healthcare team asked about patient's relationships with children. Professionals did not provide families with psychosocial support to facilitate preparation, and resources were less available or inappropriate for families during the pandemic. Three themes were identified: (1) obstacles to telling children a significant adult is going to die, (2) professionals' role in helping families to prepare children for the death of a significant adult during the pandemic, and (3) how families prepare children for the death of a significant adult.
conclusionsProfessionals need to: provide clear and honest communication about a poor prognosis; start a conversation with families about the dying patient's significant relationships with children; and reassure families that telling children someone close to them is dying is beneficial for their longer term psychological adjustment.
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