ArticleBMC palliative care2026
Lonely boats swaying in the storm: experiences and supportive needs of adult only-children confronting parental end-of-life care: a qualitative study.
Article in BMC palliative care, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAfter nearly four decades of Chinese one-child policy, only-children have reached a point where they need to face the challenge of parental end-of-life care. However, current studies are limited to the whole process of parental aging and lacks attention to the difficulties and challenges that arise in end-of-life care.
objectivesThis study aims to explore experiences and supportive needs of adult only-children confronting their parental end-of-life care.
methodsThis study was conducted in four medical institutions in Beijing, China. Sixteen participants were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Interviews recordings were transcribed verbatim and analyzed following conventional content analysis approach.
resultsThree themes and nine subthemes were identified. Theme 1: Lonely boats: the characteristics of only-children confronting parental end-of-life care which includes: (a) there is no one to share burden, (b) there is no one to discuss, (c) there is no one to accompany. Theme 2: "Swaying in the storm": experiences of adult only-children confronting parental end-of-life care, including: (a) intensive physical caregiving burden, (b) solitary decision-making, (c) emotional turbulence and psychological pressure. Theme 3: Supportive needs in confronting parental end-of-life care, including (a) need for additional caregiving assistance, (b) need for medical decision and information support, and (c) need for empathy and emotional support.
conclusionsFor adult only-children, parental end-of-life care is shaped by a structurally singular filial position in which there is no sibling to share caregiving responsibilities, no sibling to discuss difficult decisions with, and no sibling to accompany them emotionally through parental decline. This position may intensify their physical caregiving burden, solitary decision-making role, emotional turbulence and psychological strain. Targeted support should include flexible and trustworthy respite or caregiving services to relieve care burden. It should also include accessible medical information, decision-making support, advance care planning, and end-of-life education to reduce decisional isolation. Compassionate communication from healthcare professionals, together with peer and bereavement support, is needed to address emotional distress and grief. Coordinated healthcare, community, and social support systems are required to meet the distinctive needs of this growing caregiver population in China.
trial registrationNot registered.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.