A Review of the National Literature on Support for Children and Their Families after Bereavement from a Terminally Ill Parent's Struggle with Illness

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to understand the needs and experiences of children and their families after the illness and bereavement of a terminally ill parent, and the support provided by nurses and multidisciplinary cooperation, from the domestic literature, and to clarify issues related to nursing care to be addressed in clinical practice in the future. We searched the available literature as of November 2022 using Igaku Chuo Zasshi web version. The results were classified into six categories: needs before bereavement of spouse and children, life experiences after bereavement of spouse and children, how to inform/explain to children about the illness and death of terminally ill parents, involvement of nurses for children with terminally ill parents, nursing intervention for children caring for terminally ill parents, and collaboration with multiple professions. The results were categorized into the following six categories. The results suggest the need to recognize children as members of the family and to explain their medical conditions according to their age and developmental stage. In addition, collaboration with schools and other outside organizations was important for continued support of the children. In addition, nurses need to gain experience and learning, and develop a specific system for children and their families.