Spirituality in Brazilian family caregivers of patients with cancer from the end-of-life care to bereavement.

Although spirituality can be a source of support during end-of-life and engage a transformative experience after loss, few studies report family members' spiritual and existential needs considering their experiences over time. We conducted a longitudinal interpretative phenomenological analysis from audio-recorded interviews of 10 family caregivers while providing end-of-life care for cancer patients and during bereavement. Participants' spirituality experiences were presented in three superordinate themes: connectedness with religious beliefs and the deceased; re-signifying relationships, life, and loss; suffering and the family caregiver's needs. Finding connection through relationships, greater existential and spiritual suffering post-loss were important issues involved in expressing their spirituality.

Pre-death grief in patients requiring hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

This study aimed to understand the pre-death grief experienced by patients requiring Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation. The sample consisted of nine adult patients. A semi-structured interview was applied individually, and audio was recorded and analyzed qualitatively using thematic analysis. The results were organized into two categories, namely: Pre-death grief: Receiving the diagnosis, and Pre-death adjustment: Adaptation to the new condition. It was observed that there was a shock and a need to deal with the losses stemming from a serious illness, but then there was openness to reflection, and from this a new way of being and living emerged.

Projective assessment of aging method (PAAM) en ancianas Brasileñas / Projective assessment of aging method (PAAM) in elderly Brazilians

Dado el creciente número de personas mayores en el mundo, este estudio tuvo como objetivo identificar las necesidades emocionales y autopercepción de mujeres ancianas en relación a su vivienda (institución o su propia casa). Consistió en una muestra por conveniencia de 30 mujeres brasileñas, mayores de 60,15 institucionalizadas (Grupo 1 = G1) y 15 residentes en sus hogares (Grupo 2 = G2). Fueron evaluadas individualmente a través de una entrevista semiestructurada (datos sociodemográficos) y el "Projective Assessment of Aging Method" (PAAM), método aperceptivo temático (proyectivo) de evaluación psicológica, compuesto por 14 láminas. Utilizamos el sistema de evaluación Morval, comparando el rendimiento promedio de G1 y G2, sin diferencias pertinentes entre los grupos. Las principales necesidades emocionales identificadas en las ancianas fueron: recibir afecto, interactuar con los demás y conseguir la realización personal y profesional. La evidencia empírica mostró sensibilidad de PAAM para identificar los procesos relacionados con el envejecimiento, siendo promisorio y útil este recurso para la evaluación psicológica de las personas mayores, que merece una mayor investigación en otros contextos.(AU)

Given the growing number of elderly people in the world, this study was aimed at identifying the emotional needs and self-perception of older women in relation to their housing (institution or their own home). It consisted of a convenience sample of 30 Brazilian women, older than 60, 15 of them institutionalized (Group 1 = G1) and 15 residing in their homes (Group 2 = G2). They were evaluated individually by means of a semi-structured interview (socio-demographic data) and the "Projective Assessment of Aging Method" (PAAM), apperceptive projective theme method for psychological evaluation, consisting of 14 pictures. We use the Morval evaluation system, comparing the average performance of G1 and G2, groups with no relevant differences between them. The main emotional needs identified in the elderly were related to receive affection, to interact with others, and to achieve personal and professional accomplishment. Empirical evidence showed PAAM sensibility to identify the processes related to aging, showing it is a useful resource for the psychological evaluation of elderly people, which deserves further investigation in other contexts.(AU)