Anticipatory mourning in parents with a child who dies while hospitalized

Even when prognosis is poor and death appears imminent, care of the dying child typically focuses on achieving cure. Parents are often ill-prepared to cope with the grief they experience as their child is dying. Anticipatory mourning allows time to begin grief work prior to the death of a loved one. An exploratory design was used to answer questions in focused semistructured interviews to determine the presence and the role of anticipatory mourning, and to describe the themes expressed by parents. Parents' descriptions of their experiences surrounding the death of their child reveal an environment and a health care team that are often ill-prepared to deal with the impending death of a child. Also described are instances that reflect a compassionate process that positively affects the experience while facilitating appropriate grief work. Offered are recommendations for health care professionals that may assist parents in coping with the death of their child.