Family Bereavement Support Interventions in Specialist Adult Palliative Care: A Rapid Mixed-Methods Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care and Bereavement Research
• Family Support Systems
• Mental Health Outcomes

Background:

• Specialist palliative care settings offer crucial support to families facing loss.
• Understanding the impact of family support interventions on bereavement is vital.
• Evidence on the effectiveness and family perceptions of these interventions requires synthesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize evidence on pre- and post-loss family support interventions in palliative care.
• To evaluate the impact on bereavement outcomes.
• To explore families' perceptions of usefulness and benefits of these support services.

Main Methods:

• Rapid mixed-methods systematic review adhering to JBI and Cochrane guidance.
• Appraisal of study quality using the Mixed-Methods Appraisal Tool.
• Meta-aggregation and narrative synthesis of qualitative and quantitative data from 2004-2024.

Main Results:

• Pre-loss support (e.g., family-focused interventions, communication) may reduce post-loss anxiety, depression, and grief.
• Post-loss individual and group support interventions can decrease anxiety, distress, and grief, while improving well-being.
• Families generally desire individualized, comprehensive support; stigma and access barriers can impede utilization.

Conclusions:

• Pre- and post-loss family support interventions show mixed but potentially beneficial effects when accessible and tailored.
• High-quality research is needed to assess a broader range of bereavement outcomes.
• Palliative care professionals should personalize care, initiate support early, and ensure equitable access to bereavement services.