Pre- and post-bereavement experiences and support needs of family caregivers in hospital settings in Türkiye: a...

Timely and adequate bereavement support is associated with better mental health and psychosocial outcomes for bereaved individuals. There is limited research focusing on how the pre- and post-death process in the hospital setting influences family caregivers' perceptions and support needs before and after bereavement. The aim of this study is to explore the pre-and post-bereavement experiences and support needs of family caregivers in hospital settings in Türkiye.

A qualitative exploratory study using semi-structured in-depth interviews analysed thematically was conducted to provide a detailed understanding of the bereavement experience in the context of bereaved family caregivers' in hospital settings. Purposive sampling was used to recruit bereaved family caregivers (n = 21) who had experienced caring for an adult patient with life-threatening conditions in hospital.

Twenty-one bereaved family caregivers participated, over half of the participants (62%) were female and, participant age ranged between 20 and 52 years, with the average age being 39.8 years. Four themes were generated: (1) Pre-bereavement process, (2) Communication during the dying stages, (3) Post-bereavement process and, (4) Bereavement support needs of family caregivers. Many caregivers reported that the lack of information about the disease process of their close person, unfinished business, and cultural barriers to the discussion of death made the bereavement process more difficult. Social support, culturally specific coping strategies, support from psychiatric consultation liaison nurses and empathetic communication were identified as facilitators of the bereavement process for family caregivers.

We recommend a culturally sensitive family-centered approach, compassionate and empathetic communication, and the integration of psychiatric consultation liaison nurses into hospital bereavement care systems to provide dignified and culturally adapted bereavement support care in hospitals. The insights gained from the perspective of family caregivers may be utilised by mental health professionals and policy makers to improve hospital-based bereavement care. By exploring the perspectives of family carers in a middle-income country, our research contributes to a more inclusive understanding of bereavement support needs globally, particularly in culturally diverse contexts where research has been limited.