Grieving Assisted Dying: A Synthesised Grief Framework

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care
• Thanatology
• Sociology of Health

Background:

• Assisted dying (AD) legalization in New Zealand presents novel experiences of dying and grief.
• Existing grief theories inadequately address the complexities of AD-related bereavement.
• There is a need for a tailored grief framework for the AD context.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the applicability of grief theories to assisted dying.
• To identify distinct grief manifestations across the AD process stages.
• To develop a grief framework specific to assisted dying.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study employing appreciative inquiry.
• Interviews conducted with 46 individuals eligible/ineligible for AD and their family members.
• Inductive-deductive thematic analysis of interview data.

Main Results:

• A distinct assisted dying (AD) grief trajectory was identified, influenced by anticipatory and preparatory phases.
• Advocacy work and legacy work emerged as crucial practices for meaning-making and maintaining bonds.
• Social stigma associated with AD complicated grief expression and coping.

Conclusions:

• The study proposes a novel framework for understanding assisted dying (AD) grief.
• This framework integrates loss- and restoration-oriented processes within the intentional context of AD.
• Findings offer guidance for clinicians, researchers, and policymakers involved in AD and bereavement support.