Background: Severe grief may adversely affect the health of bereaved families, potentially burdening medical and community health services as well as families. Education may improve the resilience of bereaved families, if high-risk cohorts can be identified in advance. Rationale: We wanted to determine (A) the medical services upon which the bereaved most rely, and (B) what characterizes those most vulnerable bereaved, to facilitate education for resilience.

Method: We distributed questionnaires to adult Japanese who had presided at funerals within the past year, receiving 1078 complete voluntary responses nationwide. Statistical analyses found correlations between more severe grief and dependency upon medical and pharmaceutical services.

Results: Half of the severe grief group (n=143) reported adverse effects on their health and daily lives, including the need for pharmacological, medical, or welfare support. Losses of husbands or children particularly correlated to severe grief; “unexpected” death from cancer caused the greatest shock. Even part-time employment buffered against severe grief; grief was greater for the unemployed, and worse for those who lost a significant source of income at the same time as they lost a loved one. Dissatisfaction with funerals was another danger sign.

Conclusion: Our findings document serious impact of bereavement on national health services, suggesting that better preparation may reduce the psychological and economic shocks which increase subsequent medical dependence. Medical professionals and community health workers should target in advance the family members in greatest danger of heavy grief, to educate to mitigate the worst effects of grief on their physical and psychological resilience

Authors:
Carl Becker, Kyoto University, Japan

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Carl Becker received his MA and PhD from the East-West Center/University of Hawaii in 1973, and 1981. He taught Bioethics at Japan's National Osaka U., Tsukuba U., and now at Kyoto U. (from 1992 to the present).

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-becker-94012339/

Connect on ResearchGate
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Carl-Becker-2

Additional website of interest
https://researchmap.jp/read0012535

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