Experiences of Grief and Nursing Support for Family Caregivers after a Death in a Neurosurgery Unit: A Retrospective Psychosocial and Cultural Analysis at Yaoundé Central Hospital
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47941/ijhmnp.3486Keywords:
Grief, Family Caregivers, Nursing Support, Neurosurgery Unit, Psychosocial Factors, Cultural Beliefs, Bereavement.Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate on the mourning process of family caregivers after the death of a patient in the neurosurgery ward of Yaoundé Central Hospital, especially the effects of psychosocial and cultural factors, the support of nurses in dealing with death, and the overall caregiver experience.
Methodology: A qualitative, retrospective design was used. Family caregivers of the deceased patients in the neurosurgery unit were purposefully included, and data were gathered through in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted post-mourning period. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed word-for-word, and analyzed by themes.
Findings: The results showed that caregivers went through very strong emotional distress consisting of shock, sadness, helplessness, and skepticism regarding their faith. Death was perceived as a community and spiritual affair; consequently, the cultural and spiritual beliefs were the key factors that shaped the grief experiences. The participants pointed out that there was a shift in family roles and that they were going through both emotional and financial hardships. A few caregivers were thankful to the nurse for the support, but the majority of them viewed nursing support as inadequate and brought up poor communication and lack of cultural sensitivity in mourning care as reasons for that.
Unique contribution to theory, practice, and policy: This study contributes to theory by incorporating the African hospital context into psychosocial and cultural models of mourning. The nursing practice is informed by the study through the suggestion of a structured, culturally responsive support for mourning in neurosurgical units. The policy implications are that the findings stress the need for the inclusion of bereavement care guidelines and training in hospital protocols to improve the care centered around families after the death of a patient.
Downloads
References
Abrutyn, S., & Lizardo, O. (2020). Grief, Care, and Play: Theorizing the Affective Roots of the Social Self. Advances in Group Processes, 37, 79–108. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0882-614520200000037004
Anderson, A. E., & Bruera, E. (2021). Staff Stress and Burnout in Palliative Care. Textbook of Palliative Medicine and Supportive Care, 727–734. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429275524-76
Barnard, A. (2019). Grief Counselling and Grief Therapy: A Handbook for the Mental Health Practitioner, J. William Worden. The British Journal of Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1093/BJSW/BCZ004
Burns, R. B. (2023). Managing Grief and Death. The Human Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic, 273–296. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-1710-5_9
Coelho, A., Albuquerque, S., & Neto, D. D. (2025). Bereavement support guidelines for caregivers in palliative care: a scoping review. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1541783. https://doi.org/10.3389/FPSYG.2025.1541783/BIBTEX
Costa, F. L., & Barbosa, M. (2025). Follow-up of grieving families in general and family medicine: a cross-sectional study on the practices and attitudes of family doctors. Family Medicine and Community Health, 13(3), e003296. https://doi.org/10.1136/FMCH-2025-003296
Cue, F. F., Mateo, M., Anne, M., Razo, G., & Ristevirta, L. (2024). Communication Between Nurses and Relatives of Patients in the End-of-Life Care : A Descriptive Literature Review. http://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/866840
El-Jawahri, A., Greer, J. A., Park, E. R., Jackson, V. A., Kamdar, M., Rinaldi, S. P., Gallagher, E. R., Jagielo, A. D., Topping, C. E. W., Elyze, M., Jones, B., & Temel, J. S. (2020). Psychological Distress in Bereaved Caregivers of Patients with Advanced Cancer. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 61(3), 488. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JPAINSYMMAN.2020.08.028
Esplen, M. J., Wong, J., & Vachon, M. L. S. (2022). Supporting Resilience and the Management of Grief and Loss among Nurses: Qualitative Themes from a Continuing Education Program. Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care, 25(2), 55. https://doi.org/10.14475/JHPC.2022.25.2.55
Gautam, R. (2023). Nursing Care Strategies for Grief and Bereavement. Journal of Nursing Education of Nepal, 14(1), 87–90. https://doi.org/10.62143/Y8WNFK45
Gilbert, K. R., & Horsley, G. C. (2021). Technology and Grief Support in the Twenty-First Century: A Multimedia Platform. Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society: Bridging Research and Practice, 365–373. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003199762-34/technology-grief-support-twenty-first-century-kathleen-gilbert-gloria-horsley
Glatt, A. (2018). A Death in the Family: The Differential Impacts of Losing a Loved One. Canadian Journal of Family and Youth / Le Journal Canadien de Famille et de La Jeunesse, 10(1), 99–118. https://doi.org/10.29173/CJFY29344
Hamdan Alshehri, H., McParland, C., Bahri, H. A., & Johnston, B. (2025). Spiritual and cultural influences on end-of-life care decision-making: a comparative analysis of the Arab Middle East and the United Kingdom. Current Opinion in Supportive and Palliative Care, 19(4), 242. https://doi.org/10.1097/SPC.0000000000000778
Jesus-Ferreira, D., & Reis-Pina, P. (2025). Legacy-Oriented Interventions for Supporting Family Bereavement and Psychosocial Adaptation in Pediatric Palliative Care: A Systematic Review. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1177/10499091251383152;CTYPE:STRING:JOURNAL
Khalid, N. M., Sajali, N. S., & Razali, A. (2025). Life transition stages of family caregivers for patients with chronic illness: A grounded theory study. Belitung Nursing Journal, 11(4), 413. https://doi.org/10.33546/BNJ.3896
Klass, D., & Chow, A. Y. M. (2021). Culture and Ethnicity in Experiencing, Policing, and Handling Grief. Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society: Bridging Research and Practice, 341–353. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003199762-32/culture-ethnicity-experiencing-policing-handling-grief-dennis-klass-amy-yin-man-chow
Martz, K., & Morse, J. M. (2017). The changing nature of guilt in family caregivers: Living through care transitions of parents at the end of life. Qualitative Health Research, 27(7), 1006–1022. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732316649352;ISSUE:ISSUE:DOI
Mazza, M., Hernández-Mendo, A., Silva, S., Martins, M. M., & Tavares, M. (2025). The Grieving Process and Reorganization: Experiences and Needs of Post-Caregivers After the Death of the Person Cared For. Psychology International 2025, Vol. 7, Page 70, 7(3), 70. https://doi.org/10.3390/PSYCHOLINT7030070
Neimeyer, R. A., Harris, D. L., Winokuer, H. R., & Tornton, G. F. (2021). Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society: Bridging Research and Practice. Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society: Bridging Research and Practice, 1–479. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003199762
Pentaris, P., Patlamazoglou, L., & Schaub, J. (2023). The role of faith in the experience of grief among sexually diverse individuals: a systematic review. Psychology and Sexuality, 14(4), 640–656. https://doi.org/10.1080/19419899.2022.2057869;ISSUE:ISSUE:DOI
Phan, H. P., Ngu, B. H., Chen, S. C., & Hsu, C. S. (2025). How cultural beliefs and rituals may help alleviate grief and despair: a four-dimensional framework. Frontiers in Sociology, 10, 1620016. https://doi.org/10.3389/FSOC.2025.1620016/BIBTEX
Raymond, A., Lee, S. F., & Bloomer, M. J. (2017). Understanding the bereavement care roles of nurses within acute care: a systematic review. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 26(13–14), 1787–1800. https://doi.org/10.1111/JOCN.13503;WGROUP:STRING:PUBLICATION
Sedaghati, S. A., Bera, R. B., & Baker, J. (2024). Grief Support Following In-Hospital Deaths. Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging, 2233–2233. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22009-9_301024
Sola, P. P. B., Santos, M. A., & Oliveira-Cardoso, É. A. (2024). Emotional Suffering After the COVID-19 Pandemic: Grieving the Loss of Family Members in Brazil. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2024, Vol. 21, Page 1398, 21(11), 1398. https://doi.org/10.3390/IJERPH21111398
Stephany, K. (2022). Cultivating Empathy: Inspiring Health Professionals to Communicate More Effectively (Revised Edition). Cultivating Empathy: Inspiring Health Professionals to Communicate More Effectively (Revised Edition), 1–211. https://doi.org/10.2174/97898150364801220101
Villa, M., Palermo, A., Montemarano, D. G., Bottega, M., Deelen, P., Grassellini, P. R., Bernasconi, S., & Cassina, T. (2025). Nurse-Led Bereavement Support During the Time of Hospital Visiting Restrictions Imposed by the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Qualitative Study of Family Members’ Experiences. Nursing Reports, 15(7), 254. https://doi.org/10.3390/NURSREP15070254/S1
Watson’s Theory, J., Caring, H., Ean, J., Atso, W., & Watson, J. (2008). Introducing the Theorist.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Mispar Guinyonga Wankam, Enouga Enouga Roger, Kengne Djeudjo Ingrid Fabiola, Carine Ngah Enjeh, Tchapda Richard
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
