Hope, Loneliness and Sense of Coherence among Bereaved Parents

Finding Hope in Finnish Parents Following the Traumatic Death of Their Child

Hope is a complex and ever-evolving personal phenomenon that plays a vital role in individuals' abilities to cope with stressful events. This is particularly true for parents who are coping with the traumatic loss of a child. However, the topic of hope in this context is often inadequately addressed. The primary objective of this paper is to gain insight into the hope held by Finnish parents following the traumatic loss of a child. This qualitative study unfolded in two phases. A total of 117 participants took part in the study, including 108 females, 5 males, and 4 individuals who chose not to disclose their sex. Subsequently, 17 parents participated in in-depth phone interviews. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify key themes. Several themes emerged from the analysis, including the endurance of hope amidst uncertainty, the hope for a reunion based on faith, hope directed towards family members, and moments of hopelessness regarding the future. The findings of this research are pivotal in enhancing our comprehension of the challenges faced by grieving parents in the aftermath of a child's traumatic death. Moreover, this study holds significant relevance for professionals who work with bereaved parents following the traumatic loss of a child.

Hope experiences in parents of children with cancer: A qualitative meta-synthesis

PURPOSE

To synthesise qualitative research on the parental hope experiences for children with cancer and identify the levels of parental hope experiences and psychosocial adjustment during cancer events.

METHODS

Five electronic databases (Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and CINAHL) and three Chinese databases (CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP) were used to retrieve qualitative studies on the hope experiences of parents of children with cancer from inception to February 2023. The Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-QARI) was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. Data were synthesised using a thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Four analytical themes were identified: the process and way hope exists, sources of hope, positive effects of hope, and obstacles to hope maintenance.

CONCLUSIONS

Maintaining hope is crucial for parents who are caring for their children with cancer. There are different sources of hope, and targeted interventions can enhance the experience of hope for parents of children with cancer. Families, healthcare providers, and society should pay more attention to the parents of children with cancer and provide them with psychological, social, and financial support to improve their level of hope and quality of care.

Examining individual differences in personality trait changes after negative life events

Personality traits can change throughout the entire life span, but people differ in their personality trait changes. To better understand individual differences in personality changes, we examined personal (personality functioning), environmental (environmental changes), and event-related moderators (e.g., perceived event characteristics) of personality trait changes. Therefore, we used a sample of 1069 participants who experienced a negative life event in the last 5 weeks and assessed their personality traits at five measurement occasions over 6 months. Employing preregistered multilevel lasso estimation, we did not find any significant effects. While exploratory analyses generally confirmed this conclusion, they also identified some effects that might being worth to be considered in future research (e.g., perceived impact and perceived social status changes were associated with changes in agreeableness after experiencing a relationship breakup). In total, our moderators explained less than 2% of variance in personality traits. Nonetheless, our study has several important implications for future research on individual differences in personality change. For example, future research should consider personal, environmental, and event-related moderators, use different analytical methods, and rely on highly powered samples to detect very small effects.

Stress appraisal as a mediator between the sense of coherence and the frequency of stress coping strategies in women and men during COVID-19 lockdown

The COVID-19 lockdown experience is a unique and unexpected stressful life situation. In our research project, we explored gender differences in the mean level of stress appraisal (SAQ), the frequency of stress coping strategies (COPE), and the sense of coherence (SOC), as well as gender differences in the strength of the relationships between SAQ, COPE, and SOC during the COVID-19 lockdown. Finally, we tested if stressor appraisal (as a threat, harm/loss, or challenge) mediates the relationship between SOC and COPE in women and men respectively. Data were collected during the first wave of the COVID-19 lockdown in Poland in 2020. An online survey was conducted among 326 adults aged between 18 and 72. We observed gender differences in the level of SAQ, COPE, and SOC and gender differences in the significance and strength of the correlations between these variables. SOC had a twofold effect on COPE in men: direct and indirect through SOC-threat and SOC-harm/loss. In women, SOC did not directly predict COPE frequency but affected COPE in an indirect way through SAQ. SAQ is an important factor that modifies the strength of the SOC effect on COPE in women and men during the lockdown.

Loneliness is not a homogeneous experience: An empirical analysis of adaptive and maladaptive forms of loneliness in the UK

Understanding loneliness is pivotal to informing relevant evidence-based preventive interventions. The present study examined the prevalence of loneliness in the UK, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the association between loneliness, mental health outcomes, and risk and protective factors for loneliness, after controlling for the effects of social isolation. It was estimated that 18.1% of the population in our study experienced moderately high to very high loneliness. We also found that loneliness was positively associated with self-disgust and social inhibition, and negatively associated with trait optimism and hope. Cluster analysis indicated that two distinct groups emerged among those experiencing higher levels of loneliness: "adaptive" and "maladaptive" loneliness groups. The maladaptive loneliness group displayed psychological characteristics like self-disgust and social inhibition including symptoms of depression and anxiety that can potentially undermine their ability to connect with others and form meaningful social relationships. These findings suggest that not all people experience loneliness in the same way. It is possible that a one-size-fit-all approach to reducing loneliness, may be less effective because it does not take into account the differential psychological profiles and characteristics of lonely people, relevant to their capacity to connect with others.

Sense of coherence can predict hope in older adults: a cross-lagged analysis

OBJECTIVES

This study examined the relationship between sense of coherence (SOC) and hope in older adults from a longitudinal perspective.

METHOD

271 older adults completed self-reported questionnaires assessing hope and SOC at 3 time points: at intake, at a 6-month follow-up, and at a 12-month follow-up. A cross-lagged panel model was used to examine the relationship between SOC and hope.

RESULTS

The results showed that SOC was significantly associated with the level of hope in the older adults at all three time points. The cross-lagged analysis showed that the lagged effect of SOC on hope was significant, whereas the lagged effect of the level of hope on SOC was nonsignificant.

CONCLUSION

These results indicated that SOC predicted the level of hope 6 months later and may be helpful for guiding older adults to increase their hope for the future through strategies aimed at improving their SOC.

Losing a child due to a life-limiting diagnosis-parental well-being and quality of life: nationwide survey

OBJECTIVE

Losing a child is burdensome with potential long-term impact on the parents' well-being and quality of life. The aim was to investigate parental well-being and quality of life 3-5 years after losing a child due to life-limiting diagnoses and to identify associated factors in order to target future interventions.

METHODS

All parents, who lost a child (<18 years) due to life-limiting diagnoses in the period 2012-2014 in Denmark, were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire. A seven-point Visual Digital Scale (VDS) was used to assess issues of well-being and quality of life including physical health, anxiety, depression and sleep quality which were combined into a cumulative symptom index. Associations were assessed by means of ordinal logistic regression models.

RESULTS

In all, 152 (38%) children were represented by 136 mothers and 57 fathers. Totally, 17.6% of the mothers and 14.0% of the fathers had ≥2 symptoms (assessed by the symptom index). Parents with lower education had 2.11 (95% CI: 1.01 to 4.40) times higher odds of having more symptoms than parents with higher education. Unmarried parents had 2.14 (95% CI: 1.03 to 4.42) times higher odds of having more symptoms than married parents. Ten per cent of the parents reported poor overall quality of life.

CONCLUSION

According to the VDS, 1 out of 10 parents experienced poor overall quality of life 3-5 years after the loss. Every sixth had two or more symptoms assessed by the symptom index. Associated factors for poor quality of life suggest attention to particularly unmarried parents and parents with lower education.

Order out of chaos: Sense of coherence and the mediating role of coping resources in explaining mental health during COVID-19 in 7 countries

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and the universal chaos created by it, this study explores the role of sense of coherence (Soc, Antonovsky, 1979) and how it enables coping with a stressful situation and staying well. SOC is a generalized orientation which allows one to perceive the world as comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful. In an attempt to understand ‘how does the SOC work’ we employed the salutogenic assumption that a strong SOC allows one to reach out in any given situation and find those resources appropriate to the specific stressor. Thus, we hypothesized that the positive impact of SOC on mental health outcomes would be mediated through coping resources that are particularly salient in times of crisis. One resource is related to the micro level (perceived family support) and the other concerns the macro level (trust in leaders and social-political institutions). Data collection was conducted in different countries during May–June 2020 via online platforms. The data included 7 samples of adult participants (age 18–90) from Israel (n ​= ​669), Italy (n ​= ​899), Spain (n ​= ​476), Germany (n ​= ​708), Austria (n ​= ​1026), Switzerland (n ​= ​147), and the U.S. (n ​= ​506). The questionnaires included standard tools (MHC-SF, SOC-13) as well as questionnaires of perceived family support and trust that were adapted to the pandemic context. As expected, SOC was associated with mental health in all the samples. Perceived family support and trust in leaders and social-political institutions mediated the relationships between SOC and mental health, controlling for age, gender, and level of financial risk. It appears that SOC has a universal meaning, not limited by cultural and situational characteristics. The discussion focuses on the theoretical, social, and political applications of the salutogenic model – and its core concept of SOC – in the context of coping with a global pandemic across different cultural contexts and countries.

The role of sense of coherence and emotion regulation difficulties in the relationship between early maladaptive schemas and grief

Few studies examine the relationship of grief with interrelated and broad concepts. In this study, the role of sense of coherence and emotion regulation difficulties in the relationship between early maladaptive schemas and grief was investigated with individuals (N = 254) who have lost a close person in the last 5 years. Mediation and moderated mediation analyses revealed that individuals with early maladaptive schemas may experience more complicated grief symptoms through the effect of early maladaptive schemas. For individuals with self-sacrifice schema, difficulties in the grief process were regulated by moderate to high levels of sense of coherence.

Meaning in Life: A Major Predictive Factor for Loneliness Comparable to Health Status and Social Connectedness

Objective: Loneliness is the subjective distress of feeling alone and has a strong impact on wellbeing and health. In addition to well-known predictors like isolation and poor health, a better understanding of the psychological determinants of loneliness would offer effective targets for future complementary interventions. Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study (N = 2,240), we compared the explanatory power of several important risk factors of loneliness with the affective, motivational, and cognitive aspects of the Meaning in Life (MiL) construct. Different nested linear models were compared including socio-demographic, lifestyles, social-connectedness, and self-rated health variables, to assess the overlapping and non-overlapping explanatory power of each of them. Results: Health status and MiL were found to be the most important predictors of loneliness, followed by social connectedness and, with a much lower weight, lifestyles, and socio-demographic factors. Within the MiL factor, the most cognitive component, sense of coherence, had a greater explanatory power than the more affective and motivational ones. Conclusion: Reduced MiL, the capacity of an individual to attach "value and significance" to life, is a crucial predictor to the feeling of loneliness. These results suggest that programs aiming to combat loneliness should go well beyond situational interventions and include more cognitive, value-centered interventions that enable individuals to define and pursue a meaningful vital plan.

Perceived social support, loneliness, and hope during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Testing a mediating model in the UK, USA, and Israel

Objectives

The COVID‐19 epidemic is affecting the entire world and hence provides an opportunity examine how people from different countries engage in hopeful thinking. The aim of this study was to examine the potentially facilitating role of perceived social support vis‐à‐vis hope as well as the mediating role of loneliness between perceived social support and hope. This mediating model was tested concurrently in the UK, the USA, and Israel.

Methods

In April 2020, as the first wave of the virus struck the three aforementioned countries, we assessed perceived social support, loneliness, and hope in 400 adults per country (N = 1,200). Assessments in the UK/USA were conducted via the Prolific platform, whereas in Israel they were conducted via Facebook/WhatsApp.

Results

In all three countries, perceived social support predicted elevated hope, although the effect was smallest in the UK. Loneliness mediated this effect in all three countries, although full mediation was attained only in the UK.

Conclusions

Perceived social support may facilitate hope in dire times, possibly through the reduction of loneliness.

Practitioner Points

Findings are consistent with respect to the potentially protective role of perceived social support vis‐à‐vis hope.

Perceived social support may increase hope through decreasing loneliness.

In the UK, the above‐noted mediating effect of loneliness appears to be stronger than in Israel and the USA.

Elevated levels of perceived social support should serve as a desired outcome in individual and group psychotherapy, as well as in community based interventions.

Facing the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Sense of Coherence

The worldwide outbreak of COVID-19, the ensuing pandemic, and the related containment measures pose considerable challenges to psychological resilience and well-being. Researchers are now forced to look for resources to cope with negative experiences linked to this health emergency. According to the salutogenic approach proposed by Antonovsky, the sense of coherence (SOC) is a major source of resilience. Thus, this study aimed at assessing the role of SOC in moderating the link between illness experiences (in terms of knowing persons diagnosed with COVID-19 and fear of contracting COVID-19) and psychological well-being. 2,784 participants, taken from a large sample of the Italian population (65.4% females) and aged between 18 and 85 years, filled in an anonymous online survey during the 3rd week of the lockdown. Findings supported the moderating role of SOC in shaping the link between illness experiences and psychological well-being. Specifically, participants who knew at least one person diagnosed with COVID-19 showed lower levels of psychological well-being at low levels of SOC. The negative relation between participants' fear of contracting COVID-19 and psychological well-being was stronger for those who showed higher levels of SOC. This study discusses the implications of these results for interventions aimed at reducing the pandemic's detrimental effects and promoting resilience.