• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.101-114
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• 2023

Pets are increasingly becoming vital companions in human life, prompting researchers to focus on understanding the grief experiences of pet owners. Unlike other forms of loss, pet loss often leads to complicated grief, characterized by intense and prolonged sorrow. This is likely due to the comparatively lower societal value placed on the human-pet relationship, which may restrict pet owners from feeling truly understood by others. The subjective perception of these "social constraints" significantly hampers the process of recovering from pet loss and contributes to the development of complicated grief. In this study, we hypothesize that the perceived social constraints could intensify the transition from the initial shock of pet loss to complicated grief. The results confirm that pet owners' perceived social constraints play a moderating role in the relationship between the shock of pet loss and complicated grief. Notably, pet owners experience heightened levels of complicated grief when perceiving greater social barriers and constraints. By highlighting the pivotal role of perceived social constraints in comprehending the experiences of pet loss and grief, this study underscores the importance of social awareness and improvement.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.55-65
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• 2022

Caring for patients with cancer is highly stimulating and rewarding, attracting health professionals to the field who enjoy the challenge of managing a complex illness. Health professionals often form close bonds with their patients as they confront ongoing disease or treatment impacts, which may be associated with multiple losses involving function and/or eventual loss of life. Ongoing exposure to patient loss, along with a challenging work setting, may pose significant stress and impact health professionals' well-being. The prevalence rates of burnout and compassion fatigue (CF) are significant, yet health professionals have little knowledge on these topics. A 6-week continuing education program consisting of weekly small-group video-conferencing sessions, case-based learning, and an online community of practice was delivered to health care providers providing oncology care. Program content included personal, organization and team-related risk and protective factors associated with CF, grief models, and strategies to mitigate against CF. Content analysis was completed as part of the program evaluation. In total, 189 participants (93% nurses) completed the program, which was associated with significant improvements in confidence and knowledge of CF and strategies to support self and team resilience. Qualitative themes and vignettes from experiences with the program are presented. Key themes included knowledge gaps, a lack of support related to CF and strategies to support resilience, organization-and team-based factors that can inhibit expression about the impacts of clinical work, the health professional as a "person" in caregiving, and the role of personal variables, self-skill practices, and recommendations for education and support for self and teams.