Exploring Family Caregivers' Attachment, Adjustment, and Acknowledgement in Palliative End-of-Life Care
Jay Errol Baral | Roselle Glenn Abergas | Jiah Kaye Bianca Namoro | Nixon Valroy Padilla | Lindsey Findley Parreño
Discipline: psychology (non-specific)
Abstract:
"Caring at the Crossroads" explored the experiences of family caregivers who provided palliative end-of-life care. The
study employed a qualitative research design, combining a case study framework with a phenomenological approach.
Thirteen participants, selected through purposive and snowball sampling, shared their firsthand experiences. The
research method included interviews with the aim of capturing the subjective meanings, emotions, and attachment
dynamics, particularly emphasizing the importance of secure attachments in providing stability, trust, and comfort
during palliative care. It explored secure, anxious and fearful, and dismissive-avoidant attachment styles, revealing
the emotional struggles and conscious choices made by caregivers. The adjustment processes of family caregivers
involved a complex interplay of avoidance and approach behaviors. Freeze responses, characterized by hesitation and
emotional immobilization, contrasted with flight responses, which involved emotional and physical withdrawal.
Approach behaviors, marked by planning and action, demonstrated a proactive and committed approach to caregiving
responsibilities. The study emphasized the need to recognize and respect the individual responses of caregivers in the
palliative stage. It also acknowledged the various grief experiences that arose after palliative end-of-life care. The
research identified four sub-themes: prolonged grief, anticipatory grief, irregular grief, and normal grief. These
different patterns of grief highlighted the importance of personalized and empathetic support strategies to address the
unique challenges faced by caregivers. The findings of this study provided valuable insights for psychology and
counseling, offering understanding and empathy to those who navigated caregiving in the midst of love, pain, and
resilience.
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