The impact of bereavement support on wellbeing: a comparative study between Australia and Ireland
Background: There is a dearth of national and international data on the impact of social support on physical, mental, and financial outcomes following bereavement. Methods: We draw from two large, population-based studies of bereaved people in Australia and Ireland to compare bereaved people’s exper...
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2020-07-01
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Series: | Palliative Care and Social Practice |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/2632352420935132 |
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doaj-af2d9e1264cf407d82f93c6b441c5db82021-01-13T20:33:20ZengSAGE PublishingPalliative Care and Social Practice2632-35242020-07-011410.1177/2632352420935132The impact of bereavement support on wellbeing: a comparative study between Australia and IrelandSamar M. AounOrla KeeganAmanda RobertsLauren J. BreenBackground: There is a dearth of national and international data on the impact of social support on physical, mental, and financial outcomes following bereavement. Methods: We draw from two large, population-based studies of bereaved people in Australia and Ireland to compare bereaved people’s experience of support. The Australian study used a postal survey targeting clients of six funeral providers and the Irish study used telephone interviews with a random sample of the population. Results: Across both studies, the vast majority of bereaved people reported relying on informal supporters, particularly family and friends. While sources of professional help were the least used, they had the highest proportions of perceived unhelpfulness. A substantial proportion, 20% to 30% of bereaved people, reported worsening of their physical and mental health and about 30% did not feel their needs were met. Those who did not receive enough support reported the highest deterioration in wellbeing. Discussion: The compassionate communities approach, which harnesses the informal resources inherent in communities, needs to be strengthened by identifying a range of useful practice models that will address the support gaps. Ireland has taken the lead in developing a policy framework providing guidance on level of service provision, associated staff competencies, and training needs.https://doi.org/10.1177/2632352420935132 |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Samar M. Aoun Orla Keegan Amanda Roberts Lauren J. Breen |
spellingShingle |
Samar M. Aoun Orla Keegan Amanda Roberts Lauren J. Breen The impact of bereavement support on wellbeing: a comparative study between Australia and Ireland Palliative Care and Social Practice |
author_facet |
Samar M. Aoun Orla Keegan Amanda Roberts Lauren J. Breen |
author_sort |
Samar M. Aoun |
title |
The impact of bereavement support on wellbeing: a comparative study between Australia and Ireland |
title_short |
The impact of bereavement support on wellbeing: a comparative study between Australia and Ireland |
title_full |
The impact of bereavement support on wellbeing: a comparative study between Australia and Ireland |
title_fullStr |
The impact of bereavement support on wellbeing: a comparative study between Australia and Ireland |
title_full_unstemmed |
The impact of bereavement support on wellbeing: a comparative study between Australia and Ireland |
title_sort |
impact of bereavement support on wellbeing: a comparative study between australia and ireland |
publisher |
SAGE Publishing |
series |
Palliative Care and Social Practice |
issn |
2632-3524 |
publishDate |
2020-07-01 |
description |
Background: There is a dearth of national and international data on the impact of social support on physical, mental, and financial outcomes following bereavement. Methods: We draw from two large, population-based studies of bereaved people in Australia and Ireland to compare bereaved people’s experience of support. The Australian study used a postal survey targeting clients of six funeral providers and the Irish study used telephone interviews with a random sample of the population. Results: Across both studies, the vast majority of bereaved people reported relying on informal supporters, particularly family and friends. While sources of professional help were the least used, they had the highest proportions of perceived unhelpfulness. A substantial proportion, 20% to 30% of bereaved people, reported worsening of their physical and mental health and about 30% did not feel their needs were met. Those who did not receive enough support reported the highest deterioration in wellbeing. Discussion: The compassionate communities approach, which harnesses the informal resources inherent in communities, needs to be strengthened by identifying a range of useful practice models that will address the support gaps. Ireland has taken the lead in developing a policy framework providing guidance on level of service provision, associated staff competencies, and training needs. |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1177/2632352420935132 |
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