Stories of Bereavement

Examining Medical Students’ Reflections on Loss and Grief

Datos Bibliográficos

ID13628679
AutoresJohanna Shapiro (0000-0002-8736-8427, Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA), N C Freeman (University of California, Irvine, autor de correspondencia), Nicholas Freeman (0009-0004-9891-9126, Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA), Alexis Nguyen (Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA), Nancy Dang (Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA), Yasaman Lorkalantari (Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA)
Año2024
Páginas302228241305829-302228241305829
Fecha de publicación2024-12-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaOMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0030-2228 • E-ISSN: 1541-3764
EditorialSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/00302228241305829
PMID39617619
OpenAlexW4404899080
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas2
Referencias citadas34

In this qualitative study, we used thematic analysis to examine reflective essay data from students at a United States public medical school ( N = 60). We sought to identify how students describe their experiences of loss and grief, as well as examine differences between students' responses to personal and professional loss. Students in both groups reported similar reactions with some expected differences: Students who experienced professional loss more often emphasized skills focused on helping patients' families. In accounts of personal loss, students appeared more focused on their own grief and helplessness. Students in both groups noted many positive as well as negative reactions. Students recounting both types of loss reported little about how they coped with grief or about receiving either informal or institutional support. Medical educators should help students develop effective coping skills in response to loss and provide better institutional support during times of bereavement

Coping (psychology · Disenfranchised grief · Grief · Learned helplessness · Psychotherapist · Qualitative research · Sociology · Thematic analysis · Clinical Psychology · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Migration, Health and Trauma · Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues · Psychology · Social Psychology