CH 10 Grief and Loss

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering terms, theoretical models, grief dimensions, and nursing care concepts from Chapter 10 Grief and Loss.

Grief

Subjective emotions and affect that are a normal response to the experience of loss.

Grieving (Bereavement)

The process by which a person experiences grief; it involves both content (what a person thinks, says, and feels) and process (how a person thinks, says, and feels).

Mourning

The outward expression of grief, encompassing rituals such as wakes, sitting Shiva, holding religious ceremonies, and arranging funerals.

Anticipatory Grieving

The process that occurs when people facing an imminent loss begin to grapple with the very real possibility of the loss or death in the near future.

Disenfranchised Grief

Grief over a loss that is not or cannot be acknowledged openly, mourned publicly, or supported socially.

Complicated Grieving

A response outside the norm that occurs when a person is void of emotion, grieves for prolonged periods, or displays expressions of grief that seem disproportionate to the event.

Prolonged Grief

A specific type of complicated grieving characterized by intense, persistent grief lasting longer than social norms that causes significant distress and impaired functioning.

Attentive Presence

Being with the client and focusing intently on communicating with and understanding them through open body language, moderate eye contact, and facing the client.

Adaptive Denial

A cognitive process in which the client gradually adjusts to the reality of a loss in small increments, helping them let go of previous perceptions while building new ways of thinking.

Homeostasis

A state of equilibrium or balance that a person is compelled to return to following the disequilibrium produced by a crisis or loss.

Acculturation

The process of altering cultural values or behaviors as a way to adapt to another culture.

Attachment Behaviors

Instinctive affectional bonds humans form and maintain with significant others that are crucial to developing a sense of security and survival.

Grieving Tasks ("Grief Work")

Active, effortful participation and energy required of the bereaved individual to process and integrate a loss into their life.

Physiological Loss (Maslow)

A loss affecting physical integrity and basic bodily needs, such as the amputation of a limb, a mastectomy, a hysterectomy, or the loss of mobility.

Safety Loss (Maslow)

The loss of a safe haven or secure environment, as experienced in domestic violence, child abuse, or public violence occurring on campus or in a place of worship.

Loss of Security and Belonging (Maslow)

The loss of a loved one or relationship changes (birth, marriage, divorce, illness, death) affecting the need to love, feel loved, and hold roles within a family or group.

Loss of Self-Esteem (Maslow)

Any actual or perceived change in how a person is valued at work, in relationships, or by themselves, such as through broken relationships, job loss, or retirement.

Loss Related to Self-Actualization (Maslow)

An internal or external crisis that blocks personal fulfillment or life goals, such as realizing academic plans will never materialize or losing hope of having children.

Kübler-Ross's Five Stages of Grieving

A model describing five stages of dying and grieving: Denial (shock/disbelief), Anger (toward God, others, providers), Bargaining (asking for more time), Depression (acute awareness of loss), and Acceptance (coming to terms with death).

Bowlby's Four Phases of Grieving

Attachment-based phases: (1) Numbness and denial, (2) Emotional yearning and protesting permanence, (3) Cognitive disorganization and emotional despair, and (4) Reorganizing and reintegrating the sense of self.

Engel's Five Stages of Grieving

Sequential stages of grieving: Shock and disbelief, Developing awareness, Restitution, Resolution of the loss, and Recovery.

Restitution (Engel)

Participation in mourning rituals associated with death (funeral, wake, religious ceremonies) that helps the person accept the reality of the loss and begin recovery.

Resolution of the Loss (Engel)

A stage where the bereaved is preoccupied with the loss, idealizes, or imitates the deceased, usually decreasing over a year or more.

Horowitz's Stages of Loss and Adaptation

A four-stage model of normal grief consisting of Outcry, Denial and intrusion, Working through, and Completion.

Outcry (Horowitz)

The first realization of loss, expressed outwardly by screaming, crying, and collapse, or suppressed stoically; it consumes substantial energy and is short-lived.

Denial and Intrusion (Horowitz)

A stage where the mourner fluctuates between distraction without thinking of the loss (denial) and overwhelming, intense moments where the loss intrudes into every activity.

Rando's "Six R's"

Tasks inherent to grieving: Recognize the loss, React emotionally, Recollect and reexperience memories, Relinquish past assumptions, Readjust to daily life, and Reinvest in new relationships.

Worden's Four Tasks of Grieving

Core grief tasks: (1) Accept the reality of the loss, (2) Work through the pain of grief, (3) Adjust to an environment changed by the loss, and (4) Find a way to remember the deceased and move on.

Death Cafes

Nonprofit social franchise events founded in Switzerland in 2004 that meet in community settings with tea and cake to provide an informal forum for discussing all aspects of death.

Ambivalent Attachment

A relationship bond where at least one partner is unclear about how the couple loves or does not love each other, increasing vulnerability to complicated grief.

Dependent Attachment

A relationship dynamic where one partner relies heavily on the other to provide for their needs without necessarily meeting the partner's needs.

Insecure Attachment

A bond typically formed during childhood characterized by learned fear and helplessness resulting from parental intimidation, abuse, or excessive control.

Crisis Theory Factors in Grieving

The three critical balancing factors identified by Aguilera and Messick that facilitate a return to homeostasis: adequate perception, adequate support, and adequate coping.

Sleep Disturbances in Bereavement

The most frequent and persistent physiological bereavement-associated symptom reported by grieving individuals.

Cognitive-Behavioral Grief Therapy (CBGT)

An evidence-based group therapy modality shown to produce a substantially greater decrease in complicated grief symptoms than general psychoeducational interventions.

Self-Awareness Inventory

Periodic reflection by the nurse on their own personal losses, unresolved grief, coping mechanisms, and boundaries to ensure goal-directed and client-centered care.