The death surround: factors influencing the grief experience of survivors.

Factors surrounding the death of a loved one can have a profound impact on the grief experience of survivors. This study examined the relationship between participation in a hospice program of care, place of death, length of illness prior to death, and the grief experience of survivors of patients who have died of cancer. Sixty survivors responded to the Grief Experience Inventory (GEI). Survivors of terminally ill people who participated in a hospice program prior to the death showed decreased feelings of guilt, dependency, loss of control, despair, numbness, shock, and disbelief. Survivors of those who died in the home had fewer guilt feelings and decreased death anxiety, but showed greater social isolation tendencies and were more apt to dwell on thoughts of the deceased. Finally, survivors of those who were ill six months or less had a greater need for dependency on others, isolated themselves more, and had increased feelings of anger and hostility. Study findings have significant implications for providing a death surround that enables an appropriate death for the patient and adaptation of the family that can lead to a more successful bereavement for survivors.