Literature Review

[Sweden] Effects and user-reported experiences of a self-management mobile health app for grieving adolescents: Randomized controlled trialJournal of Medical Internet Research; by Rebecca Rhodin, Rakel Eklund, Anneli Silvén Hagström, Rolf Gjestad, Atle Dyregrov, Josefin Sveen; 7/26Adolescents who experience the loss of a family member are at increased risk of adverse mental health outcomes, yet many face barriers or may be reluctant to access in-person or group-based support. This study evaluated the short- and long-term mental health effects of Alba - Youth in Grief, a preventive self-management mobile app for bereaved adolescents. Intention-to-treat analyses showed moderate reductions in prolonged grief symptoms at 12 months among adolescents randomized to Alba compared with the control group, with no significant effects at the 2- and 6-month follow-ups. The app group also demonstrated greater reductions in grief reactions, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and depressive symptoms compared with controls, with the strongest effects observed at long-term follow-up.

"Ask us anything": A framework for understanding bereaved children's questions about illness, dying, and griefPalliative Care & Social Practice; by Ceilidh Eaton Russell, Liana Bailey, Ashwini Pugazhendhi, Karleigh Sutton, Sandra Twiner Ross, Joanna Humphreys; 7/26Grieving children may wonder about questions of illness, dying, and death as they navigate the death of, or grief for, someone who matters to them. Parents and caregivers, as well as health and psychosocial clinicians frequently report feeling uncertain and unprepared to engage in these conversations even if they are aware of their helpfulness. Interested in examining the questions bereaved children wonder about, this study analyzed 710 anonymous questions submitted by children aged 5-17 during Ask Us Anything sessions at a bereavement camp in Ontario, Canada between 2009 and 2024. Question focuses (i.e., what it says about the core topic) spanned across: Body, Condition, Dying and Death, Grief, while question functions (i.e., what it says about what the person seeks to understand about the topic) spanned: How it Works, Catch, Cause, Cure, Care, Connect. Children's questions can be helpful windows into what their grief experiences are like and what their emotional, existential, and/or informational needs are within this experience.

Schoolgirl's response to being told about dad's terminal cancer BBC; by Lauren Hirst; 7/12/26  When Chris Capstick was diagnosed with cancer three years ago, his family made the decision not to use the word c-word in the house. Instead the disease was known as "daddy's little monsters" for the benefit of his two youngest children. ... "It was really, really hard," said the 30-year-old, who works as an arts coordinator for young people but has taken time away to support her husband. ... "Having a six-year-old and a two-year-old, we didn't really know how to navigate it." This is when the idea of writing a rhyming storybook with their eldest daughter Isabella, who is now aged six, was born. "We thought what a great thing to do little cartoon monsters in a way that aren't scary," said Lauren. ... Isabella wanted to write the book from her own perspective with lots of colorful illustrations on each page.   

Suicide Survivors Support Group offered by Home Hospice of Grayson CountyNorth Texas e-News, Sherman, TX; by Nancy Jackson; 7/27/26 Home Hospice of Grayson County is pleased to announce the start of a new “Suicide Survivors Grief and Loss” Support Group ... “Experiencing grief over the loss of a loved one to suicide can be especially difficult” said Nancy Jackson, Group Leader. “However, it can become overwhelming in the weeks and months after the loss. People are often surprised how much it impacts them emotionally, mentally and physically. There is no magic pill or quick fix for your grief, but sharing your journey with others who have experienced a loss, can make it easier."

Behind the scenes of AI-powered bereavement care Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 7/21/26 Technology companies are exploring new ways of using artificial intelligence (AI) to strengthen bereavement support, but these evolutions have garnered concerns related to the ethical and emotional impacts. A few different types of AI platforms have developed in recent years that include services designed to allow families to access video or audio clips, photos and letters from a deceased loved one. Some AI technologies use these details to create a digital replica of the person for interaction. “First-person consent, given with capacity and ideally well before the end of life, is the only sound basis for AI,” Healy told Hospice News. “The ‘family agreed’ is not a substitute for the individual’s own consent to be reproduced. The ‘deepfake-style’ AI asset that could be used to impersonate someone. Editor's Note: The use of AI to develop ongoing impersonisations of the deceased person raises extreme ethical breaches and clinical concerns. 

The women running death salons for people of color to process grief: ‘It allows for freedom’ The Guardian; by Melissa Hellman; 7/19/26 In a small cream-colored room at a cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Nefertiti Moor sat at the head of a semicircle. Dressed in black with her long hair in locs, she delivered instructions for the evening discussion. "It's not death counseling or a debate," said Moor. She invited the two women in attendance to talk freely about their cultural associations with dying and grief. Tasha Johnson, who worked in behavioral health, said that she felt desensitized after the recent deaths of several people she knew. She was grappling with "the reality that it can be anyone at any point". The free-flowing conversation about mortality, otherwise known as a death salon or death cafe, was unique in that it was designed for people of color. Death salons for marginalized communities are becoming more common around the country, with practitioners addressing the unique end-of-life concerns of queer, trans, or Black and brown people.

"Reconciling"- conceptualising the grieving process of family members involved in assisted dying: A grounded formal theoryBMC Palliative Care; by Jonathan Bayuo, Prince Kyei Baffour, Elisha Baafi Oduro, Deborah Adedibu; 6/26While theoretical frameworks for understanding the grieving process are well-established, the advent of assisted dying presents a novel and under-examined context for grief and bereavement. Thus, this study sought to generate a theory explaining the grieving process of family members involved in assisted dying. Reconciling, as a mid-range theory, extends existing grief models by demonstrating that bereavement in assisted dying involves a proactive, ethically charged negotiation of autonomy, suffering, and relational responsibility; dimensions not accounted for in stage-based or oscillation models. The grieving process in assisted dying is best understood as Reconciling, a dynamic, iterative negotiation of autonomy, suffering, love, and loss. Families move through ambivalence, anticipation, transition, and aftermath in ways that blend emotional complexity with profound meaning-making.

[United Kingdom] Development of the ‘Culturally Informed Ecological Model of Grief’ – a national qualitative study of bereavement experiences among ethnically diverse communities BMC Medicine; by Catriona R Mayland, Emily Fisher, Adejoke O Oluyase, Nikel-Shaniece Hector-Jack, Toslima Khatun, Rukia Saleem, Naureen Khan, Shirin Shahid, Riffat Mahmood, Gurpreet Grewal-Santini, Monika Afolabi, Candice Wang, Sarah Ng, Rashmi Kumar, Katherine Bristowe, Emily Harrop, Zoebia Islam, Jonathan Koffman, Gurch Randhawa, Lucy E Selman & Sabrina Bajwah; 7/14/26  Background: Among people from ethnically diverse communities, evidence regarding bereavement experiences and support needs is limited; there are known inequities in access to formal bereavement support. Conclusions: Racism was evident across multiple settings and closely intertwined with bereavement, compounding the emotional burden of grief. This study represents the largest qualitative investigation of bereavement among ethnically diverse communities in UK healthcare to date, providing a robust evidence base for improving equity in support. Bereavement services must prioritise cultural safety and actively address structural racism. The ‘Culturally Informed Ecological Model of Grief’ offers a new framework guiding more equitable bereavement support, relevant across national and international contexts.

Impact of specialized pediatric palliative care on bereaved parents' mental and physical healthJournal of Pain & Symptom Management; by Claudia Delgado-Corcoran, Huong D. Meeks, Sarah E. Wawrzynski, Barry P. Markovitz, Brandy Harman, Jasmine R. Masih, Kuan Li, Mark Harousseau, Dominic Moore, Jacob Wilkes, Stefanie G. Ames; 6/26Pediatric death can lead to long-term adverse effects on parents’ health. [In this study] of 776 deceased children linked to 773 mothers and 711 fathers, 36.1% received a SPPC [specialized pediatric palliative care] consultation prior to death. Higher rates of mental and physical health burden were observed in mothers than fathers across all time points. Lack of SPPC was associated with increased risks for new mental and physical health burden for mothers within 12 months after the child’s death ... Conclusions: Bereaved parents, especially mothers, experienced new mental and physical health burden up to 24 months after a child’s death.

At Hospice Austin’s summer camp, kids find joy together after experiencing loss KUT 90.5, Austin, TX; by Olivia Aldridge; 6/29/26 On a Friday in mid-June, middle school-aged kids lined up for their shot at a summer camp rite of passage: the infamous high ropes course at John Knox Ranch in Fischer, Texas. The ranch hosts Camp Brave Heart, Hospice Austin’s annual camp for kids and teens who have experienced loss. 13-year-old Alisa bravely stepped up to the challenge first. Soon enough, she was strapped into a harness, inching along ropes strung 30 feet in the air. “You are rocking this!” the counselor belaying her from the ground yelled as Alisa neared the end of the course. “Take a second — you want to look at the view?”

MSU nursing program blends coursework and community care at Camp SMILE Morehead State Public Radio, Morehead, KY; by Morehead State University; 6/26/26 For many students, electives are a way to earn credits, but for Morehead State University nursing students, one course is also a chance to serve their community and gain life-changing perspective. Thanks to a partnership between Morehead State’s Department of Nursing and UK St. Claire Regional Hospice & Palliative Care in Morehead, MSU nursing students can gain unique experience working with children at Camp SMILE while working toward their nursing degree. Camp SMILE (Sharing Memories In a Loving Environment) is a bereavement camp for children [ages 7-17] who have lost a loved one.

As a doctor and a daughter, finding gratitude amid loss on Father’s Day The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore, MD; by Jean Marbella; 6/21/26 As a physician who specializes in palliative care, Dr. Delia Chiaramonte helps patients, families and medical professionals deal with the stresses and demands that come with serious and often terminal illnesses. Then, her own father died. "I thought I knew what this experience would be like," she said. "It is much more nuanced." On this, her second Father's Day without her own father, Chiaramonte taps into both her lived and professional experiences to offer advice on a holiday for those feeling more bereft than celebratory.