Attachment insecurities, continuing bonds, and grief among family
caregivers of terminally ill cancer patients: A longitudinal study
Abstract
The present study investigated the associations among pre-loss grief,
attachment insecurities, continuing bonds (CBs) with the deceased
person, and the post-loss adjustment of the caregivers of patients with
terminal cancer. Data were collected in the hospice department of a
cancer center in northern Taiwan; 66 bereaved caregivers completed both
pre-loss and post-loss scales. The measures used for the pre-loss phase
included the Hogan Grief Reaction Checklist (HGRC; pre-loss version),
the Experiences in Close Relationship — Relationship Structures
Questionnaire (ECR-RS), and the Inclusion of Other in the Self Scale
(IOS). The measures used 6-12 months after the death of the patients
were the HGRC (post-loss version) and the Continuing Bond Scale (CBS).
Results showed that pre-loss grief, attachment avoidance, and
externalized CBs explained 46% of the variance in post-loss grief,
indicating that pre-loss grief and ongoing transformation of
relationships after patients’ death may be strong predictors of
caregivers’ post-loss grieving.