Abstract
Context
Many pediatric hospitals offer legacy interventions for families to promote coping
and support grief prior to and following the death of a child. Despite this practice,
parent perceptions of the value of legacy activities are not well described, and best
practices for offering and creating legacy interventions remain poorly understood.
Objectives
To characterize bereaved parents’ perspectives on the value of legacy activities;
to describe parent recommendations for optimizing provision of legacy activities by
child life specialists and music therapists.
Methods
In this qualitative study, a purposive sample of 19 bereaved parents of children who
died from cancer participated in semi-structured interviews. Interviews were audio-recorded,
transcribed, and analyzed inductively using content analysis to identify key concepts
and emerging themes.
Results
Analysis of transcripts revealed bereaved parent insights and recommendations across
three core themes: 1) the value of legacy items and interventions; 2) the practical
roles, uses, and functions of legacy items, and 3) best practices for offering legacy
interventions. Bereaved parents sought meaning and purpose in abstract and concrete
manifestations of legacy. Parents often used legacy items in specific ways to promote
emotional expression and process their grief. Communication, timing, and creativity
significantly influenced parent perceptions of legacy-building. Parents recommended
individualized assessments to optimize provision of legacy interventions.
Conclusion
Bereaved parents emphasized the meaningfulness of legacy-building activities and the
need for an individualized approach when offering these interventions. Future research
should explore the perspectives and recommendations of patients and siblings on legacy
activities.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 10, 2022
Accepted:
February 2,
2022
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
