Author Identifier
Karen Strickland: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3123-8778
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Palliative Care and Social Practice
Volume
18
Publisher
Sage
School
School of Nursing and Midwifery
RAS ID
76024
Abstract
Background: Symptoms of emotional and physical stress near death may be related to previous experiences of trauma. Objective: To investigate current evidence regarding the following: (1) Is previous trauma identified in people who are dying, and if so, how? (2) How is previous trauma associated with the experience of death/dying in people with or without cognitive impairment? and (3) What palliative care interventions are available to people with previous trauma at the end of life? Design: This integrative review was conducted per Whittemore and Knafl’s guidelines, which involves a stepped approach, specifically (1) problem identification, (2) literature search, (3) data evaluation, (4) data analysis and (5) presentation. Methods: This integrative review was reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Electronic databases were searched in August 2021 and updated in August 2023. The articles were quality appraised, and narrative data were analysed using Grounded Theory (GT). Results: Of 1310 studies screened, 11 met the inclusion criteria (four qualitative and seven quantitative) conducted in Australia, Canada, Japan and the United States; and American studies accounted for 7/11 studies. Eight were focused on war veterans. Descriptive studies accounted for the majority, with only two publications testing interventions. Re-living trauma near death has additional features to a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder alone, such as physical symptoms of uncontrolled, unexplained acute pain and this distress was reported in the last weeks of life. Conclusion: This study proposes that re-living trauma near death is a recognisable phenomenon with physical and psychological impacts that can be ameliorated with improved clinical knowledge and appropriate management as a new GT. Further research is needed to enable past trauma identification at the end of life, and trauma-informed safe interventions at the end of life are an urgent need.
DOI
10.1177/26323524241277851
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Comments
Johnston, N., Chapman, M., Gibson, J., Paterson, C., Turner, M., Strickland, K., ... & Bail, K. (2024). Re-living trauma near death: An integrative review using Grounded Theory narrative analysis. Palliative Care and Social Practice, 18. https://doi.org/10.1177/26323524241277851