TESTING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AN ONLINE PARENTAL BEREAVEMENT PROGRAM

Abstract

Experiencing the death of a child can impact multiple aspects of the parent’s overall health, composed of physical, mental, and social health, and can even impact the parent’s ability to sleep (Dias et al., 2017). The standard bereavement services offered do not meet the individualized needs of bereaved parents (Dagostino et al, 2008; Jost & Haase, 1989; Neidig & Dalgas-Pelish, 1991). The purpose of this senior honors project was to test the functionality and usability of an web-based link to target the individual needs of bereaved parents by conducting interviews. This web-based link offers parents access to a bereavement care counselor who will assess the individualized needs of bereaved parents and direct them to appropriate resources. This project will be conducted in eastern North Carolina. Participants include parents and IT specialists, all of which will be recruited using a convenience sampling technique. Eligible participants include parent participants (fathers and mothers) ≥ 18 years, who speak and read English, and had a child aged 0-18 years that has died within the last 24 months. Interviews will be conducted either individually and/or as focus groups using an interview guide. The questions will gather information about the web-based link features, what needs to be changed, added or deleted. Interviews will be analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The development of this bereavement support web-based link aims to address the individual needs of bereaved parents in order for them to have better overall health outcomes.