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Making autoethnography outlines a method for combining the practices of making (sewing and crochet) and interpretive writing to capture the relationality of the self and materials. I discuss how I have developed my fascination with making as a conduit for working through the challenges of writing autoethnography and the personal vulnerabilities that this practice can reveal. I detail how experimenting with making autoethnography through the stages of discovery, development and embedding develops a practice to interweave my interpretation of the relationality and materiality of making. Through paying attention to development over time as well as the time spent making, this approach explicitly integrates a temporal framing within autoethnographic methods. I also explore how making expresses the complexity of relationships bound through caring and grief. In embedding this methodology, I consider how attempting to capture the diversity of making though recording time, materials and skills, can take the researcher closer to unpicking the qualities of making and how these are constituted by social identities.

This research focused on listening to the voices of children who have experienced the death of someone important to them. Through a personalized narrative methodology working with practitioners, and with regard for cultural and religious beliefs, children were given safe space to tell their own truths to sense-make rather than prescribing how they should be feeling or what they should be experiencing as part of their grief journey. Findings suggest this impacted positively on the children's wellbeing. The recommendations are to use this approach to open up dialogue instigated by the child, which is currently missing from contemporary policy and practice, as well as adding to the limited literature. Furthermore, the engagement with the topic of death is advocated for all children rather than simply retrospectively with those who have experienced it. As this was a small-scale study, more research is needed.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented levels of grief and psychological distress in community samples. We examined unique pandemic grief risk factors, dysfunctional grief, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms, general psychiatric distress, disrupted meaning, and functional impairment in a treatment-seeking sample of people bereaved from COVID-19 in the United Kingdom. A sample of 183 participants (91.80% female; M = 47.40 years) completed an online survey as part of an intake assessment for a grief support and referral service. Most reported clinically elevated PTSD symptoms (83.1%), psychiatric distress (64.0%), and functional impairment (56.8%). A smaller, but still concerning percentage (39.3%) reported clinically significant symptoms of dysfunctional grief. Disrupted meaning substantially mediated the relationship between risk factors and all four outcomes. Counsellors should address the breadth of psychological distress in those bereaved by COVID-19 and hone their skills in promoting meaning making in the wake of the trauma and loss generated by the pandemic.

Purpose: This paper explored collective grief through the case of a Business Management College which suddenly and unexpectedly went into administration. The aim was to gain and apply insight to future crises in collective grief such as what occurred during COVID-19. Design/methodology/approach: 120 EVRE submissions with weekly reflective journal entries and 121 Capstone submissions including reflections were analysed as secondary textual data using content-thematic analysis and inferential statistics. Findings: This study confirms the theory that grief is not linear. However, even though no positive correlation was found between two different cohorts (EVRE and CAPP submissions), who did experience the same crisis in different ways, those people did all seem to share the stage of avoidance. Research limitations/implications: The textual data was limited in scope as not all students chose to express their grief through the written submission or the Kubler-Ross lens. Practical implications: This research does suggest that initially, institutional responses to collective grief should address initial stages of "avoidance". Social implications: In responding to collecting grief, such as COVID-19, institutions need to recognise the non-linear process of grief and not expect a "one-size-fits-all" approach to be a viable solution. Originality/value: There is not much research available looking at student experience and emotional pressures (if at all) collectively during a crisis.

Experiencing bereavement due to the death of a close person is rife in the lives of young people. This review aimed to investigate how bereavement affects educational outcomes of students at various educational levels and what factors may be involved in moderating these outcomes. The systemic review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines with searches of peer-reviewed literature in Embase, Emcare, Medline, PsycINFO and Scopus. Twenty-two studies (17 quantitative and 5 qualitative) were included. In general, bereavement can constitute a barrier to educational achievement in young people compromising academic performance, and educational engagement and attainment. Several factors can place young people at greater risk of experiencing this disadvantage and further research into these mechanisms and interventions to mitigate short- and long-term consequences, especially among high-risk groups, is warranted.

Parents of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in the UK (n = 241) were asked to describe the impact of COVID-19 on their own mental health and that of their child. An inductive content analysis of the data was undertaken. Both parents and children appear to be experiencing loss, worry and changes in mood and behaviour as a result of the rapid social changes that have occurred. Some parents reported feeling overwhelmed and described the impact of child understanding and awareness. Finally, a minority of parents reported that COVID-19 has had little impact on mental health in their family, or has even led to improvements. Implications for how to support these families in the immediate future are discussed.

Background: Illness and death are part of life for everyone, including people with intellectual disabilities. This study investigated the extent to which staff communicate about death with people with intellectual disability facing terminal illness or bereavement. Method: Staff who support people with intellectual disability in the UK (n = 690) completed an electronic survey. Detailed data were obtained from staff where a client had died in the past 12 months (n = 111), was terminally ill (n = 41) or had been bereaved (n = 200). Analysis included descriptive and chi-squared statistics. Results: 52.6% of people with intellectual disability who were terminally ill were told about their illness, and 18.1% were told they would die. Of those experiencing an anticipated bereavement, 32.4% of staff said no one talked about this with them beforehand. A quarter of staff had received training on end of life or bereavement. Conclusion: Death affects many people with intellectual disability. Staff require training and support in communicating death.

The National Awards for Pastoral Care in Education were organised by the National Association for Pastoral Care in Education (NAPCE) for the first time in 2020. The purpose was to give work in pastoral care the recognition that it deserves. A respected group of judges had the difficult task of deciding who the winners would be in each category, from the very impressive and high quality nominations that NAPCE received. The article provides some of the winners, with an opportunity to share this good practice and to raise awareness of the positive difference that is being made, by effective pastoral care, to the learning experience and lives of young people. Included is information about a school that is supporting bereaved learners and their families. other examples of good practice include, a project to motivate girls, the work of a special school to meet the additional needs of its pupils, the work of a pastoral leader to implement strategies to improve behaviour foe learning and academic achievement and a case study in the use of Educational Transactional Analysis to support a learner with social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

Suicide bereavement is a newly developing field of research in the UK, yet over 6,600 people take their own lives here every year. This heuristic inquiry aims to explore the lived experiences of trainee psychotherapists bereaved by maternal suicide. It examines the lived experiences of the researcher and two participants, with data collected through interviews, dreams and journalling. The findings revealed five themes: 1) It's not just about the suicide, 2) The pain continues -- attachment, abandonment and fear, 3) Left with all the unprocessed feelings -- "the shit", 4) Trigger after trigger -- complicated experiences of psychotherapy training, 5) A catastrophic loss that no one "gets". Implications for the counselling and psychotherapy profession are discussed.

In the UK, approximately 1 in 29 children have experienced the death of a parent or sibling. It is argued that schools are suitably positioned to provide support to bereaved children. However, there is a gap in research exploring bereavement support provision (BSP) in primary schools. This paper presents the qualitative phase of a mixed-methods study which aimed to gain insight into BSP in primary schools in one UK Local Authority. After completing an online questionnaire, 16 school staff took part in semi-structured interviews. The findings of this study highlighted that BSP is characterised by emotional support and other indirect responses. A key finding is that providing emotional support to a bereaved child has a negative impact on the emotional well-being of staff. This study discusses how educational psychologists (EPs) are well placed to provide whole school and targeted bereavement support to children and school staff.

As marketisation, stratification and performance measurement besiege Higher Education, managing change becomes a critical leadership and administrative skill. Managing the student experience and organisational reputation take on renewed significance. Yet whilst much attention is paid to quality assurance and validation processes as Higher Education seeks to develop programmes that address stakeholder demands, little work has been done that looks at course closure. It is suggested that fresh perspectives drawn from change communications scholarship, can provide practical value to university leadership teams. In particular, by recognising course closure as a form of trauma, then universities might be better placed to communicate with and support students on closing courses.

This article describes an online project in the foreign-language classroom in which Argentinian and British university students communicated across the globe to address a topic of human rights violations. The aim of the article is to answer the question of whether there is a place in language education for forgiveness and discomforting pedagogies. This focus is new in the field. It begins with an overview of intercultural citizenship education in language pedagogy, followed by an outline of the pedagogical intervention and case study. It continues with a description of theoretical developments in forgiveness and discomforting pedagogies as the framework of the study and provides an analysis of the data from the project with these lenses. Findings indicate that students displayed varying affective, physical and intellectual forms of emotional investment as they mediated interculturally with their interlocutors and the ghosts of those who suffered from human rights abuse in the past. To do this, they engaged in what we call critical remembering, i.e. remembering wrongdoings through a decolonising human rights educational approach. It is concluded that it is possible for language teaching in the higher education sector to meet the educational aim of developing learners' democratic competences by combining intercultural citizenship with forgiveness and discomforting pedagogies.

There is a distinct lack of literature considering childhood bereavement within the United Kingdom. There is particularly a lack of age-specific research into childhood bereavement and the types of support schools are providing for this group of children. In light of this lack of research, the aim of this study was to explore the experiences, perspectives and views of teachers on supporting children in British primary schools. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis (TA). Analysis revealed four major themes relating to bereavement support: 'support available is inconsistent', 'systemic limitations', 'lack of policy and guidance' and 'speaking to children about death'. The research showed that bereavement support in British primary schools is varied and inconsistent, with examples of good practice and areas for improvement. At the same time, both childhood bereavement and the support available to bereaved children are socially biased, with those in socioeconomically deprived areas more likely to experience a bereavement and receive lower quality support. This study indicates that government policy or guidance with regards to childhood bereavement would be advantageous, for staff and children alike.

It is well established that having a parent with any illness or disability can have an adverse effect on individuals' experiences of education and on their educational progress. Advances in medical knowledge are leading to more people under 65 being diagnosed with young onset dementias and, concomitantly, to more children and young people who are in education having a parent with this diagnosis. Hardly any research has asked these young people directly about their experiences, but the limited evidence suggests that there will likely be significant emotional, mental and psychological damage with enduring impact on their lives. This article, drawing on findings from a unique narrative, auto/biographical study involving 24 British 6 to 31-year-olds, focuses on the consequences of parental young onset dementia for educational careers. These dementias are untimely progressive terminal illnesses with unpredictable trajectories and timelines, throughout the course of which physical, cognitive and emotional functions and abilities are inexorably lost. Participants' experiences show that living with a parent with young onset dementia, whilst negotiating the education system, can be extremely hard. Difficulties are exacerbated by the condition's distinctive characteristics, the current lack of any cure and anticipatory, pre-death grief. Lack of public awareness and understanding, both of young onset dementias and of dedicated resources and support services, also result in many feeling isolated and ignored. We make suggestions for positive provision and actions that educational institutions can make to begin to meet the particular needs of these young people.

Background: Bereavement is a universal experience, yet little research has explored the lived experience of bereavement for people with learning disability (PWLD). Materials and methods: Four PWLD were interviewed about their experience of bereavement. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results: Four themes were identified: "Needing to know: Being included," "Struggling to say: The emotional experience," "Love after death: A continuing relationship" and "Missing their presence: The wider impact of death." Conclusions: PWLD should have the opportunity to make informed choices about their level of involvement and to develop their emotional experience. PWLD should be supported to develop a continued bond with the deceased and the wider impact of their loss recognised.

This paper reflects on the methodological complexities of producing emotionally-sensed knowledge about responses to family deaths in urban Senegal. Through engaging in 'uncomfortable reflexivity', we critically explore the multiple positionings of the research team comprised of UK, Senegalese and Burkinabé researchers and those of participants in Senegal and interrogate our own cultural assumptions. We explore the emotional labour of the research process from an ethic of care perspective and reflect on how our multiple positionings and emotions influence the production and interpretation of the data, particularly exemplified through our differing responses to diverse meanings of 'family' and religious refrains. We show how our approach of 'uncomfortable reflexivity' helps to reveal the work of emotions in research, thereby producing 'emotionally sensed knowledge' about responses to death and contributing to the cross-cultural study of emotions.

Every 22 minutes in the United Kingdom, a child is bereaved of a parent, making up some 24,000 a year. An even greater number experience the loss of a grandparent. There is a limited, but growing, body of research into the impact of grief and bereavement on young children and how their support needs might be met. This article expands upon research with primary school teachers articulating something of their knowledge and experience in encountering bereaved children. The mixed methodology research includes quantitative and qualitative data that incorporate teachers’ responses to the fictionalised narrative of a bereaved 6-year-old. The discussion elucidates teachers’ confidence--or reluctance--in broaching the topic, highlighting the lack of specific training within teacher education for understanding and supporting bereaved children. Compassionate understanding is offered to some children, but many others detect a wall of silence, which, when encountered in early childhood, can have detrimental consequences for their personal, social and academic development. The article calls for policy and practice that will ameliorate this situation. (Contains 2 figures and 2 notes.)

It has been argued that the grieving process after suicide bereavement has unique properties (e.g., J. R. Jordan, 2001). A qualitative study was conducted to explore one aspect of the grieving process--continuing bonds--after suicide bereavement in childhood. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 suicide-bereaved children and analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith & Osborn, 2003). Three themes are discussed: thinking about the deceased, coping strategies, and ongoing connections to the deceased. The findings highlight potentially unique qualities of continuing bonds after childhood suicide bereavement and factors that might influence their adaptiveness. Theoretical and clinical implications are outlined.

This paper attempts to convey how the ideas of Klein, Bion and Bick underpin psychoanalytically based interventions with parents, babies and young children in the Camden Under Fives' Service, Tavistock Clinic. As the title suggests, my focus is on ways in which anxiety relating to separation and loss, can be contained through the transformative function of "reverie". I describe two clinical examples, of a bereaved couple who lost their baby at six weeks and of a three-year-old child suffering from severe constipation, to explore the role of therapeutic work in facilitating a shift away from a defensive "holding onto" a concrete object as a means of evading separation, towards a more symbolic level of functioning, feeling "held in mind". Steiner's description of the mourning process moving along a continuum from "fear of the loss of the object" towards "experience of loss of the object" as the patient shifts away from the "paranoid-schizoid" towards a more "depressive position" and the successful completion of mourning, is linked to Bion's concept of container-contained. The role of the clinician as "container" of unprocessed states in young children, is discussed and linked to the recognition of "turning points" in brief and longer-term work with under fives.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the meanings of outdoor physical activity in the natural environment for parentally-bereaved young people. It draws on data generated from a two-year ethnographic study that focused on the experiences of those involved with the Rocky Centre, a childhood bereavement service in the UK. Data was collected via extended periods of participant observation and semi-structured interviews with both staff and service users. One of the key themes to emerge from the analysis was that of physical activity in different environments. The meanings that the parentally-bereaved young people attributed to outdoor physical activity clustered around four sub-themes. These were: sense of freedom; distraction/escapism; retaining memories; and family cohesion. Each of these are considered in detail and their implications for future practice and research are discussed. (Contains 1 note.)

A more humanistic approach toward dissection has emerged. However, student attitudes toward this approach are unknown and the influences on such attitudes are little understood. One hundred and fifty-six first-year medical students participated in a study examining firstly, attitudes toward the process of dissection and the personhood of the cadaver and secondly, the extent to which gender, anxiety, exposure to dissection, bereavement and prior experience of a dead body influenced these attitudes. Attitudes toward dissection were assessed by of levels of agreement toward eleven statements and by selection of adjectives describing possible feelings toward dissection. Students were asked about recent bereavement, whether they had seen a dead body prior to starting their course and exposure to dissection when completing the questionnaire. Validated instruments were used to measure disposition toward generalized anxiety (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and toward death anxiety (Collett-Lester Death Anxiety Scale). Between 60% and 94% of students held positive attitudes toward the process of dissection and over 70% of students selected 2 or fewer negative adjectives. Students' attitudes toward the personhood of the cadaver were more disparate. Disposition toward anxiety (particularly death anxiety), and exposure to dissection, influenced attitudes. Female gender and recent bereavement exerted a negative influence. Students with higher levels of anxiety experienced more negative feelings and those recently bereaved were less enthusiastic about dissection. Anticipation of dissection may be worse than reality. Sensitive preparation of students prior to entering the dissecting room for the first time may be beneficial. (Contains 5 tables.)

This qualitative study aimed to explore the potential role that might be played by the reported experience of "sensing the presence of the deceased" in meaning-making processes in bereavement. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 participants who reported having had such an experience and the transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis. Seven overarching themes were identified, 3 of which were considered central: finding benefit in the continuation of the deceased, finding benefit in the continued relationship, and finding meaning through existential, spiritual, and religious sense-making. While participants found many benefits in what they experienced, finding meaning beyond immediate coping seemed to require the availability of spiritual/religious frameworks that could be adopted or, if available but discrepant, could meaningfully accommodate the experience. (Contains 1 footnote and 2 tables.)

The discussion in this article focuses on representations in Doris Pilkington's "Rabbit-Proof Fence" of trauma and reparation, and reflects on processes and strategies involved in teaching undergraduate students about these issues within literary contexts. The article discusses the practice of introducing students to new texts and areas of study, and demonstrates the positive learning outcomes deriving from inclusion of non-canonical material linked to feminist and postcolonial theoretical and critical discussions. An earlier version of this paper, entitled "Rabbit-Proof Fence: Text and Film", was given at the Contemporary Women's Writing Network Inaugural Conference, "For Love or Money: Contemporary Women's Fiction in the Marketplace", University of Bangor, April 2006.

The interview study described here aimed to explore current views of and practice in bereavement care and identify priorities for service development in Scotland. Fifty-nine participants who worked with the bereaved in some way, or whose interest was in bereavement or bereavement care, were interviewed. They represented National Health Service organizations, chaplaincy departments, educational institutions, academic departments, voluntary groups, and other related bodies, such as funeral directors. Transcripts were read repeatedly and initial emerging themes were identified, coded and shared between research team members to reach a consensus for key themes. Priority areas for development were related to raising public awareness, coordination of services, guidance, and professional education. (Contains 1 table.)

It is unlikely that every parent with intellectual disability comes under the scrutiny of the care and protection system. That many do is evident in the figures from a number of countries that report between 30 and 40% of the children of parents with intellectual disability are removed from their parents' care and placed in protective custody, in foster care, or in a residential setting. Recent developments, particularly in the United Kingdom and Australia, in seeking permanent placement for children away from their parents earlier rather than later means that many of these children will not be reunited with their parents. As long as the prevalent attitude of current and future parental incompetence continues to exist, having a child taken away--permanently--remains a real possibility for many parents with intellectual disability. In this article, the authors highlight their concern about this situation, as well as their concern that little is known about the potentially devastating outcomes for these parents when their children are taken away by the State.

The effect of any death spreads out to many people. Deaths that occur in the workplace need to be handled with particular care given that the bereaved family as well as work colleagues will have been affected. Death by suicide or situations when an employee becomes suicidal can challenge even the most experienced manager. This article aims to raise some of the issues surrounding sudden death and suicide at work and suggests a number of ways that an organization can respond to such challenges.

The division of labor, together with modern transport systems and certain cultural practices, enables the separation of home and work. This creates a setting for mourning very different from pre-urban societies. Three bereavement theories (reminder theory, dual process oscillation theory, and the importance of groups in the construction of continuing bonds) provide tools for understanding the dynamics of grief when the mourner inhabits two separate worlds, those of home and work. The article sketches how this might illuminate a number of home-work scenarios.

How people respond at work may have a critical part to play in how bereaved or terminally ill colleagues manage their grief and their lives. Although counselors, human resources, occupational health staff, and others may have an important back-up role to play, pivotal support needs to come from line managers, colleagues, and, where they exist, trade union or other staff representatives. If bereavement is seen exclusively as a specialist area, managers and others can be discouraged and feel disabled from intelligently supporting the staff with whom they work. Alternatively it can be a reason for ignoring the issue. A workplace culture is needed where people are inspired and empowered to be human and humane for the sake of the motivation and indirectly the effectiveness of the people who work there.

This study considered the nature of continuing bonds with deceased relatives in a sample of Pakistani Muslims living in the United Kingdom. Ten participants were interviewed following a cultural psychology approach and transcripts were analyzed using grounded theory methodology. Dreaming, talking with others about the deceased, following the deceased's example, keeping memories and mementos, and doing actions thought to help the deceased were forms of continued relationship found. These were intertwined with the process of grieving and were influenced by the family, culture, and religion. Religion was a strong influence on the prominence given by participants to finishing well and on the notion of doing actions thought to help the deceased. Cultural mores, such as the community, and collectivist ethos and the expectation that emotion would be expressed around the time of death, were found to be supportive for some but sources of tension for other participants. Expressing a continuing bond through following the deceased's example so as to make them proud or happy seemed to be reinforced by cultural roots in respect for elders. Participants gave instances of tensions in areas such as expression of emotion and communality versus individualism that arose as a result of their position between two cultural frameworks, some illustrating how assimilation into the host culture set up conflict with the expected norms of their family/ancestral culture. The study highlights how understanding different cultural and religious influences may enrich the concept of continuing bonds. (Contains 1 table, 1 figure and 1 footnote.)

Scenes of public grieving such as followed the death of Princess Diana bear little resemblance to the "taboo" status of death and bereavement at an individual level. For schools and the support services with whom they work, responding to pupils' experiences of loss and death, especially of parents, is challenging. This paper draws on research and curriculum initiatives in one region in England to examine the current situation in schools. It then explores ways in which schools may be both more responsive when a death occurs, and more proactive in creating environments in which both pupils and their teachers are better prepared for the challenges which it poses.

This article reports empirical research into public books of condolence signed following two key mourning events within British culture: the 1989 Hillsborough soccer stadium disaster and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997. The author suggests that not only do condolence books provide valuable historical record of the way contemporary society mourns, but also that they reflect attempts to language loss in ways that can be used to evaluate the extent of society's engagement with death. In so doing, he points to ways in which condolence messages signed following these events oscillate between "conservative structures of meaning" (Marris, 1974) and contemporary "structures of feeling" (Williams, 1971). In turn he suggests that such distinctions--between public and private, modernity and tradition--are destabilized by the postmodern cultural forms that these events appeared to inaugurate. In addition, and in the purported absence of expressivist mourning rituals (Gorer, 1965), the author suggests that condolence books may provide a useful social platform for the social expression of grief.

This paper describes the therapeutic journey of Leigh (not his real name), a nine-year-old boy who was referred for play therapy due to the death of his 15-year-old brother. The play therapy was offered through a joint project called "Playing through Loss" and run jointly between a UK university and the local branch of a national bereavement organisation. The project was set up to offer play therapy to bereaved children in the local area. Leigh had eight sessions of therapy and this paper describes the major themes of his play and makes some preliminary explorations of the meaning the play may have had for him. Interestingly some of his play focused on a computer game called "Zelda" and an exploration of the powerfulness of this as a therapeutic tool is also explored. The therapist's theoretic orientation is described along with her perceived role as "loyal companion". Finally, the process by which Leigh worked with his loss is discussed.

The UK Open University's second-level undergraduate course "Death and Dying" (K260) draws on personal and professional experience to explore the issues of loss, care, ethical practice, communication and grief. Students come from diverse occupational backgrounds (nurses, social workers, medical practitioners) but many study K260 for purely personal reasons. This diversity presents educators with specific challenges. Synthesising theory, practice and the personal within academic assessment is a significant teaching dilemma on an open distance learning programme, but is especially so in relation to sensitive subject matter. This article discusses how the curriculum can accommodate personal narrative to enhance academic learning. A reflective research methodology is used to consider the integration of the "personal" and the "situated" as learning tools.

Despite a growing awareness and acknowledgement of the incidence of sexually harmful behaviour by children and young people, research on this group remains limited. A number of recent publications have reviewed UK systems and practice and suggest that the issue is better appreciated than a decade ago. To date, however, there is no published information on this group in a Scottish context. As a first step in addressing this lack of empirical data, a joint exercise was conducted between the Criminal Justice Social Work Development Centre for Scotland and a number of specialist services for children and young people involved in harmful sexual behaviour to develop a picture of this group. Data on 189 such individuals were collected from cases active during 2004. This forms part of an ongoing data collection process, which is intended to provide practice relevant information and contribute to the development of services and interventions for this client group. (Contains 4 tables.)

This reflective paper is an account and analyses of the change process forced upon a university's education department in the light of unexpected financial downfall. Rather than rehearse the well documented research on innovation and change it focuses on the process from the head of department's prospective. The issues raised highlight that there remain aspects of the change not yet fully documented and understood. These are discussed and used to illustrate how departments might prepare themselves for the changes they will inevitably face. (Contains 2 notes.)

Background: The influence of grief and bereavement on the lives of people with intellectual disabilities is currently receiving much interest. Many of the long-standing rituals associated with bereavement are still practised in Ireland, probably more than in many other Western countries. The present authors were interested in studying the experience of bereavement for people with intellectual disabilities in Ireland, and in making international comparisons. Method: This mixed method study was carried out using two questionnaires. The first was used to study national service and organisational approaches to bereavement. The second questionnaire (based on Murray et al. 2000 ) was used to study a staff group working in Ireland, assessing staff knowledge and understanding of the grieving process. The results were compared with a UK staff group who were assessed using the same questionnaire (Murray et al. 2000 ). Results: Staff and service attitudes were found to be very positive in supporting people with intellectual disabilities who have been bereaved. There is considerable understanding of the needs of bereaved individuals, and there is a high level of support in the participation in grief rituals. When compared with a UK staff group, Irish staffs were more inclined to encourage individuals to take part in bereavement rituals, though they had less actual experience in supporting bereaved people. Only one service had written bereavement guidelines. Conclusions: There appears to be cultural differences in the experience of bereavement for people with intellectual disabilities. This is important in the context of staff training and policy development in grief and bereavement.

This is an interview with one of the founders of The Butterfly Project where a simple purple butterfly on an infant's incubator or cot can alert others in the NICU that this infant had a sibling who died, thereby guiding a respectful, more sensitive conversation with parents. The program has taken hold throughout the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate the experiences of women with kidney disease, residing in the United Kingdom (UK), living through the first 18 months of the COVID‐19 pandemic with specific focus on preconception decision‐making, family planning, and parenting. Methods: We conducted a mixed‐methods study, comprising an online survey and follow‐up interviews, with UK‐resident women aged 18–50. Results: We received 431 surveys and conducted 30 interviews. Half (n = 221, 51%) of the survey respondents considered that COVID‐19 influenced the quality of communication with healthcare professionals and 68% (n = 295) felt that the pandemic disrupted their support networks. Interview participants indicated that delayed and canceled appointments caused anxiety, grief, and loss of pregnancy options. Women's perception of themselves as (good) mothers as well as their capacity to have and raise a child, meet partners, and sustain healthy relationships was negatively affected by the "clinically extremely vulnerable" label. Women's trust in their healthcare was dismantled by miscommunication and variation in lockdown rules that caused confusion and increased worry. Women reported that COVID‐19 contributed to postnatal depression, excessive concern over infant mortality, preoccupation over others following rules, and catastrophising. Conclusion: Some women in the UK with chronic kidney disease lost or missed their opportunity to have children during the pandemic. Future pandemic planners need to look more holistically and longer term at what is and is not classed as an emergency, both in how services are reconfigured and how people with chronic conditions are identified, communicated with, and treated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why you should read this article: • To read about contemporary UK-based literature on fathers’ experiences of having a child with a learning disability • To recognise that having a child with a learning disability can affect all aspects of a father’s life • To appreciate the need for tailored support for fathers of a child with a learning disability. Children with learning disabilities often require greater levels of support from their parents than other children. However, there can be differences in the caring experiences of mothers and fathers. This literature review aimed to develop an understanding of fathers’ experiences of caring for children with learning disabilities in the UK. Analysis of seven UK studies identified two overarching themes – gender stereotypes in parenthood and loss of imagined future. Findings suggest that parenting a child with a learning disability can be a positive experience for fathers but can involve a journey through loss and grief before eventual acceptance of their child’s condition. Tailored interventions, such as male-only support groups, might help fathers as they move through this journey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

War commemoration in the UK has become spectacular, performative, and mediatised, manifesting new scales of visual power. This article assesses this ‘visual turn’ via an analysis of Blood Swept Lands & Seas of Red (BSL&SR) – an installation of 888,246 ceramic poppies, each representing a British and Colonial service fatality of the First World War, ‘planted’ in the Tower of London’s moat to mark the First World War Centenary (FWWC). Celebrated as a major success by FWWC officials, and attracting extraordinary public acclaim, academic analyses found that BSL&SR encouraged ‘unthinking’ recirculation of ‘tropes’ about the war, which inhibited pluralism and critical consideration of the UK’s history of armed intervention. This article traces and explores the range, diversity, and nuances of ‘everyday’ public responses to the installation, drawing on a wealth of new information accessed through embedded research within Historic Royal Palaces (HRP). In doing so, it prompts reflection and debate about future state-supported cultural programmes and the role of heritage therein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: People with vestibular disorders frequently experience reduced quality of life and challenges with activities of daily living. Anxiety, depression and cognitive problems often co‐present with vestibular disorders and can aggravate symptoms and prolong clinical recovery. We aimed to gain in‐depth insights into the impact of vestibular disorders and the contribution of psychological factors by exploring multistakeholder perspectives. Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted between October 2021 and March 2022 with 47 participants in the United Kingdom including: 20 patients (age M = 50.45 ± 13.75; 15 females), nine family members (age M = 61.0 ± 14.10; four females), and 18 healthcare professionals. Data were analysed using framework analysis. Results: Vestibular disorders impact diverse aspects of patients' lives including work, household chores, socialising, and relationships with family and friends. Being unable to engage in valued activities or fulfil social roles contributes to feelings of grief and frustration, affecting identity, confidence, and autonomy. Anxiety and low mood contribute to negative thought processes, avoidance, and social withdrawal, which can impede clinical recovery through reduced activity levels, and end engagement with treatment. Coping strategies were thought to help empower patients to self‐manage their symptoms and regain a sense of control, but these require oversight from healthcare providers. Conclusions: Daily activity limitations, social participation restrictions, and psychological distress can interact to impact quality of life, sense of self, and clinical recovery amongst people with vestibular disorders. Information and resources could aid societal awareness of the impact of vestibular disorders and help patients and families feel understood. An individualised and comprehensive approach that concurrently addresses mental, physical, social, and occupational needs is likely to be beneficial. Patient or Public Contribution: Two group meetings were held at the beginning and end of the study with a patient and public involvement network formed of people with vestibular disorders and family members. These individuals commented on the study aims, interview schedule, participant recruitment practices, and interpretation of the themes identified. Two core patient members were involved at all stages of the research. These individuals contributed to the formulation of the interview schedule, development and application of the coding scheme, development and interpretation of themes, and preparation of the final manuscript. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why you should read this article: • To gain insight into caring for people at the end of life in the emergency department • To enhance your understanding of the concept of a good death • To count towards revalidation as part of your 35 hours of CPD, or you may wish to write a reflective account (UK readers) • To contribute towards your professional development and local registration renewal requirements (non-UK readers) The focus of care in the emergency department (ED) is on saving or sustaining life, but some patients admitted to the ED die in the ED. Nurses whose focus is on saving lives may therefore find themselves providing end of life care to patients and their families in a stressful and distressing environment. Providing optimal end of life care involves reflecting on what a good death looks like and how patients can be supported to have a good death. This article describes the barriers to optimal end of life care in the ED and prompts nurses to think about how they can enhance their practice when caring for dying patients and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a lack of research concerning therapists' emotional responses to the suicide of clients and/or friends and family and yet, professionally, therapists commonly manage suicide risk of their clients and need to abide by relevant policies. Using a purposive sampling technique, twelve female clinical psychologists working in the UK were recruited via social media platforms. A qualitative method was adopted to offer an in-depth understanding into the lived experiences of losing a loved one and/or client to suicide. The semi-structured interviews took place via video-call or via telephone for up to one hour. Three themes were identified as follows: how talk is experienced as a way of making sense of suicide the messiness of being human,and an experience that helps psychologists face suicide. This study brings to light the dilemmas experienced by clinical psychologists who are both clinicians and survivors of suicide. The findings highlight the lack of conversation relating to bereavement by suicide within mental health services. This study offers insight into how clinical psychologists experience suicide bereavement, and discusses the clinical and UK policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The challenges of caring for children with early life adversity have been identified as contributing to feelings of compassion fatigue (CF)—an emotional disconnection resulting from repeated exposure to another's trauma. Although extensive studies have focused on contributors to trauma-inducing workplace stress and well-being, research on trauma-related stress in the home, especially in adoptive parent populations, is relatively underexplored. This study aimed to understand how adoptive parents make sense of their experiences of parenting adopted children, identify core components of CF, understand parents' perceptions of contributing factors and explore wider relational impacts. Parents were recruited from Adoption UK via email invite. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve parents to form a holistic picture of adoptive parents' experiences. Data were analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Findings yielded three overarching and interrelated themes: (i) a parent not a therapist; (ii) strained connections; and (iii) support is a mirage. Findings support recent literature highlighting the reality of CF in adoptive parents and the need to develop more preventative structures and responsive systems of support adapted to the needs of adopted children but also the unique needs of their families to help prevent mental health crises across the family and adoption breakdowns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the accomplishments and programs of the charity Antenatal Results and Choices (ARC) to support parents in Great Britain in all stages of antenatal screening and diagnosis. Also cited are a brief history of ARC including its creation as Support After Termination for Fetal Abnormality in 1988 and the number of women who opted to terminate their pregnancies for medical reasons.

The latent structure of ICD‐11 prolonged grief disorder (PGD), as measured using the International Prolonged Grief Disorder Scale (IPGDS), was assessed in a large general population sample of bereaved adults from the United Kingdom. Data were derived from Wave 5 of the COVID‐19 Psychological Research Consortium Study (C19PRC‐UK). Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) was used to assess the latent structure of the IPGDS. Identified factors were explored in relation to known correlates (i.e., gender, age of the bereaved, income, bereavement timeframe, age of the deceased) and functional impairment. Three factors—Loss, Emotional Numbing, and Emotional Reactivity—emerged in the best‐fitting ESEM model, χ2(92, N = 1,763) = 273.70, p <.001, CFI =.97, TLI =.96, RMSEA =.048, SRMR =.020. All factors were significantly associated with bereavement timeframe, βs = ‐.15–‐.20, and age of the deceased, βs = ‐.22–‐.31. Lower income predicted both Loss and Emotional Numbing; younger age of the bereaved predicted both Loss and Emotional Reactivity; and female gender was a unique predictor of Loss. Functional impairment was associated only with Emotional Numbing, β =.89. The findings highlight the multidimensional structure of PGD. However, the patterns of factor/cross‐factor loadings observed in the present study indicate that a "simple" structure was not attainable. Associations between factors and covariates attest to the discriminant validity of the factors, and the association between Emotional Numbing and functional impairment may afford clinicians an opportunity to better understand and target the most disruptive features of grief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) is a new disorder included in ICD-11 (WHO, 2018). There is a growing body of literature surrounding the prevalence and correlates of ICD-11 PGD symptoms as assessed using various measures. This study was the first to assess levels of ICD-11 PGD symptoms as measured by the International Prolonged Grief Disorder Scale (IPGDS), a self-report scale directly aligned with the ICD-11 definition of PGD, among the United Kingdom adult general population, and identify correlates. Method: Participants included 2025 adults who participated in Wave 5 of the COVID-19 Psychological Research Consortium Study (C19PRC-UK). Prevalence rates of PGD were estimated based on two commonly used algorithms defined as 'strict' and 'moderate'. Sociodemographic, loss-related, and mental health correlates (i.e., anxiety, depression, mental health treatment seeking, loneliness) of strict and moderate PGD were then examined using multinomial logistic regressions. Results: It was found that 2.4% (n = 43) of participants met probable caseness for PGD using the strict criteria while 7.9% (n = 140) met probable caseness for PGD using the moderate criteria. Multinomial logistic regression analysis results showed, as predicted, that income, time since bereavement, death of a child, religiosity, and depression were associated with both moderate and strict PGD. Correlates of moderate PGD included country of residence, urbanicity, younger age of bereaved, and loneliness. Conclusions: This study highlights that some symptoms of PGD are commonly reported in the general population, although relatively few meet the criteria for clinical significance. The routine assessment for PGD following a bereavement is discussed and the development of appropriate interventions are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]