Practices following the death of a loved one reported by adults from 14 countries or cultural/ethnic group.
Ivette Hidalgo, Dorothy Brooten, JoAnne M Youngblut and 3 others
PMID 33318853WHAT IT FOUND
Parents described home wakes, open caskets, nine-day prayers, food gatherings and cemetery visits as death rituals in their country of origin or cultural group.
Practices varied by religion and by whether the deceased was a child.
Key findings
01Death practices dealing with remains, wakes, funerals, burials and celebrations varied by country of origin, cultural group, religion and age of the deceased.
02Novenas, or prayers for nine days, were reported in Caribbean and Mexican practice descriptions.
03Child deaths were reported to involve shorter or eliminated services, fewer prayers and lighter clothing because children were viewed as without sin or angels.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a secondary analysis of a small sample, and only parents who answered questions about country-of-origin practices were included. The sample came from parents of children who died in neonatal or paediatric intensive care units, so it may not reflect deaths from other settings or causes. Only three racial or ethnic groups were represented, and few participants came from each country or cultural group. The paper reports what parents described about rituals in their country of origin or cultural group, not tested effects on grieving or family outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The supplied publication types list NIH extramural research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these reports as a checklist for every family from these countries. The sample was small, and the paper reported what parents said, not tested outcomes.