Parental Grief Expression in Online Cancer Support Groups

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Few studies exist on the benefits of online grief support for bereaved parents. We sought to learn from parents who lost a child to a brain or spinal cord tumor who participated in an online grief-support group. Eighteen bereaved parents and two professional facilitators participated in 20 monthly online groups, with chat room discussions analyzed for themes. Parents completed a 10-item survey evaluating reasons for participation and the group's effectiveness regarding coping following loss. Examples of chat room topics included the grief process or adjustment, negative social interactions, milestones or holidays, and sibling grief. Seventy-eight percent of eligible parents completed the survey. They endorsed online groups as effective for connecting with other bereaved parents and offering grief support, among other positive outcomes. Parents used online groups for a variety of reasons, including convenience, anonymity, and lack of local support. Parents' responses suggest that online support groups can be a convenient or effective grief-coping strategy for parents bereaved by cancer.