Shared Death Experiences in palliative care among family caregivers of cancer patients: a qualitative study

Palliative care can provide a crucial contribution to the spiritual aspect of managing both anticipatory grief and bereavement. Spirituality may imply the possibility of thinking of oneself beyond death, thereby imagining existence after death. Very little research has been conducted on Shared Death Experiences (SDEs) and After Death Communication Experiences (ADCEs) in the palliative care field. The present study investigated these experiences using a qualitative methodology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, then thematic analysis was applied to analyse the transcripts. The criteria for participant selection included the loss of close person who had received palliative care. Exclusion criteria comprised diagnosis of a mental disorder and/or the use of psychotropic drugs. Altogether, 11 people participated, comprising two men and nine women from Southern Italy, ages 25–50, with a mean age of 36.8 years. Eight respondents had lost a parent, and the rest had lost a spouse. Three themes emerged from the thematic analysis: the caregiver’s experiences in palliative care; SDE; and representations of death following SDEs. Palliative psychology research and intervention should pay more attention to these types of experiences to better integrate them into psychological interventions.