Comfort Theory in the Anticipatory Grief of Family Caregivers of People with Alzheimer’s Disease: The Nurse’s Role
Keywords:
Nursing Care, Alzheimer Disease, Anticipatory Grief, Family Caregivers, Nursing TheoryAbstract
Anticipatory grief is a recurring phenomenon among family caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease, characterized by continuous emotional suffering in the face of the symbolic and progressive loss of the cared-for person. This theoretical-reflective study, with a qualitative approach, was developed during a course in the Graduate Program in Nursing at a public university, based on Katharine Kolcaba’s Comfort Theory and on critical analysis of national and international scientific evidence. This reflection addresses the nurse’s role in identifying and welcoming the anticipatory suffering of family caregivers, considering the physical, psycho-spiritual, sociocultural, and environmental dimensions of comfort. The reflections indicate that recognizing anticipatory grief as part of the care process is essential to qualify nursing practice and to promote more sensitive, ethical, and humanized care.
References
Referências
Rice A, Schwarzkopf M, Galvin JE, Keys K, Schilling K, Lingler JH, et al. Anticipatory grief among family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders: predictors, correlates, and clinical implications [Internet]. Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen. 2021 [cited 2025 Jun 27];36:1–10. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8506937/
Rocha DV, Liotti DM, Marcial LSD, Novaes LF, Salles RJ. O luto antecipatório em cuidadoras de idosos com Alzheimer avançado [Internet]. Fam Ciclos Vida Saúde Contexto Soc. 2023 Jan–Mar [cited 2025 Jun 27];11(1):1–16. Available from: https://seer.uftm.edu.br/revistaeletronica/index.php/refacs/article/download/6778/6938/38937
Costa BS. Luto antecipatório em familiares de pacientes com doença de Alzheimer: revisão integrativa [Internet]. Salvador: Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública; 2024 Jun [cited 2025 Jun 27]. Available from: https://repositorio.bahiana.edu.br/jspui/handle/bahiana/8862
Crawley S, Sampson EL, Moore KJ, Kupeli N, West E. Grief in family carers of people living with dementia: a systematic review [Internet]. Int Psychogeriatr. 2022 [cited 2025 Jun 27];34(1):1–32. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610221002787
Cabral LAM, Guedes ECS, Dantas ED, Araújo ES, Saraiva AKA de C, Costa BHS, et al. Assistência de enfermagem frente ao luto antecipatório de familiares de pacientes em cuidados paliativos: revisão integrativa [Internet]. Contrib Cienc Soc. 2024 [cited 2025 Jun 27];17(10):1–19. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/385050966_Assistencia_de_enfermagem_frente_ao_luto_antecipatorio_de_familiares_de_pacientes_em_cuidados_paliativos
Meyer RM, Treml JL, Tate JA, Yang Y, Bialek K, Belyea MJ, et al. Comparing anticipatory grief and caregiver burden in dementia and hematologic cancer: a dyadic study [Internet]. J Acad Consult Liaison Psychiatry. 2025 [cited 2025 Jun 27];66:100–8. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaclp.2025.04.003
Kolcaba K. Comfort theory and practice: a vision for holistic health care and research. New York: Springer Publishing Company; 2003
Dekker NL. Anticipatory grief in dementia: an ethnographic study of loss and connection [Internet]. Cult Med Psychiatry. 2023 Sep [cited 2025 Jun 27];47(3):701–21. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11013-022-09792-3
Souza Alves LC, Monteiro DQ, Bento SR, Hayashi VD, Pelegrini LNC, Vale FAC. Burnout syndrome in informal caregivers of older adults with dementia: a systematic review [Internet]. Dement Neuropsychol. 2019 Dec [cited 2025 Jun 27];13(4):415–21. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6907708/
Freire PC, Silva RM, Oliveira LGS, Santos AC, Almeida FCM, Costa LCF, et al. Cuidados de enfermagem para a pessoa idosa com doença de Alzheimer fundamentados na Teoria do Conforto de Kolcaba: revisão integrativa [Internet]. Braz J Implant Health Sci. 2025 Apr [cited 2025 Jun 27];7(4):1468–82. Available from: https://doi.org/10.36557/2674-8169.2025v7n4p1468-1482
Dehpour N, Koffman J. Anticipatory grief in informal caregivers of people with dementia: a scoping review [Internet]. BMC Palliat Care. 2023 [cited 2025 Jun 27];22(1):1–18. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-023-01231-z
Lou Q, Liu F, Jiang Z, Zhang L. The chain mediating effect of spiritual well-being and anticipatory grief between benefit finding and meaning in life of patients with advanced lung cancer: empirical research quantitative [Internet]. Nurs Open. 2024 Jul [cited 2025 Jun 27];11(7):e2179. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.2179
Janssen AL, Gaugler JE, Lingler JH, Mitchell AM, Gilmore-Bykovskyi AL, McDarby M, et al. Caregiver burden and anticipatory grief in dementia caregiving: a systematic review [Internet]. J Aging Health. 2023 [cited 2025 Jun 27];35(2):167–87. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177/08982643221100179
Lin Y, Zhou Y, Chen C, Yan C, Gu J. Application of Kolcaba’s Comfort Theory in healthcare: mapping review [Internet]. BMJ Open. 2024 [cited 2025 Jun 27];14:e077810. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-077810
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Revista de Divulgação Científica Sena Aires
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
-
Atribuição — Você deve dar o crédito apropriado, prover um link para a licença e indicar se mudanças foram feitas. Você deve fazê-lo em qualquer circunstância razoável, mas de nenhuma maneira que sugira que o licenciante apoia você ou o seu uso.
- Sem restrições adicionais — Você não pode aplicar termos jurídicos ou medidas de caráter tecnológico que restrinjam legalmente outros de fazerem algo que a licença permita.
