{"title":"Partners in Pain, Two Sides of a Zipper - Midwives' Experiences With Stillbirth: A Qualitative Study.","authors":"Fadime Bayrı Bingöl, Zeynep Dilşah Karaçam Yılmaz, Seçil Topaloğlu","doi":"10.1177/00302228241235429","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00302228241235429","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study was conducted to explore and understand the experiences of midwives who care for women experiencing stillbirth and the challenges they face in this process. A qualitative study was conducted with 11 midwives using the phenomenological method. Descriptive analysis of the data revealed four main themes: 1) Silent screams in the face of despair (women's reactions to stillbirth), 2) Being a partner in pain, \"two sides of a zipper\" (midwives' experience of stillbirth), 3) Efforts to cope with the pain, and 4) Just two words: \"if only.\" The impact of stillbirths on midwives should not be disregarded. Emotions such as shock, horror, fear, guilt, and anger experienced by midwives following a stillbirth can adversely affect their mental health. The guilt experienced by midwives can also negatively impact their health and quality of life, as well as cause burnout and distancing from the profession.</p>","PeriodicalId":74338,"journal":{"name":"Omega","volume":" ","pages":"170-186"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139974907","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OmegaPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2024-02-28DOI: 10.1177/00302228241236227
Saeed A Al-Dossary, Cátia Sousa, Gabriela Gonçalves
{"title":"The Effect of Death Anxiety on Work Passion: Moderating Roles of Work Centrality and Work Connection.","authors":"Saeed A Al-Dossary, Cátia Sousa, Gabriela Gonçalves","doi":"10.1177/00302228241236227","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00302228241236227","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fear of death is an emotional manifestation of the instinct for self-preservation. Any threat to our existence induces an anxiety response. Death anxiety can trigger obsessive-compulsive behaviours, such as an obsessive passion for work. Using a sample of 314 participants (68.2% female), with a mean age of 38.97 years (SD = 10.36), this study sought to observe the predictive effect of death anxiety on work passion, as well as the moderating effect of work-family centrality and connection on the relationship between anxiety and passion. The results revealed that death anxiety negatively affects harmonious passion, and positively affects obsessive passion. Work centrality did not moderate the influence of death anxiety on harmonious and obsessive passion. Nonetheless, work connection moderated the influence of death anxiety on harmonious passion. The negative influence of death anxiety on harmonious passion was greater in a group with high work connection than a group with low connection.</p>","PeriodicalId":74338,"journal":{"name":"Omega","volume":" ","pages":"187-208"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13002959/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139984772","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OmegaPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2024-03-19DOI: 10.1177/00302228241240944
Ibrahim Akmese, Tamarine Foreman, Gordon Brooks
{"title":"Bereavement During and Not During the Pandemic in Terms of Complicated Grief and Social Support.","authors":"Ibrahim Akmese, Tamarine Foreman, Gordon Brooks","doi":"10.1177/00302228241240944","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00302228241240944","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mandated measures to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus (e.g., social distancing and travel restrictions) led to isolation and reshaped the dying process as well as grief rituals for loved ones of deceased individuals due to COVID-19 and other causes of death. The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference between those who lost a loved one during and not during the global pandemic in terms of complicated grief and perceived social support. A cross-sectional quantitative approach was employed, surveying 580 individuals, all of whom had experienced the loss of a loved one. Our findings suggest that bereavement during the COVID-19 era uniquely intensified the Complicated Grief experience. However, the perceived social support did not vary based on the timing of the bereavement. The strengths, limitations, and future research directions are further explored.</p>","PeriodicalId":74338,"journal":{"name":"Omega","volume":" ","pages":"523-540"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140178123","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OmegaPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2024-03-22DOI: 10.1177/00302228241237279
Sabri Togluk, Funda Kavak Budak
{"title":"The Effect of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Based Psychoeducation on Anger Management and Death Anxiety in Individuals Receiving Chemotherapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.","authors":"Sabri Togluk, Funda Kavak Budak","doi":"10.1177/00302228241237279","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00302228241237279","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study was conducted to examine the effect of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)-based psychoeducation on anger control and death anxiety in individuals receiving chemotherapy. The research was completed as a pretest-posttest experimental design with 80 individuals who received chemotherapy (40 control, 40 experimental). The data were collected using the Personal Information Form, the Controlled Anger Scale (CAR), and the Death Anxiety Scale (DAS). Individuals in the experimental group received eight sessions of CBT-based psychoeducation. We used percent distribution, chi-square test, and <i>t</i> test for dependent and independent groups were used to analyze the data. This study demonstrated that the gap among between the pretest and posttest total scores of the anger scale and death anxiety scale of the individuals in the CBT-based psychoeducation experimental group receiving chemotherapy was statistically significant (<i>p</i> < .05). CBT-based psychoeducation can be recommended as a professional psycho-oncology practice to improve the anger and anxiety in individuals with cancer.</p>","PeriodicalId":74338,"journal":{"name":"Omega","volume":" ","pages":"258-273"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140186500","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OmegaPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2024-01-24DOI: 10.1177/00302228241229590
Holger Busch, Hanna Knudsen
{"title":"Death Anxiety is Associated With Less Health Behavior for Individuals Low in Action Orientation.","authors":"Holger Busch, Hanna Knudsen","doi":"10.1177/00302228241229590","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00302228241229590","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Research has shown that death anxiety relates to less health behavior. The present study proposes that action orientation moderates this association. That is, it is hypothesized that death anxiety and health behavior relate negatively only in individuals low in action orientation. German adults (<i>N</i> = 187; aged 19-86) provided self-reports on health behavior, action orientation, death anxiety, social desirability, and sociodemographics. Analyses yielded a significant moderation effect of action orientation on the link between death anxiety and health behavior over and above significant relationships of action orientation, social desirability, age, and gender, respectively, with health behavior. As hypothesized, a significantly negative association of death anxiety and health behavior was found only given low action orientation but not among high action orientation individuals. This suggests that self-regulation plays a decisive role in whether death anxiety and health behavior relate to each other.</p>","PeriodicalId":74338,"journal":{"name":"Omega","volume":" ","pages":"5-19"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139542465","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OmegaPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2024-01-24DOI: 10.1177/00302228241229484
Ecem Sarper, David L Rodrigues
{"title":"The Role of Perceived Social Support in the Grief Experiences of More Anxious and Self-Compassionate People.","authors":"Ecem Sarper, David L Rodrigues","doi":"10.1177/00302228241229484","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00302228241229484","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Past research showed that high trait anxiety and low self-compassion, along with lack of perceived social support, have been associated with experiencing stronger grief symptoms. However, research is yet to understand <i>if</i> and <i>how</i> these factors interact among grieving individuals. Results of a cross-sectional study (<i>N</i> = 539) showed that perceived social support interacted differently with trait anxiety and self-compassion to shape grief experiences. Unexpectedly, perceived social support did not buffer the association between higher trait anxiety and stronger grief symptoms. Instead, participants with higher trait anxiety reported stronger symptoms only when they perceived to have less social support. In contrast, participants with higher self-compassion reported less symptoms when they perceived to have more social support. These findings show that social support can emphasize the detrimental role of anxiety and the protective role of self-compassion when people are coping with a loss. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":74338,"journal":{"name":"Omega","volume":" ","pages":"20-37"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13002955/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139542482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OmegaPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2024-03-08DOI: 10.1177/00302228241239210
Jerome T Whitfield, Wandagi H Pako, Michael P Alpers
{"title":"Robert Hertz, Anthropophagic Practices and Traditional South Fore Mortuary Rites in Papua New Guinea.","authors":"Jerome T Whitfield, Wandagi H Pako, Michael P Alpers","doi":"10.1177/00302228241239210","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00302228241239210","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this paper we examine the traditional mortuary rites of the South Fore people of Papua New Guinea using Robert Hertz's theory of secondary burial and the three mechanisms of mourning identified by Daniel Lagache. The ethnographic data that we obtained on South Fore interpretations of their own mortuary rites showed that all forms of corpse handling achieved the same end results through the process of secondary burial. Furthermore, the three mechanisms of mourning applied equally to all forms of corpse disposal and we found no evidence to support psychosexual interpretations of mortuary anthropophagy which emphasise aggression. South Fore interpretations of mortuary anthropophagy show that the dead were eaten out of love, and to protect the mourners from the painful emotion of witnessing the decomposition of the corpse. These findings affirm the relevance of the concepts of Hertz and Lagache to the universal human experiences of death and mourning.</p>","PeriodicalId":74338,"journal":{"name":"Omega","volume":" ","pages":"420-438"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13002966/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140066310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OmegaPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2024-03-06DOI: 10.1177/00302228241238385
Min Ah Kim, Joohong Min, Jina Sang, Hyunkyong Jee
{"title":"Contributing Factors of a Good Death for Children With Cancer From Bereaved Parents' Perspectives in South Korea.","authors":"Min Ah Kim, Joohong Min, Jina Sang, Hyunkyong Jee","doi":"10.1177/00302228241238385","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00302228241238385","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Achieving a good-quality death for children with cancer is as paramount as saving their life, given its implications for both the children's end-of-life quality and the grief journey of their parents. This study explored factors contributing to a good death for children with cancer, as perceived by bereaved parents in South Korea. A retrospective survey was conducted, involving 58 bereaved parents of a child who died of cancer. <i>t</i>-tests and regressions were performed to identify factors related to deceased children associated with parents' reports of a good death for children with cancer. The results revealed significant correlations between parents' age, income, religious affiliation, time elapsed since death, child's age at death, and cancer recurrence with several aspects of a good death. These findings underscore the importance of assessing characteristics of both parents and their children to enhance the quality of death experienced by children with cancer in South Korea.</p>","PeriodicalId":74338,"journal":{"name":"Omega","volume":" ","pages":"330-348"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140051205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OmegaPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2024-03-06DOI: 10.1177/00302228241238383
Christine Denhup
{"title":"\"Trying to Find North\": Fathers Voice the Nature of Their Bereavement.","authors":"Christine Denhup","doi":"10.1177/00302228241238383","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00302228241238383","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fathers' lived experience of bereavement is not well understood. This article presents findings from a Heidegerrian phenomenological study, which aimed to describe fathers' bereavement. Fathers' bereavement is a life-long journey along which a father navigates through devastating and traumatic loss with great strength; has profound grief that mirrors the profound love he has for his child; chooses to live life with intention and engages in meaningful activities that create purpose aimed at honoring his child, continuing his child's legacy, and using his own suffering for the good of others; is anchored by a continuing bond of love that fuels an ongoing relationship with his child; and needs a supportive community to sustain him as he travels down the healing road where it is possible to find faith, hope, and love while being forever transformed by loss. Findings amplify fathers' voice so nurses gain a deeper understanding of their experience.</p>","PeriodicalId":74338,"journal":{"name":"Omega","volume":" ","pages":"349-371"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140041031","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OmegaPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2024-05-07DOI: 10.1177/00302228241239698
Talia Morstead, Jason D Rights, Nancy L Sin, Anita DeLongis
{"title":"Predictors of Complicated Grief During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Classified Analysis.","authors":"Talia Morstead, Jason D Rights, Nancy L Sin, Anita DeLongis","doi":"10.1177/00302228241239698","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00302228241239698","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The COVID-19 pandemic left many people grieving multiple deaths and at risk for developing symptoms of complicated grief (CG). The present study is a prospective examination of the role of neuroticism and social support in the development of CG symptoms. Findings from cross-classified multilevel models pointed to neuroticism as a risk factor for subsequent CG symptoms. Social support had a stress-buffering effect, emerging as a protective factor following the loss of a first degree relative. More recent loss and younger age of the deceased were both independently associated with heightened CG symptoms. Results from the present study provide insight into heterogeneity in CG symptom development at the between-person level, and variability in CG symptoms within individuals in response to different deaths. Findings could therefore aid in the identification of those at risk for the development of CG symptoms.</p>","PeriodicalId":74338,"journal":{"name":"Omega","volume":" ","pages":"504-522"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140859302","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}