Factors associated with psychological distress and grief resolution in surviving spouses of patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer

摘要

Goals of work Patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer often have a short survival time. This means that spouses only have a short time to adjust to the approaching death. The aim was to explore whether psychological distress at diagnosis, the course of the illness (anti-tumour treatment, respite period and survival time), the spouses’ experience of the care and of losing a loved one were related to distress and grief resolution after the patient had deceased.