How attachment style, mentalization and preparedness for death are associated with pre-loss grief symptoms’ severity: A network analysis study in caregivers of terminally ill cancer patients

Abstract

Several psychological dimensions influence the psychological adjustment of terminally ill cancer patients’ caregivers, during the end-of-life phase. The present study explored the associations between attachment styles, mentalization, preparedness for death, and the severity of pre-loss grief symptoms in 102 caregivers of terminal cancer patients. The results of the network analysis showed that insecure attachment dimensions were positively associated with several central pre-loss grief symptoms. Mentalization and preparedness for death showed negative associations with several pre-loss grief symptoms. Interestingly, bitterness showed a negative association with need for approval and a positive association with mentalization. The results provided insight into the grieving process for palliative care providers to implement effective caregiver support interventions.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Fondazione Sanità e Ricerca and the participants of this study for their time and effort.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.