Importancia de la Despedida en el Proceso de Duelo

Abstract

We analyse the impact of the perception of farewell and / or the actual farewell in a sample of mourners, for the perception of elaboration of a healthy grieving. All of the participants (183 attendees that participated in a Grief Workshops at a socio-health centre in the Community of Madrid) have gone under bereavement experiences, average age of 50 years (SD = 16), 81% (149) being women. A questionnaire was given provided to the participants including sociodemographic and mourning related variables, circumstances of decease, perception of farewell and sway(s) and performance of the farewell. A multiple linear regression was performed by backward steps with the effect of farewell as a dependent variable. The adjusted model allowed a correct estimation of the effect of the farewell of 55% of the cases (corrected R2 = 0.548), being perception of farewell (Beta = -0.403) the variable with the highest impact in the prognosis followed by the perception of elaboration of the mourning (Beta = 0.327), the fact that there has been an explicit farewell and the level of awareness of death by the deceased (Beta = 0.175). The perception of the performance of a farewell in any of its formats is a variable of great weight for the suitable development of the grieving process. Although explicit, verbalized, pre-death, farewells and at the initiative of the mourner have higher positive effect, the implicit, non-verbalized farewells, at the initiative of the deceased and / or posthumously do also a have an effect on the evolution of the grieving process.