Chronic sorrow is a progressively important concept related to all standpoints of current healthcare deliverance, including nursing. The concept was first introduced by Olshansky in 1962 and based on the recurrence of sadness and grief experienced by parents of children with mental disabilities. Olshansky defines chronic sorrow as a natural response of feelings to a tragic event. The Theory of Chronic Sorrow was introduced in 1998 by Georgene Eakes, Mary L. Burke, and Margaret A. Hainsworth. This middle-range theory is based on the work of Olshansky. This paper includes a critical review of research along with 9 different qualitative studies of loss and feelings of grief in different situations. Each article reviewed relates the …show more content…
In addition, research promotes psychological health coping strategies. In a study done by Scornaienchi (2003), the research shows that mothers that became capable of taking care of their children with special needs still was in need of support when it came to coping with the endless needs of their children’s conditions. Joseph & Harding (2012) is another qualitative research study that gives support that nurses play a significant role in providing patients with effective coping skills. In Smith’s (2009) study, it found that many females that sought treatment for substance abuse reported child abuse at some point in their life. Research from this study can includes the process that is used to help these women and children improve intermittent feelings and trigger events that end in …show more content…
Patients present to the emergency room for either a physical or emotional issue. It is imperative for the nurse to recognize emotions that relate to chronic sorrow. It is vital that the nurse reflect on their patient 's chief complaint or condition. How did they describe their symptoms and what did they say about them? Did they tell you about any recent changes to their life, such as family, job, or finances? If so, how are they handling it? Be empathetic. How would you feel and cope? These reflections can help to determine what effective coping strategies are needed or help them seek support from a health care professional (Whittingham et al.,