Author

Mynda Ohs

Abstract

People who have encountered medical traumas can experience significant changes in their lives. As a result, the family members become caregivers and experience increased stress and ambiguous losses (AL). These losses are often unacknowledged even by the family and cause significant distress. It is important that the family acknowledge these losses and allow themselves time to grieve and adapt to the changes in their lives. While it is widely known that caregivers experience this stress, and programs exist to help support these families, there is less known about the effectiveness of these programs. This study has been designed to explore the commonly used interventions in these programs. The study will use a phenomenological approach and qualitative methodology to identify what aspects of AL is addressed through the existing interventions provided for families following a medical trauma. The researcher hopes that the present study will help in providing insight into the efficacy of existing interventions, and offer modifications that could enhance this efficacy.

LLU Discipline

Family Studies

Department

Counseling and Family Sciences

School

School of Behavioral Health

First Advisor

Distelberg, Brian J.

Second Advisor

Fox, Curtis A.

Third Advisor

Hernandez, Barbara

Fourth Advisor

Oloo, Winetta

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Level

Ph.D.

Year Degree Awarded

2015

Date (Title Page)

9-2015

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Brain Injuries; Family Therapy; Loss (Psychology); Brain Damage -- Patients; Family Psychotherapy

Subject - Local

Medical Trauma; Ambiguous Loss; Stress

Type

Dissertation

Page Count

140

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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