Marano G, Mazza M. Territories of mourning: Addressing submerged problems of grief through multidisciplinary care. World J Clin Cases 2025; 13(16): 98271 [DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i16.98271]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Marianna Mazza, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 8 Largo A Gemelli, Rome 00168, Italy. mariannamazza@hotmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Psychiatry
Article-Type of This Article
Editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Clin Cases. Jun 6, 2025; 13(16): 98271 Published online Jun 6, 2025. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i16.98271
Territories of mourning: Addressing submerged problems of grief through multidisciplinary care
Giuseppe Marano, Marianna Mazza
Giuseppe Marano, Marianna Mazza, Department of Neurosciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome 00168, Italy
Co-first authors: Giuseppe Marano and Marianna Mazza
Author contributions: Marano G and Mazza M designed the study and wrote the manuscript. They contributed equally as co-first authors; all authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Marianna Mazza, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 8 Largo A Gemelli, Rome 00168, Italy. mariannamazza@hotmail.com
Received: June 22, 2024 Revised: December 20, 2024 Accepted: January 7, 2025 Published online: June 6, 2025 Processing time: 232 Days and 16 Hours
Abstract
Mourning and grief are natural responses to loss and can be especially complex and prolonged in the context of end-of-life care. Caregivers play a crucial role in supporting individuals through this difficult journey, often balancing their own grief with the need to provide care. This paper explores the experiences of mourning and grief in hospice settings, with a focus on the emotional challenges faced by both patients and caregivers during the grieving process. Psychological support plays a crucial role at the end of life in a multidisciplinary care approach. By addressing the complex interplay between biological disease and psychological well-being, healthcare professionals can provide more comprehensive and compassionate care. A deep understanding of mourning and elaboration of grief would improve the implementation of suitable support interventions and facilitate collaboration among family members and healthcare teams, ultimately improving the quality of end-of-life care and promoting the well-being of both patients and their families.
Core Tip: Psychological work focusing on mourning is directed towards the patient in terms of accepting the illness and the end-of-life process, towards family members in terms of accepting the illness of their loved one and later dealing with the grieving process, and towards healthcare professionals in terms of preventing burnout, who are exposed daily to the inherent suffering in their work. Healing caregivers and preventing burnout among healthcare professionals in hospice settings require specific strategies, such as emotional support, adequate training, workload management, regular supervision and debriefing, and the creation of a supportive environment through a team-based approach.
