NSMI-funded research helps improve understanding of grief and bereavement
Research supported by the North Staffordshire Medical Institute (NSMI) helped advance understanding of how people respond to grief and how bereavement services can identify those who may need additional support.
The work was led by Dr Linda Machin, a bereavement researcher based at Keele University whose research has influenced the way professionals assess and respond to different experiences of loss.
Her work recognised that grief affects people in very different ways. While many people gradually adjust following a bereavement, others may experience prolonged or overwhelming distress and require more specialist support.
Understanding different responses to loss
Dr Machin developed the Range of Response to Loss model and the Adult Attitude to Grief (AAG) scale, tools designed to help professionals understand how individuals are coping following bereavement.
The model considers three broad responses: overwhelmed, controlled and resilient.
Someone with an overwhelmed response may experience intense and persistent distress, while someone with a more controlled response may find it difficult to acknowledge or express their grief. Others may demonstrate greater resilience while still experiencing the natural pain associated with loss.
The AAG scale was designed to help practitioners recognise these differences and consider the most appropriate level of support for each individual.
Helping professionals identify vulnerability
Dr Machin described the AAG scale as a form of triage, helping bereavement professionals assess whether someone may benefit from practical information, opportunities to talk about their experiences or more intensive therapeutic support.
The approach reflected the understanding that bereavement care should not necessarily be the same for everyone.
By identifying vulnerability earlier, services could provide support that was more closely matched to an individual's needs.
The research also contributed to wider discussions around the links between complicated grief, mental health, loneliness and wellbeing.
Research supported by NSMI
Further development of the Adult Attitude to Grief scale received support from the North Staffordshire Medical Institute, with Dr Machin and her team receiving a £4,500 research grant in 2011.
The work involved collaboration with bereavement services including Marie Curie hospices in Hampstead and Belfast, the Dove Service in Stoke-on-Trent and a bereavement service in Lichfield.
This research helped refine the scale as a practical tool for identifying people who might be particularly vulnerable following bereavement.
A tool used beyond North Staffordshire
The Adult Attitude to Grief scale went on to be used by bereavement organisations in the UK and internationally.
Its application extended to services in countries including Canada, Iceland, Portugal, Australia, Pakistan and the United States.
Dr Machin also worked on adapting the approach for people affected by terminal illness, with the aim of helping practitioners support individuals and families as they moved from end-of-life care into bereavement.
Supporting research with a lasting impact
The project demonstrated how relatively modest research grants can contribute to work with a much wider influence.
By helping develop practical ways to understand and assess grief, the research supported professionals working with bereaved people while contributing to
greater recognition of the many different ways individuals experience loss.
Support for research that improves health, wellbeing and patient care has long been an important part of the work associated with the Wade Charitable Foundation and North Staffordshire Medical Institute.