Georgene G. Eakes’s research while affiliated with East Carolina University and other places


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Publications (10)


Milestones of Chronic Sorrow: Perspectives of Chronically III and Bereaved Persons and Family Caregivers
  • Article

November 1999

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114 Reads

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33 Citations

Journal of Family Nursing

Mary L. Burke

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Georgene G. Eakes

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Margaret A. Hainsworth

Chronic sorrow is the presence of pervasive grief-related feelings that have been found to occur periodically throughout the lives of individuals with chronic health conditions, their family caregivers, and the bereaved. These feelings emerge in response to an ongoing disparity that results from the loss of the anticipated “normal” lifestyle of these persons. Circumstances and situations shown to trigger chronic sorrow in a variety of these populations are defined. Similarities and differences of the trigger events among groups and the implications for family nursing practice are discussed. Support that has been identified as helpful when life circumstances evoke chronic sorrow is described.


Chronic Sorrow: The Experiences of Bereaved Individuals

April 1999

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114 Reads

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7 Citations

Illness Crisis & Loss

This study investigated the occurrence of chronic sorrow among individuals who experienced the death of a loved one. In-depth interviews were conducted with fourteen parents who had experienced the death of a child, ten people who had suffered the death of their spouses, and ten individuals who had had a family member die. Interviews were transcribed and data were sorted into categories, with recurring themes identified. Thirty-three (97 percent) of those interviewed evidenced chronic sorrow. Confronting disparity with social norms and situations that brought memories to mind most frequently triggered recurrence of grief-related feelings. Subjects used action-oriented, cognitive, and interpersonal coping strategies to deal with these episodes of grief. These findings bring into question the expectation inherent in traditional grief theories that emotional closure is a necessary outcome of the grieving process.


Middle-Range Theory Of Chronic Sorrow

February 1998

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3,821 Reads

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136 Citations

Image the Journal of Nursing Scholarship

To introduce a middle-range nursing theory of chronic sorrow that presents this sorrow as a normal response to ongoing disparity due to loss. Chronic sorrow is the periodic recurrence of permanent, pervasive sadness or other grief related feelings associated with a significant loss. The theory provides a framework for understanding and working with people following a single or ongoing loss. The model of chronic sorrow includes antecedents, trigger events, and internal and external management methods. Theory is useful for analyzing individual responses of people experiencing ongoing disparity due to chronic illness, caregiving responsibilities, loss of the "perfect" child, or bereavement. The theory was developed using concept analysis, critical review of research, and validation in 10 qualitative studies of various loss situations. Chronic sorrow has been shown to explain the experience of people across the lifespan who encounter ongoing disparity because of significant loss. Nurses need to view chronic sorrow as a normal response to loss and, when it is triggered, provide support by fostering positive coping strategies and assuming roles that increase comfort.


Growth and Development of a Cardiac Rehabilitation Support Group

July 1997

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16 Reads

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1 Citation

Rehabilitation Nursing

This article describes the initiation and evolution of the support group component of a cardiac rehabilitation pilot program. It also outlines how the group was initiated and discusses the group's development during the 20 weeks of its existence. The description of this nurse-facilitated support group provides a model for clinicians interested in integrating such an approach into their own cardiac rehabilitation programs.


Family Centred Brief Solution‐focused Therapy with Chronic Schizophrenia: a Pilot Study

May 1997

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210 Reads

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48 Citations

Journal of Family Therapy

Georgene Eakes

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[...]

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The purpose of the study was to pilot a family centred brief solution-focused therapy model (BSFT) with families and clients diagnosed with schizophrenia. A control group of clients and their families received traditional outpatient therapy, while an experimental group of clients and their families were treated with a BSFT model. All participants were pre-tested and then post-tested with the Family Environment Scale after five therapy sessions over a ten-week period. Significant differences between the groups were found on expressiveness, active-recreational orientation, moral-religious emphasis and family incongruence. The participation of families and clients with schizophrenia in family centred brief solution-focused therapy produced encouraging results and demonstrated the need for expanded studies using BSFT with other chronically mentally ill clients and their families.


Chronic Sorrow in Women With Chronically Mentally Disabled Husbands

August 1995

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26 Reads

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13 Citations

Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association

BACKGROUND: Chronic sorrow was described by Olshansky (1962) to explain a perva sive, psychologic reaction that he observed in parents of mentally retarded children. He believed that the sorrow was a normal, not a neurotic, response to their situation and relatedly, thought clinicians would intervene differently with these parents if they held a similar belief. The Nursing Consortium for Research on Chronic Sorrow (NCRCS), of which the authors are members, has conducted multiple studies to ex pand the understanding of chronic sorrow as a normal state associated with chronic or life-threatening conditions, occurring both in the individual with the condition and in family members. These NCRCS investigators have provided evidence supporting the premise that chronic sorrow is likely to occur in various chronic situations. OBJECTIVES: This study explored whether women with chronically mentally disabled husbands experienced feelings of chronic sorrow in their lives. DESIGN: Using content analysis, the transcriptsfrom interviews with 11 women were coded using the Burke/NCRCS Chronic Sorrow Questionnaire (Caregiver version) as a guide. RESULTS: All 11 women experienced feelings of chronic sorrow. Feelings of chronic sor row occurred periodically over an extended time when some event reminded partici pants of their long-term situation. Subjects identified personal strategies for coping with feelings of chronic sorrow and nursing activities that had been helpful to them. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study are consistent with those of other studies on chronic sorrow. Subjects identified the role of the nurse as teacher/expert as most important for helping women with chronic sorrow, specifically by providing them with knowledge that is current and specific. From these findings, interventions can be developed to increase the psychologic comfort of these caregivers. (J AM PSYCHIATR NURSES Assoc [1995]. 1, 120-124)


Chronic Sorrow: The Lived Experience of Parents of Chronically Mentally Ill Individuals

May 1995

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100 Reads

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83 Citations

Archives of Psychiatric Nursing

This study investigated the incidence of chronic sorrow in parents of chronically mentally ill children. A convenience sample of 10 parents (four couples and two mothers) of adult children diagnosed with either schizophrenia or bipolar disorders were interviewed using the Burke/NCRCS Chronic Sorrow questionnaire (Caregiver Version). Findings showed that 8 out of 10 parents experienced chronic sorrow. These grief-related feelings were most often triggered by the unending caregiving responsibilities parents described. Those who evidenced chronic sorrow indicated that healthcare professionals could assist them by providing information about their child's illness and by involving them in the treatment process.


Coping with Chronic Sorrow

January 1994

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207 Reads

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47 Citations

Issues in Mental Health Nursing

This qualitative study was designed to examine the presence of chronic sorrow in diverse populations of individuals with chronic or life threatening conditions and to identify strategies for coping with feelings of chronic sorrow. Chronic sorrow was defined as a pervasive sadness that is permanent, periodic, and progressive in nature. The sample comprised 5 infertile couples, 10 individuals with long-term cancer, 10 individuals with multiple sclerosis, 6 individuals with Parkinson's disease, and 4 spouse caregivers. Data were collected through audiotaped face-to-face or telephone interviews using the Burke/NCRCS Chronic Sorrow Questionnaire. The audiotapes were transcribed, entered into a computer analysis program, and collaboratively analyzed by the researchers. The findings indicate that 83% of the subjects experienced chronic sorrow. The four coping strategies that were identified by the subjects as being helpful to their situation were categorized by the researchers as interpersonal, emotional, cognitive, and action.


Chronic Sorrow in Multiple Sclerosis

March 1993

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9 Reads

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15 Citations

Home Healthcare Nurse

Multiple sclerosis, one of the most common chronic disabilities among young adults, may potentiate the occurrence of chronic sorrow. Chronic sorrow differs from acute grief because it is permanent, periodic, and progressive in nature; it may be a normal component of chronic illness and disability. This study describes one woman's experience with multiple sclerosis, her chronic sorrow about the trajectory of her disability, her progressive loss of bodily function, and the stigma of chronic illness. It also reports some of the feelings experienced by her husband, the primary caregiver.


Current Knowledge and Research on Chronic Sorrow: A Foundation for Inquiry

May 1992

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305 Reads

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64 Citations

Research on the phenomenon of chronic sorrow has been limited to samples of parents of children with disabilities. The Nursing Consortium for Research on Chronic Sorrow was formed to study this concept in individuals with chronic illness and their family caregivers across the life span. Although no research on this concept has focused on a life-span approach, the level and quantity of related research indicate that a qualitative method is most appropriate. A study of parents of children with spina bifida provided a usable instrument, the Chronic Sorrow Questionnaire. The purpose of additional study is to determine when chronic sorrow occurs and what characteristics it displays in a variety of populations across the life span, how groups suffering from chronic sorrow compare with parents of children with disabilities, whether chronic sorrow is an inherent phenomenon in chronic illness situations, and how the major subconcepts of chronic sorrow theory are linked.

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Citations (8)


... The shortest duration since perinatal loss was chosen to be 7 weeks because the crisis of acute grief generally ends 6 weeks after experiencing a loss [20], [21], therefore, parents may enter chronic sorrow experience after this point [22]. The longest duration was chosen to be 3 years because parents who have suffered from child loss tend to begin to move on with their lives after 3 years since their child's death [13], [16]. ...

Reference:

The Experience of Chronic Sorrow among Indonesian Mothers Who have Suffered Recent Perinatal Loss
Chronic Sorrow: The Experiences of Bereaved Individuals
  • Citing Article
  • April 1999

Illness Crisis & Loss

... Palliative care patients experience psychosocial problems such as depressive mood, fear of metastasis or pain, uncertainty, and loneliness, as well as chronic sorrow due to loss of sense of dignity, meaning in life, and autonomy [1][2][3][4]. Chronic sorrow, an unavoidable part of chronic illness, encompasses the painful emotions experienced by individuals with chronic illnesses and their loved ones due to a sense of recurrent and living loss and differs from grief related to death [5]. If chronic sorrow, also recognized as a nursing diagnosis by North American Nursing Diagnosis Association, is not appropriately managed, individuals may experience psychosomatic problems, such as feeling tightness in the throat, shortness of breath, and muscular weakness, or perceive this as a disruptive threat, making it difficult to adapt to the situation for individual [6][7][8]. ...

Milestones of Chronic Sorrow: Perspectives of Chronically III and Bereaved Persons and Family Caregivers
  • Citing Article
  • November 1999

Journal of Family Nursing

... Additional research included caregivers and spouses as well as individuals themselves as they interpreted their experiences of chronic sorrow. Studies were completed on chronic sorrow as experienced by a spouse of a chronically mentally ill disabled husband (Hainsworth, Busch, Eakes, & Burke, 1995) and an adult child or a spouse of someone with Alzheimer's dementia (Lindgren, Connelly, & Gaspar, 1999;Mayer, 2001). Chronic sorrow was also reviewed as it occurred for individuals themselves with chronic diseases such as arthritis (Shea, 1986), catastrophic injuries (Dewar & Lee, 2000), multiple sclerosis (Isaksson, Gunnarsson & Ahlström, 2007;McKeown, Porter-Armstrong, & Baxter, 2003), and Parkinson's disease (Lindgren, 1996;Hobdell, 1996). ...

Chronic Sorrow in Women With Chronically Mentally Disabled Husbands
  • Citing Article
  • August 1995

Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association

... Second, the interview instrument was developed based on the Burke/Eakes Chronic Sorrow Assessment tool [24]. This instrument consisted of six questions: (1) "How did you experience fetal/baby death?" (2) "How did you feel when you found out that your fetus/baby had died?" (3) "How do you feel right now when you recall the events of your fetal/ baby death?" (4) "When do those feelings reappear?" ...

Current Knowledge and Research on Chronic Sorrow: A Foundation for Inquiry
  • Citing Article
  • May 1992

... Unlike traditional therapy, which often focuses on problems, SFBI emphasizes building solutions through questions about hope, preferred futures, exceptions, coping, and scaling. Indian studies have suggested the effectiveness of SFBT, with one study specifically assessing its impact on family environments in schizophrenia care (Eakes et al., 1997). ...

Family Centred Brief Solution‐focused Therapy with Chronic Schizophrenia: a Pilot Study
  • Citing Article
  • May 1997

Journal of Family Therapy

... The essence of chronic sorrow is the confrontation between current and desired reality-a discrepancy from personal, developmental, and social norms. Although parents may come to terms with the illness or the disability of their child, they may still experience sorrow in periodic cycles that can be triggered by new events, such as developmental milestones observed in other children (Eakes, 1995;Eakes et al., 1998;Roos, 2018). Parents mourn the impact of the disability on their child's life, their own life as parents, and the well-being of their family. ...

Chronic Sorrow: The Lived Experience of Parents of Chronically Mentally Ill Individuals
  • Citing Article
  • May 1995

Archives of Psychiatric Nursing

... QoL has been linked with the notion of grief when speaking about parents' experiences of raising children. We speak of grief in terms of chronic sorrow as relating to the merciless sadness which seeps into every aspect of life and persists throughout life (Burke et al., 1999;Hainsworth et al., 1994;Harris & Winokuer, 2019;Lindgren et al., 1992;Olshansky, 1962). Chronic sorrow impacts the QoL of parents who have a child with disabilities (Burke et al., 1999;Hobdell, 2004;Liedstrom et al., 2008;Lindgren et al., 1992;Masterson, 2010;Northington, 2000;Olshansky, 1962). ...

Coping with Chronic Sorrow
  • Citing Article
  • January 1994

Issues in Mental Health Nursing

... These consequences negatively affect the quality of life of individuals with chronic and palliative care-requiring illnesses [1]. Nursing interventions, enhancing the autonomy of individuals and facilitating finding new meaning in life through positive thinking techniques, have been reported as beneficial for coping with chronic sorrow [7][8][9]. Another way to increase an individual's autonomy in palliative care is to promote dignity, a unique feeling allowing the individual to feel as "worthy of respect," influenced by the person's self-confidence and how they are treated by others [10]. Meaning-centered interventions can be used to increase an individual's sense of self-worth and dignity, through finding meaning in one's life, thereby enhancing spiritual well-being and overall quality of life [11,12]. ...

Middle-Range Theory Of Chronic Sorrow
  • Citing Article
  • February 1998

Image the Journal of Nursing Scholarship