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There has been little consideration of how adolescents experience parental terminal illness (PTI) and death and any continuing impact it may have on their lives. In particular, limited attention has been given to this group’s perceptions and experiences of support during this period. This study explores the retrospective experiences of six individuals who had a parent diagnosed with a terminal illness (TI) during late adolescence. Their experiences are qualitatively explored in terms of their understanding, processing and adjustment to their parent’s TI and death; both as an individual, and in the context of their wider family and social setting. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was employed to analyse participant data. Participants were individuals who had a parent diagnosed with a terminal illness aged 16-18. Four superordinate themes emerged from the data. These were: changing family dynamics, grappling with adolescence and adjustment to loss, barriers to feeling/being supported and living with the consequences. Participants relate the profound impact that PTI during adolescence has had and continues to have on their lives. Study findings provide clinically useful information for healthcare professionals working with bereaved young people and those presently experiencing PTI. Implications are discussed in terms of service provision and design, including therapeutic recommendations for counselling psychologists and other professionals working with this group.

Approximately 41,000 young people, under the age of 18, are bereaved of a parent each year within the U.K. (Child Bereavement Network, 2014; Winston’s Wish, 2016), and a significant number of these deaths will have been preceded by a period of terminal illness (TI). Adolescents are considered to be particularly susceptible to negative psychosocial outcomes when a parent is unwell (Grabiak, Bender & Puskar, 2007), yet adolescents as a group are less likely to access mental-health services (Reardon, Harvey, Baranowska, O’Brien, Smith & Creswell, 2017). Thus, whilst adolescents of terminally ill (TI) parents may present a vulnerable group, they may also be difficult to engage and subsequently support (Bremner, 2000). There has also been little consideration of how adolescents experience parental terminal illness (PTI), particularly considering their perceptions and experiences of support during this period. This study qualitatively explores the experiences of six individuals who had a parent diagnosed with a TI during late adolescence. Their experiences are explored in terms of their understanding, processing and adjustment to their parent’s TI, both as an individual, and in the context of their wider family and social setting. Their experiences and perceptions of support are additionally explored; considering the role of supportive individuals, services and interventions. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was employed to analyse participant data. Participants were individuals who had a parent diagnosed with a terminal illness aged 16-18. Four superordinate themes emerged from the data: 1) ‘Changing family dynamics’ 2) ‘grappling with adolescence and adjustment to loss’ 3) ‘Barriers to feeling/being supported’ 4) ‘Living with the consequences’. Participants relate the profound impact that PTI during adolescence has had and continues to have on their lives. Whilst there are prominent threads of difficulty and distress, elements of positive change and growth are also highlighted. Implications are discussed in terms of service provision and design, including therapeutic recommendations for counselling psychologists and other professionals working with this group.

The B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been the predominant circulating variant in the United States since late December 2021.* Coinciding with increased Omicron circulation, COVID-19-associated hospitalization rates increased rapidly among infants and children aged 0-4 years, a group not yet eligible for vaccination (1). Coronavirus Disease 19-Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network (COVID-NET) data were analyzed to describe COVID-19-associated hospitalizations among U.S. infants and children aged 0-4 years since March 2020. During the period of Omicron predominance (December 19, 2021-February 19, 2022), weekly COVID-19-associated hospitalization rates per 100,000 infants and children aged 0-4 years peaked at 14.5 (week ending January 8, 2022); this Omicron-predominant period peak was approximately five times that during the period of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) predominance (June 27-December 18, 2021, which peaked the week ending September 11, 2021). During Omicron predominance, 63% of hospitalized infants and children had no underlying medical conditions; infants aged <6 months accounted for 44% of hospitalizations, although no differences were observed in indicators of severity by age. Strategies to prevent COVID-19 among infants and young children are important and include vaccination among currently eligible populations (2) such as pregnant women (3), family members, and caregivers of infants and young children (4).