Paradox of innocence: understanding of death in childhood for children, their parents and health professionals

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to obtain an overview of the scientific literature available on the representation of death in childhood for children, their parents and health professionals. Methodology: An integrative review was carried out. PubMed,
MedLine, Web Of Science, PsycINFO and SciELO databases were searched for articles from 2013 to 2023. Results: The articles highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary team to deal with the child’s death process and the parents’ grief. Furthermore, from the parents’ perspective, the need for professional support, stabilization of frequent communication with the child and the fact that they have different ways of dealing with grief are emphasized. Furthermore, it is shown that the child’s view of death varies with the cultural environment, age and emotional aspects. Conclusions: It became clear that it is important to look at the process beyond the health sector and to balance different ways of dealing with illness or even bereavement, as well as the need for more research involving these factors in different locations in order to further refine strategies for dealing with the impact of death in childhood.