Complicated Grief in Rural Appalachia: Using Feminist Theory to Reconcile Grief

Abstract

Rural Appalachians make up a unique cultural group that shares common values of egalitarianism, familism, religiosity, and neighborliness. These values impact cultural norms and expectations for grieving after experiencing loss. Complicated grief, an enduring and impairing grief response to the loss of a loved one, can develop when individuals are unable to reconcile grief within cultural expectations and norms of grieving. Thus, rural Appalachians are at risk for developing complicated grief when their experiences conflict with common cultural values. A systemically focused theoretical framework, such as feminist therapy, can offer a culturally appropriate approach to address the etiology and manifestation of complicated grief with this group. The authors review complicated grief and rural Appalachian culture, provide a brief description of feminist therapy, and demonstrate the use of feminist therapy with rural Appalachians through a case illustration.