Experience Of Grief Research Articles

(Un)muzzled: Dogs in Mid-Nineteenth-Century Fiction

ABSTRACT This article considers the relationship between dogs as fictional constructs and the shifting dynamics of the novel form in the mid-nineteenth century in order to account more fully for their particular importance to realist writing. In revisiting three canonical novels associated with the realist tradition, Charles Dickens’s Dombey and Son (1848), Charlotte Brontë’s Villette (1853), and George Eliot’s Adam Bede (1859), it demonstrates the ways in which writers regularly rely on dogs in depicting moments of deep personal and interpersonal conflict. Where most previous analyses of animals in Victorian fiction have tended to treat them as minor characters within their respective human narratives, this article is attuned to the affective functions of the domestic dog in contexts that exceed mere verisimilitude, exploring the significance of the connection between the dog’s textual body and the intense experience of grief, sexual desire, and anger respectively. I argue that the dog’s simultaneously narrative and extra-narrative position in the emergent realist novel reflects the genre’s larger formal tensions, generated by the representation of excess affects. These tensions are closely linked to the novel’s primary mode of representation: language. I conclude that it is the dog’s extralinguistic presence, predicated on its inability to encode affect in language, that marks it as the ideal, if increasingly unstable, nexus of powerful, unprocessed emotion in the mid-nineteenth-century novel.

Bereavement During and Not During the Pandemic in Terms of Complicated Grief and Social Support.

Mandated measures to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus (e.g., social distancing and travel restrictions) led to isolation and reshaped the dying process as well as grief rituals for loved ones of deceased individuals due to COVID-19 and other causes of death. The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference between those who lost a loved one during and not during the global pandemic in terms of complicated grief and perceived social support. A cross-sectional quantitative approach was employed, surveying 580 individuals, all of whom had experienced the loss of a loved one. Our findings suggest that bereavement during the COVID-19 era uniquely intensified the Complicated Grief experience. However, the perceived social support did not vary based on the timing of the bereavement. The strengths, limitations, and future research directions are further explored.

The role of the social environment on dementia caregivers' pre-death grief: A mixed- methods systematic review.

This systematic review examined the role of social environment in pre-death grief experiences of dementia caregivers. Ninety-three Chinese and English articles were included from a comprehensive search of empirical studies using nine databases. Six social environment domains were generated: the person with dementia, dyadic relationship, family members and the wider community, health and social care services, place of care, and social-cultural contexts. A complex interplay between caregivers and their social environments that aggravate and attenuate pre-death grief experiences is evident. Research has focused mainly on the effects of people with dementia and dyadic relationships and has paid modest attention to the effects of family, relatives, and health and social care services. Caregivers' experiences with their friends, fellow caregivers, the wider community, and social-cultural norms are influential but understudied. Future research could adopt a systems thinking approach with sociological perspectives to generate a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of pre-death grief experiences.

Strengthening partnerships for the Sustainable Development Goals: engaging faith-based organizations and scientists in youth climate change learning and action

Collaborations with and among faith-based organizations (FBOs), natural scientists, development organizations, and youth offer untapped potential for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). FBOs are important cultural partners for achieving the SDGs globally in numbers of adherents (80% of humanity) and resources, owning 8% of habitable land, half the world’s schools, and many health and community development services; they provide assets for formal and informal education, forming youth leaders, and social justice action. Natural scientists are also critical to SDG achievement because the environmental components in many goals require specialized skills and background. We focus on Climate Action (SDG 13) as it links to other SDGs and because climate justice directly connects to human development - a major area of FBO work, and engages scientist outreach and youth action. We surveyed The UN Environmental Program (UNEP) Faith for Action and other major FBO networking initiatives that were formed to address the SDGs as well as literature covering other interfaces and partnerships between religion, sustainability, youth, SDGs, science, climate change, and education. We examined curriculum and guidebooks to identify best practices and identified gaps in partnership development. The Faith Pavilion and multifaith statements at COP28 and the international Catholic movements emerging from the SDGs-concurrent 2015 Laudato Si' encyclical and its follow-up 2023 Laudate Deum are exemplary in mobilizing educators, institutions, and organizations to integrate SDGs into activities through a faith and particular mission lens. International development FBOs and diverse religious groups worldwide support climate adaptation and mitigation by connecting their central mission to environmental care. Today’s youth are unprecedented in number, sense of urgency, experience of climate anxiety and grief, and engaged sustainability actions. Yet, youth, FBOs and scientists are often not included in SDGs work. We recommend developing partnership skills, cultural and religious literacy materials, programs, and toolkits for secular groups and scientists partnering with FBOs, and networking opportunities to form partnerships. Connecting FBOs, including youth organizations, to larger youth climate movements and other collaborative climate networks, and creating climate action materials connecting to faith backgrounds of particular youth, will better equip potential partners for achieving the SDGs.

The effect of Treatment based on Acceptance and Commitment on Pathological Worry and Death Anxiety in Nurses with the Experience of Complicated Grief Caused by COVID-19

The effect of Treatment based on Acceptance and Commitment on Pathological Worry and Death Anxiety in Nurses with the Experience of Complicated Grief Caused by COVID-19

Challenges of Ukrainian Refugees in Germany: Resources for Women’s Empowerment

We are currently witnessing one of the biggest waves of refugee’s influx to the EU (forced migrants); 90% of them are women and children. This paper deals with the gender sensitive approach to migration based on a study of the challenges and adaptation strategies of Ukrainian refugees in Germany. In June 2022, an online poll of 430 Ukrainian refugees was conducted by the author that included two open questions about the problems refugees faced since their arrival to Germany. The subsequently undertaken content-analysis on a grounded theory basis allows the author to describe the variety of topics, which occurred in the answers and group the challenges of respondents accordingly: adaptation, uncertainty future, separation, lack of social connections, complicated emotional state. The difference in social-demographic portraits of Ukrainian refugees (i.e. mostly female, mostly with children…) from the previous waves of refugees (i.e. Syria, Afghanistan) gives the opportunity to identify the specificity of female refugees' needs. The paper added to research of emotional challenges of refugees that are shaped by the experience of grief, loss, shame, guilt, fear, pain, loneliness, helplessness. Challenges are considered to be resources for women’s empowerment, providing changes in power structures and social institutions.

The uneasiness of emotion and its representations in Max Porter’s Grief Is the Thing with Feathers

ABSTRACT In Max Porter’s Grief Is the Thing with Feathers (2015) a sense of crisis in a family with two young sons, brought on by the sudden death of their mother, is undisguised. What makes the novel more than a work simply about a subject as fraught as grief is its deployment of intertextual references through which Porter evokes the difficulties inherent to articulating grief and the complexity of the emotions that it encompasses. Grief Is the Thing with Feathers is a novel about the experience of grief as much as about the limitations of linguistic representation, which call to mind not only the energies of postmodern fiction but also the capaciousness of the novel form. This essay attends to the ways in which the affective force of grief is represented in Grief by looking at intertextuality as central to its expression. In other words, it is via intertextual references that the novel makes known the many forms that grief takes as it evolves. In this , the essay considers the reading experience of the active reader, particularly in terms of how the representation of emotion influences not simply a cognitive understanding of grief, but also an affective response.

Body Perception and Social Touch Preferences in Times of Grief

Grief is a core human experience. The time following the loss of a loved one is associated with an increased risk for negative health outcomes. Yet, only a few studies investigate bodily consequences of grief and consoling behaviors, specifically the potentially supportive role of interpersonal touch during grief. We conducted an online-study where participants filled in questionnaires and rated videos of short touch gestures and interactions. People who lost a loved one within the last 2 years were asked about their grief experiences and to rate the different types of touch from the perspective of a receiver. People who had not lost a close person in the last 2 years rated the touch from the perspective of providing touch to a grieving individual. The majority of the recent-loss sample reported to have perceived their own body and bodily states less after the loss. Two-thirds reported feeling the presence of the deceased at least once. Grief-sensations were experienced mostly in the chest and upper body, the same areas where the consoling effect of a hug was perceived. Overall, the recent-loss group reported amounts of wanting of the vicarious touch gestures similar to the endorsement by people taking the active touching perspective. However, discrepancies between groups were found for some types of touch, including slow affective stroking. These results contribute to a deeper understanding of the body and bodily interactions like social touch in grief and consolation. Our findings can be seen as a first point of reference on how to interact with grieving individuals and could contribute to novel interventions for individuals with prolonged grief disorder.

Grief in the school: A review of a participatory project in Argentina

When a member of the education community (student, teacher, administrator) dies, there have historically been few options to process these distressing experiences inside the education environment. In this viewpoint article, we recount the historical and conceptual journey the organisation Fundación IPA (Palliative Ideas in Action) took to actively intervene in the often silenced (and frequently stigmatised) experiences of grief and bereavement in the City of San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina.

Listening to, Reconstructing, and Writing about Stories of Violence: A Research Journey Amidst Personal Loss

This article explores the interplay between my life and research on responsibility in the context of (past) collective violence and state repression in Romania, my country of origin. Reflecting on the five-year research process, I delve into my multiple and shifting positionalities during data collection, analysis, and presentation, pointing to the fluid identities of researchers along a continuum in which their backgrounds, professional roles, as well as dynamic negotiations in ‘the field’ and personal experiences intertwine and affect research at every stage. In particular, I explore the impact of my personal experience of loss and grief after the sudden death of my mother on my research, revealing its influence on reconstructing and writing about stories of violence. In doing so, research unfolds as a journey where personal and professional lives merge, showcasing knowledge production as an inherently subjective endeavor. Building on this, I advocate for recognizing the influence of emotions and personal experiences on narrative interpretations as well as for considering the intertwining between research and personal life’s as central facets of positionality and reflexivity.

Blogging at the end-of-life: Anticipatory grief, losses, and positive experiences in facing terminal illness

This paper explores the experiences of people who blog about their own terminal illness and dying through the lens of anticipatory grief. Anticipatory grief is a concept which is frequently applied to those people who will be bereaved by death, rather than those who are themselves dying. Ethnographic content analysis of terminal illness blogs of two Australian women clearly narrate experiences of loss and grief which can be understood through the frame of anticipatory grief. Yet they also document positive experiences of growth and connection which can be conceptualized as resilience rather than a demonstration of denial of death.

Relatives’ grief at three moments after death of a loved one during COVID-19 pandemic (the CO-LIVE study)

COVID-19 has complicated grieving experiences. Rich qualitative description of these experiences is lacking. We interviewed 10 bereaved relatives (mainly daughters) 2–3 times each: shortly after their relative died in the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic, and after 12 and 18 months (29 interviews in total). Analyses took place according to inductive content analysis. Losses were threefold: the loss of the loved one; of the (desired) way to say farewell, and of social support. We identified five ways in which the three COVID-19 related loss experiences interacted: overshadowed grief, cumulative grief, triggered grief, derailed grief, and conciliatory grief. This study demonstrated that pre-COVID-19 diagnoses and understandings of grief are not sufficient to picture grief during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. These grief experiences are more complex and deserve further exploration.

End-of-life and bereavement support to families in cancer care: a cross-sectional survey with bereaved family members

BackgroundLosing a close other to cancer is an incisive experience that occurs after a long course of illness and intense family caregiving. Despite an evident need for family engagement and support and guidance on this, patients and family members may not receive the attention and support they need when a family unit is experiencing a disruption by death. A clear understanding of the quality of care that is currently provided and its ability to address family needs is necessary to improve end-of-life and bereavement support to families affected by cancer. The purpose of this study is to investigate the quality of support of end-of-life and bereavement care to families, their (un)met needs, grief experiences, and self-perceived health outcomes.MethodsA multi-center, cross-sectional observational survey study with family members (n = 35) whose close other died of cancer in a health institution or their own home in German-speaking Switzerland.ResultsBereaved family members were mostly satisfied with end-of-life care. Information on the grief process and services, and acknowledgment of their grief was experienced as helpful. Most coped with their grief drawing on family resources and exhibited resilience, but they reported unmet needs in relation to family togetherness and caregiving.ConclusionThis study with a small number of family members indicates that support provided to families across settings and illness trajectories is perceived as helpful, with specific needs related to family support. The findings suggest that improvements should focus on ensuring care that addresses the family as a unit and enables togetherness, mutual reflection, meaningful relationships, preparedness for death, resilience, and benefit-finding.Protocol registrationhttps://osf.io/j4kfh.

Shared decision making in older people after severe stroke.

Stroke is a major cause of death and lifelong disability. Although stroke treatments have improved, many patients are left with life-changing deficits. Shared decision making and consent are fundamental to good medical practice. This is challenging because stroke often causes mental incapacity, prior views might not be known and prognosis early after stroke is often uncertain. There are no large trials of shared decision making after severe stroke, so we need to rely on observational data to inform practice. Core ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice must underpin our decision making. 'Surrogate' decision makers will need to be involved if a patient lacks capacity, and prior expressed views and values and beliefs need to be taken into account in decision making. Patients and surrogates often feel shocked at the sudden nature of stroke, and experience grief including anticipatory grief. Health care professionals need to acknowledge these feelings and provide support, be clear about what decisions need to be made and provide sufficient information about the stroke, and the risks and benefits of treatments being considered. Shared decision making can be emotionally difficult for health care professionals and so working in a supportive environment with compassionate leadership is important. Further research is needed to better understand the nature of grief and what sort of psychological support would be most helpful. Large randomised trials of shared decision making are also needed.

Experiences of grief and mourning practices of Greek bereaved adults during the pandemic: A qualitative approach

This pilot study aims to explore the experiences of grief and mourning practices of bereaved adults during the pandemic. Eleven adults who have lost a loved one since March 2020 participated in a semi-structured interview exploring the experiences of grief and mourning. Data were analyzed through Thematic Analysis. Participants experienced contrasting psycho-emotional reactions to loss, and they highlighted the restriction of being physically present to the dying loved one as the hardest aspect of losing someone during COVID-19. Moreover, they identified challenging factors during the funeral practices: the small number of mourners during ceremonies, abstinence from hugging and touching each other as a form of consolation, and wearing masks, which further made the ceremony impersonal. Finally, the alteration of the paying respects process has contributed to the mourners’ experienced stress and sorrow. Findings are discussed per the current literature and recommendations based on cultural diversities are proposed.

Digital mourning in tweets: Multimodal analysis of image-based grieving practices among gang-affiliated Black youth

In the 21st century, social media has been utilized to connect youth to peers who share their experiences and provide support. Research shows how gang-affiliated youth use social media to present bravado and express feelings of grief. However, the research focusing on how gang-affiliated youth utilize photos online to memorialize the deceased and convey feelings and experiences of grief and loss is sparse. This qualitative study utilizes a methodological concept that includes theories regarding racial residential segregation and grief and a multimodal analytic technique called Critical Technocultural Discourse Analysis. The methodological concept was used to understand the digital grieving practices of gang-affiliated Black youth and how this population utilizes social media content, photos, and emojis (multimodal tweets) in their online memorialization practices. Findings illuminate how this population utilizes multimodal tweets to speak to those who have passed away.

Applying the phenomenology of grief: An autoethnographic study

In contrast to normative views on grief, phenomenological descriptions of grief aim to provide a comprehensive picture of the lived experience, providing space for both uniqueness and universality. However, it is unclear how application of phenomenological descriptions contributes to bereavement care. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the clinical applicability of phenomenological descriptions of grief through autoethnographic exploration. The lived experience of the first author’s grief following the death of his husband illustrates two strands of time that increasingly desynchronize: the alienated reality of everyday life and the lingering presence-in-absence of the deceased. Processing grief involved a fundamental reorganization of his identity through representation of and identification with the deceased. Clinical applications of phenomenological descriptions include diagnosing existential manifestations of Prolonged Grief Disorder, cultural aspects, and psychoeducation for the bereaved and for those close to them.

Maternal Loss: An Analysis of Types of Death and Grief Mediators

Objective: To understand maternal grief by establishing an analysis between the types of death and the mediators of grief. Methodology: Field research was carried out with a qualitative approach, with the participation of mothers who lost their children due to premature death (sudden/natural or violent/tragic) and who participate in the mutual help group “Mothers of Pieta”, in Patos, Paraíba. The interviews were reflected in the light of Bardin's content analysis method, the organization of data and information was done through the Mindomo 4.5.4 software, in the premium version, for the development of mind maps. Results: Based on the mediators of mourning, to verify the existence of bonds of meaning between the bereaved and the lost being. It was observed, in the totality of the sample, that the bonds are of maternal order. Thus, it was possible to identify ambivalence in the relationship between mother and child, reports of satisfaction with social support after the loss and all mothers were involved in Catholic rituals. Most of the sample reported experiences resulting from a violent/tragic death, grief experiences prior to the death of their children, involvement in social roles and attachment security. Only one mother completed the six personality variables during the grieving path, while another experienced grief due to sudden/natural death. Conclusion: There is evidence that the type of death can directly affect the experience of bereavement, since premature and violent death tends to lead to a longer period of mourning and a slower evolution of mourning.

The burden of grief: A scoping review of nurses’ and physicians’ experiences throughout the COVID-19 pandemic

Coping with loss is an unfortunate reality faced by healthcare professionals, and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this challenge for those who worked on the frontlines. Our scoping review aimed to comprehensively map the existing literature pertaining to the experiences of grief among nurses and physicians in the context of the pandemic. Six bibliographic databases were searched in 2022, and a targeted search of gray literature and citation chasing was also performed. After screening a total of 2920 records, we included 173 evidence sources in this review. Data was both analyzed descriptively (e.g., frequency counts and percentages) and using a qualitative content analysis approach. Our findings illuminate the myriad losses experienced by nurses and physicians throughout the pandemic. While the literature portrays the coping mechanisms healthcare professionals have developed personally, there is a pronounced need for increased institutional support to alleviate the burdens they carry.

The Role of Perceived Social Support in the Grief Experiences of More Anxious and Self-Compassionate People.

Past research showed that high trait anxiety and low self-compassion, along with lack of perceived social support, have been associated with experiencing stronger grief symptoms. However, research is yet to understand if and how these factors interact among grieving individuals. Results of a cross-sectional study (N = 539) showed that perceived social support interacted differently with trait anxiety and self-compassion to shape grief experiences. Unexpectedly, perceived social support did not buffer the association between higher trait anxiety and stronger grief symptoms. Instead, participants with higher trait anxiety reported stronger symptoms only when they perceived to have less social support. In contrast, participants with higher self-compassion reported less symptoms when they perceived to have more social support. These findings show that social support can emphasize the detrimental role of anxiety and the protective role of self-compassion when people are coping with a loss. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.