Illness,Crisis & Loss

The purpose of this study was to explore people’s experiences with grief and loss during the COVID-19 pandemic and how they may have been impacted by public health restrictions. Restrictions on social gatherings were in place during highly sensitive and emotional times including visitation of dying loved ones admitted to hospital and impacted funeral arrangements as well. This study was conducted using a grounded theory approach to identity strategies that participants used to navigate grief and loss in the context of such restrictions. From the findings, a core category emerged Fighting for Connection which represents an ongoing “fight” to maintain and/or regain connection with dying loved ones using five specific strategies. The long-term impacts of socially distanced grief are unknown and cannot be fully appreciated at this time. These findings may be significant to healthcare professionals who offer bereavement support to individuals experiencing complicated and/or unresolved grief.

This paper is based on in-depth qualitative data from key informants (i.e., village heads, and employees of burial societies) and dyads from five families interviewed between March 2020 and December 2022 in Tsholotsho and Johannesburg to explore the experiences of and adaptations to death within transnational families during the COVID-19 pandemic. This follows the extraordinary autocratic governance and weaponisation of COVID-19 and the resulting travel restrictions between Zimbabwe and South Africa. The paper finds that amid mobility constraints, families experienced sociocultural changes in relation to death, causing them to experience death and mourning in unorthodox ways. For example, they participated in online memorial, funeral, and burial services and eulogies, thus embracing transnationalism by virtually participating in funerary processes at home in Zimbabwe while based in South Africa. It concludes that these virtual rituals, while giving members an appreciated sense of togetherness, did not sufficiently satisfy families’ social and psychological needs nor regard their heterogeneous cultural values, beliefs, and norms concerning death. The paper acknowledges the evolving nature and complexity of the post-colonial family and its death practices. However, it stresses how the COVID-19 epidemic transformed relationships and the sense of belonging of transnational families usually displayed in death situations.

This explored key aspects of the Integrated Motivational Volition theory in adolescents, particularly during a period when they experience significantly higher rates of suicidal ideation. The authors focused on assessing the validity and reliability of the Entrapment Scale among Iranian adolescents. The sample included 623 adolescents. The authors evaluated the scale's reliability and validity. The analysis revealed that Entrapment Scale demonstrated strong internal consistency, indicating that it consistently measured the concept of entrapment. The relationships between Entrapment Scale scores and depression, anxiety, hopelessness, defeat, and suicidal ideation were also found to be significant. This suggests that Entrapment Scale is a valid tool for assessing entrapment in this context. We also determined an optimal cut-off value of 18 on the Entrapment Scale, which showed a high sensitivity of 98% in identifying those at risk of entrapment-related issues, with a specificity of 73.6% in correctly identifying those without such issues. The study confirmed the structure of the Entrapment Scale remains consistent with its original form when applied to the adolescent population. Overall, the findings indicate that the Persian version of the Entrapment Scale is a reliable and valid tool for evaluating entrapment among Iranian adolescents.

This study examined the effects of self-blame attribution and social response after disclosure of sexual assault on the adult female victims’ trauma symptoms. The author applied a sequential explanatory mixed method and quantitatively analyzed the data from 81 women and subsequently conducted in-depth interviews with 10 women who experienced sexual assault in their adulthood. In the final stage, we integrated the two phases and interpreted how self-blame, family reactions, response from institutions, and rape myths affect the sequelae of the victims of sexual assault. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the relationship and impact of individual and social contextual factors of sexual assault sequelae.

Suicide loss is an example of traumatic loss, as suicide loss survivors face unique challenges in processing the loss. Consequently, in this conceptual paper, meaning reconstruction will be defined as a theoretical paradigm beneficial for clients navigating suicide loss. The aim of this manuscript is to provide a general overview of meaning reconstruction theory and to offer concrete suggestions on implementation of the meaning reconstruction theory as it relates to suicide loss. Further, the authors will utilize a hypothetical case study to illuminate the integration of meaning reconstruction for suicide loss survivors.

This study aimed to identify citizens’ perceptions of the effects of administrative corruption on their lives. Data were gathered using semi-structured interviews with 15 citizens living in Tehran, Iran, recruited through the convenience sampling method. Two main themes emerged from the data: Negative individual consequences (including “negative emotional consequences”, “negative motivational consequences”, “negative moral and behavioural consequences” and “negative economic consequences”) and Negative collective consequences (including “negative consequences related to family formation and stability” and “negative social consequences”). The study reveals that participants have experienced or perceived adverse effects in the personal, family and social spheres as a result of administrative corruption. The impacts of corruption on people's lives can be taken into consideration when explaining the importance and necessity of designing and implementing preventive measures and policies aimed at reducing corrupt behaviours in public agents.

Throughout the pandemic, healthcare professionals (HCPs) around the world encountered numerous challenges. This study was conducted in the middle of the pandemic, from June to November 2021, and explored the multiple issues that HCPs faced in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Thirty doctors and nurses, covering a wide range of workplaces and experiences, were interviewed. A qualitative investigation was performed to assess the influence that diverse organizational, familial, social, and religious factors had on their commitment to fulfil their professional duties. Thematic content analysis was performed on the findings. The results emphasize the physical and mental health problems of HCPs, the vital role of organizations in addressing the wellbeing of HCPs, and the necessity of providing training for them, along with workloads and PPE-related problems. It also explores the roles of families, the influence of society, and the impact of religious beliefs on their commitment during the pandemic.

Perinatal death is a devastating loss for parents, often exacerbated by the lack of social support. There is accumulating evidence that perinatal bereavement photography is a valuable memory-making tool to support parents experiencing perinatal loss. However, very few studies have examined posttraumatic growth (PTG) concerning perinatal loss and bereavement photography. This mixed-methods study aims to investigate predictors of PTG for parents using bereavement photography. The sample consisted of 489 parents in Australia and New Zealand using professional perinatal bereavement photography. Quantitative data were gathered through an anonymous online survey. Qualitative data were gathered from 36 parents through recorded semistructured interviews. Quantitative results indicate that engagement with and sharing photographs within a supportive environment and having a spiritual orientation were significant predictors of PTG. The overarching theme of Meaning making was constructed through reflexive thematic analysis of qualitative interview data. Participants reported bereavement photography as humanizing the loss of their baby and wanting their baby's death to have meaning through legacy making and parents having increased compassion for other parents. Bereavement photos provide a tangible means for parental grief to be validated and facilitates ongoing meaning making from the loss.

Searching for meaning in life is important to have positive experiences; however, it is challenging for young adults diagnosed with cancer. This study investigates what cancer means to young adults with cancer and how they make life meaningful after a cancer diagnosis. This qualitative study involved 14 young adults recruited from a closed Facebook group. The age range of the participants was between 20 and 39 years, and their survival year was 1–18 years. Semi-structured interviews and a thematic analysis were performed to identify the major themes that emerged from these interviews. The findings identified that cancer means trial, not punishment; cancer does not mean death; it is a second chance at life, and life after cancer is meaningless. Four ways made their lives meaningful: (1) helping people; (2) developing a routine and to-do list; (3) happiness is intangible; and (4) finding solace in the cancer journey. Their meaning in life after a cancer diagnosis was portrayed in a favourable light, with religion and culture playing a significant role in determining how they responded to illness. This study will enrich the existing literature on meaning in life and provide important insight into providing an appropriate support system and strengthening healthcare professional support to help young adults with cancer throughout their cancer journey.

This study explores loss experiences and trigger events of chronic sorrow among family caregivers who support a relative with a severe mental illness. Chronic sorrow is a theoretical concept describing a normal grief response associated with an ongoing loss. A total of 39 Dutch family caregivers were interviewed. They report experiencing three kinds of loss: loss of a person, loss of the former relationship, and loss of a normal life. Seven specific trigger events were identified: (a) confrontation with symptoms, (b) comparisons with developmental, social and personal norms, (c) role change, (d) deterioration, (e) hospitalization, (f) disregard and disrespect by health professionals, and (g) worries and memories. This paper suggests that mental health professionals should realize that they can (unintentionally) trigger chronic sorrow by disregarding and/or disrespecting family caregivers. Awareness of the mechanism can lead to greater understanding within and improvement of the partnership between family caregivers and health professionals.