Talking about grief: conversational partners sought by bereaved people
Keywords:
Bereavement, grief, communication, social network, conversation partners, online surveyAbstract
AbstractThe bereavement literature acknowledges the importance of talking about grief. There is, however, a discrepancy between the scientific notions and practical guidelines on the need to communicate grief on the one hand, and the everyday reality of bereaved individuals, who have to deal with difficulties in talking about grief, on the other. Based on an online survey, I identified the range of conversation partners bereaved people sought out while grieving, and the problems they encountered in talking openly about grief. The findings reveal that concerns of being a burden to others were the most important obstacle to communication about grief.
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