Meaning-Making Coping Methods among Bereaved Parents: A Pilot Survey Study in Sweden

Abstract

The death of a child may result in traumatizing forms of grief, and meaning-making coping with loss seems to be important in prevention of intense psychosocial problems among bereaved parents. The aim of this quantitative pilot study was to discover the divergent meaning-making coping methods used by bereaved parents in Sweden. In doing so, 162 respondents were selected using a convenience sampling method, and they responded to the modified version of RCOPE. The study revealed that the strategies talking to others about their feelings, pondering the meaning of life alone, and being in nature for greater emotional affiliation, i.e., what we call secular existential coping methods, have been the most used meaning-making coping methods among Swedish mourning parents. While explaining the results, we considered the respondents’ cultural background and speculated about the potential influence of cultural teachings and elements in the selection of ways of coping with bereavement. Further, we compared the results obtained with those of the two other Swedish studies conducted among people coping with cancer and COVID-19 to further discuss the impact of culture on coping with illness, loss, grief, and crisis. The study supports the idea that culture plays an essential role in the choice of coping methods.

How has the University Community Been Coping During the COVID-19 Pandemic? An Iranian Survey

“…Several studies ( Ahmadi et al, 2021a ; Ahmadi, 2006 , 2015 ; Ahmadi et al, 2021b ; Ahmadi and Zandi, 2021 ; la Cour and Hvidt, 2010 ; la Cour et al, 2012 ) have shown that, in countries like Sweden or Denmark where people have internalized secular norms and values, when informants maintain that they are spiritual, this sometimes implies that they are neither religious nor atheists. For instance, studies have shown that, in some strong secular countries, when people say they believe in a higher power, they often are not referring to God.…”

“…The modified RCOPE used in the present study had a Cronbach’s Alpha value of 0.794 (high), included 15 items, and it was rated on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (“Never”) to 3 (“Very often”); an additional 10 background items were also added to the questionnaire. The instrument was validated for form, language, and content in earlier studies ( Ahmadi et al, 2018 ; Ahmadi et al, 2021a ; Ahmadi and Zandi, 2021 ). These studies also reported a very high reliability coefficient for this questionnaire.…”

Coping Orientation of Academic Community in the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pilot Multi-Country Survey Study

“…The modified RCOPE had a Cronbach's alpha of 0.742 (high) and comprised 15 items rated on four-point Likert scales ranging from 0 (“Never”) to 3 (“Very often”); also, 10 background items were added to the questionnaire ( Appendix 1 ). The scale was validated for content and form in previous research ( Ahmadi & Zandi, 2021 ; Ahmadi et al, 2021 ).…”

“…However, many people use non-religious or non-spiritual coping methods, for example, drawing on nature or “internal power”, which are existential and involve meaning-seeking. Such methods were identified by an international research effort in nine cultural settings ( Ahmadi, 2006 ; Ahmadi & Ahmadi, 2018 ; Ahmadi et al, 2016 , 2018 ; Ahmadi & Zandi, 2021 ) and by other research as well ( la Cour et al, 2012 ; McDougle et al, 2016 ). The term “existential coping” is applied to these methods of coping with crisis, because they represent attempts to find internal (e.g., in nature, themselves, or others) rather than transcendent (i.e., in God) resilience.…”

New Psychological Perspectives on Death and Dying—Between Normality and the COVID-19 Emergency

“…A particular aspect of bereavement is trauma, and recent experiences related to the COVID-19 pandemic have created a considerable number of people affected by this type of loss. The article “Meaning-Making Coping Methods among Bereaved Parents: A Pilot Survey Study in Sweden” [ 15 ] introduces the theme of trauma related to deaths caused by COVID-19. Likewise, the article “A Scoping Review of Interventions for Family Bereavement Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic” [ 16 ] summarizes findings from the existing literature regarding bereavement support interventions (i.e., psychosocial and psychotherapeutic interventions) for family caregivers of people who died of COVID-19.…”