The National Archive of Grief Support Studies
The National Archive of Grief Support Studies(NAGSS) database provides bibliographical information and summaries of recent articles selected for their relevance to grief and bereavement service providers. The articles that are summarized are selected from scholarly, peer-reviewed journals and are intended to highlight key concepts as well as provide a brief statement of implications for service providers. Bibliographical information may be used to obtain the original article.
Management of Challenges of Conjugal Loss Among Chinese Widowers: An Exploratory Study
Authors:
Woo, Ivan
M. H.
Chan, Cecilia L. W.
Chow, Amy Y. M.
Ho, Rainbow T. H.
Source:
Omega: 2008-2009, 58(4), pp. 275-297.
Summary
This article describes a study of coping strategies employed by Chinese widowers who self-rated as having achieved a healthy bereavement adjustment. The authors used the dual process model of bereavement to conceptualize healthy bereavement adjustment. Thus, the authors looked for coping strategies that oscillated between loss orientation, with an emphasis on expressions of emotions associated with the death, and restoration orientation, with a focus on accomplishing tasks and working for the future. The authors found that the participants employed a variety of both loss-oriented and restoration-oriented strategies. Examples of loss-oriented coping included expressions of grief in a safe environment, seeking emotional support from informal networks, and finding meaning for living with the loss. Examples of restoration-oriented coping included arranging the funeral, helping children with their grief, and seeking opportunities for remarriage.
Key Words: conjugal, China, widower, cope, strategies, oscillate, orientation, meaning, intuitive
Service Provider Implications
Service providers may benefit from understanding that men are intuitive or loss-oriented grievers, as well as instrumental or restoration-oriented grievers. The study also indicates that widowers who had successfully adjusted to conjugal loss used a wide variety of coping strategies.
