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.
Culture and Continuing Bonds: A Prospective Comparison of Bereavement in the United States and the People’s Republic of China
Authors:
Lalande, Kathleen M.
Bonanno, George A.
Source:
Death Studies: 2006, 30, pp. 303-324.
Summary
This article discusses the debate regarding the maintenance by bereaved individuals of continuing bonds with the deceased, and describes a comparative study of the relationship between continuing bonds and levels of distress observed among groups of mourners in the United States and the People’s Republic of China. The authors examined the presence of continuing bonds with the deceased and self-reported measures of distress for participants at 4 months and 18 months post-loss. The authors found that higher levels of continuing bonds at 4 months were associated with lower levels of distress at 18 months post-loss for the Chinese sample, while for the U.S. sample, higher levels of continuing bonds were associated with higher levels of distress at 18 months post-loss. The authors note that differences in culture and social expectations may explain these differences. The authors found that for the samples in both countries, higher levels of continuing bonds at 18 months were associated with higher levels of distress. The authors call for additional research on the impact of continuing bonds on the grief experiences of bereaved individuals.
Key Words: culture, bond, China, social, adapt, support
Service Provider Implications
This article helps to inform service providers of the controversies surrounding the impact of continuing bonds on the bereaved. Service providers should be aware that the adaptiveness of continuing bonds seems to vary, and may be influenced by the nature of the continuing bond and the presence of social support for the expression of continuing bonds.
