Who am I now? Experiences of widowed baby boomers attending grief support groups. Issue 1 (2nd January 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hilliker, Laurel Elizabeth
• Is Part Of: Bereavement care. Volume 35:Issue 1(2016)
• Page Start: 13
• Page End: 21
• Publication Date: 2016-01-02
• Subjects: spousal loss -- support groups -- role change -- identity reconstruction -- widowhood -- baby boomers -- grief process -- restoration orientation; Bereavement -- Periodicals; Death -- Periodicals; 155.937
• DOI: 10.1080/02682621.2016.1160612
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0268-2621

Abstract

Abstract: This qualitative study used a symbolic interactionist approach to explore experiences of widowed baby boomers in the mid-west United States, who attend/ed grief support groups. Results from 38 personal interviews revealed three themes: (a) the importance of a support group as a safe haven coupled with the value of sharing a similar loss; (b) challenges related to group support; and (c) fractured individual and social selves. The evidence supports the idea that grief groups are effective in aiding the widowed in bereavement but also highlights a need to adjust the structure of group programs (specific to spousal loss). Recommendations are given for providers to consider addressing restoration-oriented stress as the group progresses (in lieu of a sole emphasis on loss-oriented tension). The new structure has the potential to recognise a fractured self in widowhood to meet the needs of, provide hope for, and empower widowed survivors in a 21 st century landscape.