• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.8
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• pp.379-391
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to gain an in-depth understanding of the experience of married immigrant women who lost their spouse, and it is meaningful in that it examined the empirical perception on the recently newly-focused issue, bereavement of marriage immigrant women, from their perspective for the first time. For this, in-depth interviews were conducted on seven immigrant women who have experienced the death of their spouse and analyzed in Colaizzi's phenomenological method. The results showed that the experience can be classified into 20 topics and 5 categories: 'happy marriage life', 'marriage life they had put up with', 'death of spouse', 'life to be lived alone', and 'bearable life with hope'. The experience of bereavement was found to be a transition from the life in which they depended on their spouse in every aspect to the one where they make efforts to live an independent life adjusting to changes in their life after the loss. Based on this, the study will be a fundamental source of practical measures and social welfare support for them to live a better life in Korean society after their bereavement.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.15 no.9
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• pp.233-242
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• 2015

This study was carried out as a preliminary study to analyze how emotion(depression and anxiety) after spouse bereavement in old age affects social interaction and to set a direction of developing programs based on the cause and period of bereavement to promote social interaction for those bereaved people. To that end, welfare facilities and schools for the elderly and churches located in Seoul, and Suwon and Osan areas were visited and surveys were executed on 350 aged people who had experienced spouse bereavement from September 26 through October 25, 2014. Analysis was executed for 325 questionnaires out of the total of 350 using SPSS WIN 20. Study findings are as follows: first, the average of emotion and social interaction due to bereavement was not significantly different between groups; second, the average of emotion and social interaction due to bereavement period was not significantly different between groups; third, the impact of bereavement type and period statistically significant. These findings implies that social interaction programs for the aged people can be developed regardless of bereavement cause or period.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.65 no.4
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• pp.165-193
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• 2013

This study purposes to explore the growing process through spousal bereavement in later life, and to develop the theory. A qualitative research was conducted, and the participants were 17 seniors. The analysis according to Strauss and Corbin's grounded theory(1998), resulted in 143 concepts, 43 subcategories, and 19 categories. Range analysis according to paradigm showed that the causal conditions were 'marital relationships', 'independent/dependent tendencies', and 'emotional readiness for the death of a spouse', and the phenomena were 'depression', 'hopelessness', 'daily stress', 'psychological intimidation', 'regret', and 'sense of being freed'. The contextual conditions that affect these phenomena were 'desire for intimate personal relationships' and 'desire to maintain independence'; the action/interaction strategies to manage the phenomena were 'facing reality' and 'efforts for construction of the new life'; and the mediating conditions that promote or suppress these action/interaction strategies were 'social support' and 'spirituality'. The results were 'reconstruction of the meaning in life', 'increase in self-esteem', 'reinforcement of social network' and 'embrace and acceptance'. Furthermore, when personal growth after bereavement of a spouse was analyzed focusing on changes over time, the growth process consisted of three steps: 'sadness and despair', 'embracing and moving forward', and 'personal growth'. The pattern analyses were performed to typify recurring relations by category, and 5 types were derived. The results of our study show that personal growth after spousal loss is an integrative process in life after crisis, and can be conceptualized as the process of overcoming the despair that immediately follows the death of a spouse, seeking a new life by actively taking control, and discovering a strengthened self.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.80-87
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• 2009

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to identify the types of widow's bereavement experience and understand the nature of it's bereavement by using Q-methodological approach. Methods: Contents Q sample included 46 statements obtained from literatures and interviews with 5 widows. P sample consisted of 13 widows who bereaved within 2 years. The data were collected from October 2004 to December 2006 and analyzed using Quanal program. Results: Two types of widow's experience were found. Type 1 was characterized by loss suffering, and type 2 was characterized by acceptance and adaptation Conclusion: Widows were found to experience different types of bereavement. Therefore, bereavement care team should assess the types of suffering pain and provide appropriate care to the widows. Also, need to be developed programs to relieve or prevent suffering of bereavement.

• 한국노년학
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.21-35
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to empirically verify the effects of spousal bereavement and complicated grief level on death anxiety of the elderly. The sample consisted of 1,998 adults who were aged 65 or older. Dependent variable was measured with the Death Anxiety Scale-Korean version (DAS-K). Independent variable was measured with both spousal bereavement and the Inventory of Complicated Grief-Korean version (ICG-K). Multiple regression analysis was performed using SPSS 23.0, adjusting for demographics, psycho-social and health variables. The results indicated that death anxiety level was lower among the bereaved with normal grief (p<.01) than non-bereaved. In contrast, death anxiety level was higher among the bereaved with complicated grief than non-bereaved (p<.01). The study result suggests that the most risky factor for death anxiety is complicated grief rather than the bereavement. Although the bereavement can be a universal experience, the severity and duration of symptoms after the bereavement may not be general. The unhealed emotional and physical pain after the bereavement stimulates death anxiety, and senior citizens who suffer from complicated grief often fail to integrate the bereavement and loss into reality, therefore, may not accept the death phenomenon itself. Anxiety and fear of death can emerge when they cannot acknowledge the bereavement. To manage complex sorrows and mitigate death anxiety, intervention programs should be provided to increase adaptability to the bereavement.

• 한국노년학
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.939-967
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• 2011

This study observed elderly women's adaptation process on separation by death in rural areas through grounded theory approach and developed its entity theory. Participants for this study were 14 elderly women who have lost their husbands in the last 12 months. The study was conducted for 8 months starting January 2010. Each interview per session took 40 to 90 minutes, study notes were taken on site, and recorded contents were transcribed by the researcher which was myself. The research data were collected by in-depth interview and with help of local community's nurses who were in charge of taking care of the participants. The collected data were analyzed by applying Strauss & Corbin's grounded theory (1998). As a result of study, 80 concepts, 28 subcategories, and 12 categories were deducted during open coding process. Adaptation process on separation by death was process of 'finding a way to live alone' which used strategy of 'attempting a make changes in life', and 'embracing the situation' which were influenced by conciliatory conditions of 'degree on economic condition', 'change in health', and 'supporting system' which focuses on phenomenon of 'bearing life alone' which is influenced by context condition of 'marital chemistry of couples during lifetime', and 'the couple's leadership during lifetime' together with casual conditions of 'the fall of wall'. The adaptation process accordance to time flow were divided into 4 steps which were step of 'shock and release of emotions', step of 'longing and resentment', step of 'resignation and acceptance', and step of 'life's restructure'. Above results suggest right directions for welfare for the aged and process of 'finding a way to live alone' for participants by controlling several factors and using intervention strategy, and provided basic data required for developing and applying practical welfare mediation.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.259-269
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• 2022

This study is a descriptive research study to investigate The mediating effect of family Function on the relationship between depression and life satisfaction of bereaved older women. From March to April 2021, data were collected from older women over the age of 60 who lived in A city and experienced bereavement. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 27.0 Statistics Program. It was confirmed that family Function had a full mediation effect on the relationship between depression and life satisfaction of bereaved older women. Based on the results of this study, it is necessary to develop various programs that can improve family Function to help the older women who have experienced the bereavement of their spouses adjust smoothly.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.777-788
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• 2022

This study was attempted to investigate relationship between spousal bereavement and frailty in the Korean older adults using data from the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey(KNHANES VII-3, 2018). The subjects were 1,609, complex sample frequency, descriptive statistics, cross and logistic regression analysis were performed using SPSS program. As a main result, frailty simultaneously adjusted for general, health behavior and disease characteristics did not show significant relationship between spousal bereavement, but frailty is significantly decreased 65~69, 70~74 years old, better of subjective health perception, no arthritis, significantly increased lower level of income. Finally personal, familiar and social efforts are required to manage the elderly who have lost their spouse.

• 한국노년학
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.1083-1101
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to describe how the structural and functional features of social network change among widowed middle and older adults and to examine the effect of personal predictors of the social network change. Data was obtained from men and women between 45 to 98 years of age(N=118) who were bereaved by the death of their spouse since the first wave survey and participated in the second wave survey of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing(KLoSA). The main findings are as follows: First, their social network after the bereavement was strengthened centered around children; for example, the number of adult children living in proximity to the parent, frequency of contact with children, and the financial and non-financial support from children generally increased. Second, the social network change pattern was categorized into four types such as "overall increased type," "children-centered increased type," "children/close relationship-centered increased type," and "stagnation type." Finally, the health condition of the widowed middle and older adults was a strong predictor of the social network change.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.134-141
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• 2014

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify the current status of studies of bereaved families in Korea. Methods: We reviewed 97 studies of bereaved families, which were published between 1994 and 2013 in Korea. The studies were classified in three groups according to time, subjects, and topic. Results: First, the number of bereaved family-related studies has increased since 2010. Second, most studies focused on the whole family, and middle-age widows were also popular subjects. Third, the most popular topic was a relationship between certain variables. Conclusion: First, variables and their relations among themselves should be approached through an integrated study. Second, a systematic review is needed to assess the effects of interventions on the bereaved. Third, a qualitative research method is needed to broaden and deepen our understanding about the middle-age widowers, parents who lost their children and children who lost their parents.