"I Know They Meant Well...": Helpful and Hurtful Memorable Messages During Mourning

This study explores 112 helpful and hurtful memorable messages identified by the bereaved when receiving condolences after a loss. An online open-ended qualitative questionnaire revealed that the most frequently used hurtful memorable messages were comments that attempted to rationalize the death or...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of loss & trauma 2022-07, Vol.27 (5), p.418-430
Main Authors: DeGroot, Jocelyn M., Carmack, Heather J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bereavement
Grief
loss
memorable messages
Mourning
Positive emotions
supportive communication
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This study explores 112 helpful and hurtful memorable messages identified by the bereaved when receiving condolences after a loss. An online open-ended qualitative questionnaire revealed that the most frequently used hurtful memorable messages were comments that attempted to rationalize the death or remarks that minimized the loss in some way. The most helpful messages were the interactions that provided the bereaved space to grieve. Some categories of statements were evident in both helpful and hurtful messages, and so, caution should be exercised if making statements related to giving advice or exuding positivity.
ISSN:1532-5024
1532-5032
DOI:10.1080/15325024.2021.1994224