Experiences of Complicated Grief – A Synthesis of Qualitative Studies

Abstract

Objective: Synthesize research findings and provide insight into firsthand experiences of complicated grief. Methods: We systematically searched qualitative studies in English in four databases (PsycInfo, PubMed, CINAHL and Web of Science). We included 5 studies and applied meta-ethnography to identify and translate across studies. Results: This review illuminates the firsthand experiences of complicated grief. Three key themes were identified: ‘ambivalence’, ‘misrecognition’, and ‘self-sacrifice’. These concepts reflect the synthesis of available qualitative research on the experience of complicated grief. The findings suggest that complicated grief is experienced as intrusive and unhelpful, providing a distressful state with lack of recognition from the perspective of the bereaved. Conclusions: The synthesis provides an empirically founded interpretation and contribution to the challenge of distinguishing between normal, complicated, and pathological grief reactions. As bereavement increasingly becomes a clinical concern, these findings highlight the necessity for further phenomenological research and the detailed profiling of disordered grief.