The role of spirituality and religion for those bereaved due to a traumatic death

After a sudden traumatic death, bereaved relatives may feel particularly distressed. We look at the role of spirituality (including religion, whether following communal forms or more individually expressed) in people's lives after the traumatic death of a relative. Our findings are based on nar...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Chapple, A, Swift, C, Ziebland, S
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: 2011
_version_ 1826300683267080192
author Chapple, A
Swift, C
Ziebland, S
author_facet Chapple, A
Swift, C
Ziebland, S
author_sort Chapple, A
collection OXFORD
description After a sudden traumatic death, bereaved relatives may feel particularly distressed. We look at the role of spirituality (including religion, whether following communal forms or more individually expressed) in people's lives after the traumatic death of a relative. Our findings are based on narrative interviews with 40 people bereaved through murder, manslaughter, car crash, train accident, fire, bomb explosion, industrial explosion, or pedestrian incident. People were interviewed in their homes throughout the UK. A qualitative interpretive approach was taken, combining thematic analysis with constant comparison. A few people said that after the death they felt angry or cynical about religion, but many people turned to spirituality or religion for help at this time. People reported that through spirituality or religion they found practical support, comfort, help in making sense of what had happened, belief in continued existence beyond death, a way of ensuring 'continuing bonds', and healing. Despite declining church attendance and a decline in the number of people who call themselves Christians, it seems that in the UK religion still remains important for people bereaved by a traumatic death. © 2011 Taylor and Francis.
first_indexed 2024-03-07T05:20:53Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:dedb192b-526b-428e-9f0f-091ee8972579
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-07T05:20:53Z
publishDate 2011
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:dedb192b-526b-428e-9f0f-091ee89725792022-03-27T09:35:11ZThe role of spirituality and religion for those bereaved due to a traumatic deathJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:dedb192b-526b-428e-9f0f-091ee8972579EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2011Chapple, ASwift, CZiebland, SAfter a sudden traumatic death, bereaved relatives may feel particularly distressed. We look at the role of spirituality (including religion, whether following communal forms or more individually expressed) in people's lives after the traumatic death of a relative. Our findings are based on narrative interviews with 40 people bereaved through murder, manslaughter, car crash, train accident, fire, bomb explosion, industrial explosion, or pedestrian incident. People were interviewed in their homes throughout the UK. A qualitative interpretive approach was taken, combining thematic analysis with constant comparison. A few people said that after the death they felt angry or cynical about religion, but many people turned to spirituality or religion for help at this time. People reported that through spirituality or religion they found practical support, comfort, help in making sense of what had happened, belief in continued existence beyond death, a way of ensuring 'continuing bonds', and healing. Despite declining church attendance and a decline in the number of people who call themselves Christians, it seems that in the UK religion still remains important for people bereaved by a traumatic death. © 2011 Taylor and Francis.
spellingShingle Chapple, A
Swift, C
Ziebland, S
The role of spirituality and religion for those bereaved due to a traumatic death
title The role of spirituality and religion for those bereaved due to a traumatic death
title_full The role of spirituality and religion for those bereaved due to a traumatic death
title_fullStr The role of spirituality and religion for those bereaved due to a traumatic death
title_full_unstemmed The role of spirituality and religion for those bereaved due to a traumatic death
title_short The role of spirituality and religion for those bereaved due to a traumatic death
title_sort role of spirituality and religion for those bereaved due to a traumatic death
work_keys_str_mv AT chapplea theroleofspiritualityandreligionforthosebereavedduetoatraumaticdeath
AT swiftc theroleofspiritualityandreligionforthosebereavedduetoatraumaticdeath
AT zieblands theroleofspiritualityandreligionforthosebereavedduetoatraumaticdeath
AT chapplea roleofspiritualityandreligionforthosebereavedduetoatraumaticdeath
AT swiftc roleofspiritualityandreligionforthosebereavedduetoatraumaticdeath
AT zieblands roleofspiritualityandreligionforthosebereavedduetoatraumaticdeath