A Phenomenological Research on the Grief Experience of Relatives of Martyrs

Grief is an experience that every individual can encounter in certain periods of life. Although the reactions after the losses that are part of life are natural and expected, grief experiences can vary from person to person. While mourning is a painful and meaningless experience for some individuals, some individuals can adapt to this process more easily by gaining a new perspective. While some individuals grieve immediately after the loss, for others, the grieving process can be delayed. The grief sometimes takes a short time, sometimes it never ends. In the process of mourning, individuals may have difficulty in making sense of the death of their loved ones. Especially; the grieving process may be difficult in sudden, unexpected and tragic deaths caused by war, terror, accident or natural disasters. The aim of this study is to reveal how the relatives of martyrs make sense of their grief experiences and their feelings and thoughts about the grief process. This study was designed in a phenomenological pattern with the qualitative research method and the data of study were held semi-structured interviews with the relatives of the martyrs. The interviews continued until data saturation was achieved. Criterion sampling and maximum variation, which are the purposeful sampling methods, were preferred in determining the participants. Content analysis technique was used in the analysis of research data. According to the findings, 10 main themes were reached regarding the grief experience of the relatives of martyrs. These; shock and early times, not saying goodbye, endless grief (“this is not ours grief”), delayed grief, recurrent grief, complicated spiritual grief, reflections on health, mother's grief, wife's grief, and child's grief. The results of the research were discussed in relation to the literature and some suggestions were presented.

Keywords

Psychology of Religion, Finding Meaning, Grief, Complicated Spiritual Grief, Loss, Mourning, Bereavment, Relatives of Martyrs, Phenomenological Method