Meaning-making following loss among bereaved spouses during the COVID-19 pandemic (the CO-LIVE study)

M. J.M. Vieveen; B. Yildiz; I. J. Korfage; F. E. Witkamp; Y. N. Becqué; L. G.G. van Lent; H. R. Pasman; M. S. Zee; B. D. Onwuteaka-Philipsen; A. van der Heide; A. Goossensen

doi:10.1080/07481187.2023.2186979

Meaning-making following loss among bereaved spouses during the COVID-19 pandemic (the CO-LIVE study)

M. J.M. Vieveen, B. Yildiz^*, I. J. Korfage, F. E. Witkamp, Y. N. Becqué, L. G.G. van Lent, H. R. Pasman, M. S. Zee, B. D. Onwuteaka-Philipsen, A. van der Heide, A. Goossensen

^*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

This study investigates how individuals construe, understand, and make sense of experiences during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Seventeen semi-structured interviews were conducted with bereaved spouses focusing on meaning attribution to the death of their partner. The interviewees were lacking adequate information, personalized care, and physical or emotional proximity; these challenges complicated their experience of a meaningful death of their partner. Concomitantly, many interviewees appreciated the exchange of experiences with others and any last moments together with their partner. Bereaved spouses actively sought valuable moments, during and after bereavement, that contributed to the perceived meaning.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	59-67
Number of pages	9
Journal	Death Studies
Volume	49
Issue number	1
Early online date	9 Mar 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2023.2186979
Publication status	Published - 2025

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© 2023 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

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Meaning-making following loss among bereaved spouses during the COVID-19 pandemic (the CO-LIVE study)Final published version, 1.08 MBLicence: CC BY

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Vieveen, M. J. M., Yildiz, B., Korfage, I. J., Witkamp, F. E., Becqué, Y. N., van Lent, L. G. G., Pasman, H. R., Zee, M. S., Onwuteaka-Philipsen, B. D., van der Heide, A., & Goossensen, A. (2025). Meaning-making following loss among bereaved spouses during the COVID-19 pandemic (the CO-LIVE study). Death Studies, 49(1), 59-67. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2023.2186979

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AU - Becqué, Y. N.

AU - van Lent, L. G.G.

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Meaning-making following loss among bereaved spouses during the COVID-19 pandemic (the CO-LIVE study)

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