| Title | Grief and Mourning Among African American Elders After Spousal Bereavement |
| Publication Type | Thesis |
| Year of Publication | 2009 |
| Authors | Capp-Taber, SPutman |
| Degree | Ph.D. |
| Number of Pages | 204 p |
| University | University of Missouri - Columbia |
| ISBN Number | 978-1-124-63301-5 |
| Keywords | Adaptation, Psychological -- Trends, Aged, Aged, 80 and Over, Bereavement, Blacks -- In Old Age, Exploratory Research, Female, Grief, Grounded Theory, Human, Interviews, Qualitative Studies, Repeated Measures, Time Factors, Widows and Widowers |
| Abstract | This grounded theory study explored grief and mourning processes of African American elders during the transition into widowhood. The participants were 9 African American women who had been widowed from 2--10 years. The age range of the widows was 67--98 with a mean age of 79. The couples had been married a range of 38--62 years before the husbands died. All of the husbands had experienced an anticipated death from progressive physical illness. Each participant was interviewed twice, except for one widow who was lost to follow up. Data analysis was completed between each interview. The results were verified with participants to ensure the credibility of findings. A six phase process model of the transition into widowhood emerged from the data analysis. There were clear distinctions between the phases, but the phases were not linear, and the widows could return temporarily to an earlier phase in the process. The core category was "Persevering" with two closely related subcategories of "Weathering the Storm" and "Overcoming Whatever Comes". |
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