A framework of meaning attribution following loss

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Bereavement Studies
• Mental Health

Background:

• Grief involves integrating loss into life stories, identity, and future orientation.
• Meaning attribution significantly impacts the grieving process and functional disruption.
• Existing frameworks lack a comprehensive view of meaning-making determinants after loss.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a framework of meaning attribution after loss.
• To identify determinants influencing positive or negative meaning-making.
• To inform interventions for traumatic and ambiguous loss.

Main Methods:

• Development of a framework based on 17 determinants across five categories: event-related, cultural, social, individual, and relational.
• Analysis of how each determinant can lead to facilitating or complicating meanings.
• Literature review and synthesis of existing research on grief and meaning-making.

Main Results:

• The framework identifies 17 determinants of meaning attribution after loss.
• Determinants can foster or impede adaptation, influencing the grieving process.
• Meaning attribution is crucial for recovery and preventing complicated grief.

Conclusions:

• The framework highlights the need for integrated care networks (mental, spiritual, end-of-life) for traumatic grief.
• Societal factors like support, rituals, and cultural views are vital for adaptation.
• The framework guides research on culturally sensitive care and ambiguous loss globally.