[The grief for missing persons. An interview of wives, children and siblings (author's transl)]

Spouses, children and siblings of missing persons (World War II) were, in cooperation with the German Red Cross, interviewed about their grief work. In spite of methodologic shortcomings and the small number of persons interviewed, the following conclusions can be drawn: 1. In spouses the process of grief starts within the frame of the "forewarning of loss", caused by the constant peril of war. After being told that their husband was missing, a grief reaction followed which, although unlimited in time, can be characterized as anticipatory grief. 2. The relationship to the children and the assumption of both father and mother roles show that grief work had been done in spite of persistent uncertainty. 3. The children are much less capable of accepting the nonexistence of their father. The reactions are similar to adoptees in adolescence searching for their biological parents. 4. For the parents of missing persons all perspectives of life seem to be over-shadowed by their grief, which, as a pathological grief reaction, remains incomplete.