Abstract
Spousal bereavement seems to be one of the most devastating sufferings in the life course and can lead to adverse bio-psycho-social consequences. Meaning making theory, serving as an up-to-date approach to understanding the negative events in life stages, has earned credit, especially in Western settings. However, its application in the field of bereavement and grief in the Chinese context is virtually unprecedented and thus lays the ground for this study.Meaning making theory is preferable based on a comparison with other conventional theories, as well as its own theoretical underpinnings. Two previous models of interest form the basis for developing a new model in the context of grief. Two key ideas extracted from the meaning making model involve the concept of meaning making and global meaning. Notably, social constructionism theory additionally refers to compensating for the social aspect of meaning making as neglected in preceding models, and traditional Chinese culture can shed light on the meaning system regarding death and life held by Chinese people. In addition, this study focused on the mediating roles of meaning making, as well as its 10 components. Insights into the grief experience of Chinese elders were worth exploring due to the characteristics of the cultural sensitivity of such an experience. Thus, this study espouses three main research objectives concerning Chinese widowed elders: 1) to test the two key underpinnings in the meaning making model with new measures developed accordingly; 2) to examine the mediating roles of meaning making and its multiple components; 3) to explore more insights into grief experience.
Both quantitative and qualitative methods were helpful for this study. The quantitative study involved a survey of a quota sample of 352 older people in the rural areas of Mainland China. The qualitative study involved 29 elders from the survey and interviewed them in depth again. Two new measures related to meaning making process and global meaning were developed. Five major antecedents (social integration, social engagement, intimacy, cultural capital, social support) and five consequences (complicated grief, depression, anxiety, stress, meaning in life)
were involved. First, confirmatory factor analysis was run to validate the measures proposed, followed by other analytic procedures, notably regression analysis for testing mediating effects. Meanwhile, qualitative analysis adhered to the grounded theory method.
Results suggested that the key views of meaning making theory were applicable, and the mediating roles of meaning making and its different components varied according to the type of relationship between antecedents and consequences. The qualitative study also revealed a core category of helplessness among the widowed elders. Many control or background variables (e.g. education, income) were also significantly associated with consequences and/or meaning making. Based on the diversified results referred to above, discussion and implications about theory, practice, services, and programs for widowed elders in China ensue.
| Date of Award | 24 Jul 2018 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
|
| Supervisor | Oi Wah Esther CHOW (Supervisor), Chau Kiu Jacky CHEUNG (Supervisor) & Xiaodong YUE (Supervisor) |