An empirical examination of the stage theory of grief
Grief; Family; Death; Physicians; Depression; Time; bereavement; Anger; design
Context The stage theory of grief remains a widely accepted model of bereavement adjustment still taught in medical schools, espoused by physicians, and applied in diverse contexts. Nevertheless, the stage theory of grief has previously not been tested empirically. Objective To examine the relative magnitudes and patterns of change over time post-loss of 5 grief indicators for consistency with the stage theory of grief. Design, Setting, and Participants Longitudinal cohort study (Yale Bereavement Study) of 233 bereaved individuals living in Connecticut, with data collected between January 2000 and January 2003. Main Outcome Measures Five rater-administered items assessing disbelief, yearning, anger, depression, and acceptance of the death from 1 to 24 months postloss. Results Counter to stage theory, disbelief was not the initial, dominant grief indicator. Acceptance was the most frequently endorsed item and yearning was the dominant negative grief indicator from 1 to 24 months postloss. In models that take into account the rise and fall of psychological responses, once rescaled, disbelief decreased from an initial high at 1 month postloss, yearning peaked at 4 months postloss, anger peaked at 5 months postloss, and depression peaked at 6 months postloss. Acceptance increased throughout the study observation period. The 5 grief indicators achieved their respective maximum values in the sequence (disbelief, yearning, anger, depression, and acceptance) predicted by the stage theory of grief. Conclusions Identification of the normal stages of grief following a death from natural causes enhances understanding of how the average person cognitively and emotionally processes the loss of a family member. Given that the negative grief indicators all peak within approximately 6 months postloss, those who score high on these indicators beyond 6 months postloss might benefit from further evaluation.
2007
Maciejewski PK; Zhang B; Block SD; Prigerson HG
Jama
2007
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1001/jama.297.7.716" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10.1001/jama.297.7.716</a>
Using Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software to Develop a Grounded Theory Project
Research; design; content analysis
The promise of theory and model development makes grounded theory an attractive methodology to follow. However, it has been argued that many researchers fall short and provide a detailed description of only the research area or simply a quantitative content analysis rather than an explanatory model. This article illustrates how the researchers used a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software program (CAQDAS) as a tool for moving beyond a thick description of swimming coaches' perceptions of sexual relationships in sport to an explanatory model grounded in the data. Grounded theory is an iterative process whereby the researchers move between data collection and analysis, writing memos, coding, and creating models. The nonlinear design of the selected CAQDAS program, NVivo, facilitates such iterative approaches. Although the examples provided in this project focus on NVivo, the concepts presented here could be applied to the use of other CAQDAS programs. Examples are provided of how the grounded theory techniques of open coding, writing memos, axial coding, and creating models were conducted within the program.
2006
Bringer JD; Brackenridge CH; Johnston LH
Field Methods
2006
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1177/1525822x06287602" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10.1177/1525822x06287602</a>
Writing the proposal for a qualitative research methodology project
Qualitative Research; Research; Time; design
2003
Sandelowski M; Barroso J
Qualitative Health Research
2003
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1177/1049732303013006003" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10.1177/1049732303013006003</a>
Verification strategies for establishing reliability and validity in qualitative research
Qualitative Research; Research; design; science
The rejection of reliability and validity in qualitative inquiry in the 1980s has resulted in an interesting shift for "ensuring rigor" from the investigator's actions during the course of the research, to the reader or consumer of qualitative inquiry. The emphasis on strategies that are implemented during the research process has been replaced by strategies for evaluating trustworthiness and utility that are implemented once a study is completed. In this article, we argue that reliability and validity remain appropriate concepts for attaining rigor in qualitative research. We argue that qualitative researchers should reclaim responsibility for reliability and validity by implementing verification strategies integral and self-correcting during the conduct of inquiry itself. This ensures the attainment of rigor using strategies inherent within each qualitative design, and moves the responsibility for incorporating and maintaining reliability and validity from external reviewers' judgements to the investigators themselves. Finally, we make a plea for a return to terminology for ensuring rigor that is used by mainstream science.
2002
Morse JM; Barrett M; Mayan M; Olson K; Spiers J
International Journal Of Qualitative Research
2002
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1177/160940690200100202" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10.1177/160940690200100202</a>