Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att öka kunskapen om betydelsen av att som äldre bearbeta sin sorg i grupp efter att ha mist en livskamrat. Detta har uppnåtts genom att ta del av erfarenheter från före detta deltagare i Svenska kyrkans sorgegrupper. Som forskningsdesign har en kvalitativ deskriptiv ansats valts, denna omfattades av semistrukturerade intervjuer med sju personer, två män och fem kvinnor i åldrarna 67 till 81 år. Materialet har sedan analyserats genom meningskategorisering med tematisering som följd. Resultatet visar att det mest betydande med att bearbeta sin sorg i grupp har varit gemenskapen som innefattar möjligheten att få träffa, samtala och bekräftas av personer i samma situation. Det talas även om att en ömsesidig hjälp har uppstått i gruppen där deltagarna beskriver hur de själva bidragit genom att lyssna och dela med sig. Resultatet visar även att sorgen är unik för varje person. Hur sorgen hanteras beror till stor del på hur man är som person och hur ens sociala nätverk ser ut. Resultatet visar också att professionellt stöd i form av exempelvis de gruppledare som förekommer i studien eller kuratorskontakt endast fungerar som ett teoretiskt komplement och kan inte jämföras med den förståelse som gruppdeltagarna har genom att dela samma livserfarenhet. Studien belyser är att det inte finns något sätt att helt förbereda sig inför dödsfallet av en nära anhörig, men att möjligheten till sorgestöd när det otänkbara inträffat är en viktig del för att ta sig ur den svåraste perioden därefter.

To date, there have been no studies utilizing a narrative bereavement model for students impacted by suicide, in a group counseling setting. The present project intends to fill a gap in the literature. We sought to answer the research question, “Do narrative lines of inquiry, specifically re-membering conversations, help to ameliorate the pain of a loved one’s death by suicide?” We hypothesized that re-membering conversations would help to reduce pain, based on the premise that re-membering conversations reconnect the bereaved to the life of their deceased loved one, using a narrative which allows the life, values, thoughts, and wishes of the deceased to be brought forward and reincorporated into the life and future of the bereaved. The present research project consisted of a five-week bereavement group for college students impacted by the suicide of a friend or loved one. The group was structured like a case study in that we conducted a counseling group while collecting research data. Therefore, it was both research-oriented and therapeutic in nature. A sample of convenience was used to recruit and screen previously bereaved college students from a large state university in southern California. The group members self-selected and identified as having been affected by the suicide of a loved one. Each session lasted approximately 120 minutes. Research data consisted of open-ended questions, which were previously prepared by the researchers. This data was collected through audio recorders, transcribed and organized according to related themes. Benefits of the project include: decreased emotional pain due to the suicide, group camaraderie, reconnection with a deceased loved one, and hopefulness for future. The overall findings seem to suggest the following: The deceased always play a role in how we come to understand our own identity. Bringing other people’s voices into the room, whether living or dead, lightens the burden of grief. Having never met the person does not prohibit the living from having a relationship with the dead. Removing places for the deceased loved one to live on only increases pain. The present project seems to support the hypothesis that re-membering conversations help to ameliorate the pain associated with the death of a loved one by suicide. Future research may include quantitative data collection, random samples, larger sample size and varying demographics. Other studies could involve using control groups and then comparing those results with the counseled group. The anecdotal evidence found in the present research project seems to support the further study of the use of re-membering conversations with those bereaved by suicide.

The aim of this qualitative study was to examine bereaved individuals’ experiences of support from their social networks and participation in support groups. The theoretical framework is based on theories about social support and parts of the attachment theory. Data were collected from four interviews and analysed by the study’s theoretical framework. The results have shown that the interviewed persons found emotional, instrumental and informative support from their own social networks important after their loss. Receiving constructive feedback from the social networks, and or various support groups, were also important factors. The interviewed persons expressed that the perceived and offered support was not satisfying and that they would have appreciated further help. The results also showed that most of the inter-viewed persons found their participation in support groups important as the groups made it possible for them to express their inherent feelings and thoughts. They also found it important to be able to talk with individuals who had experienced similar losses. My findings support earlier research that states the importance of social support and the possibility to express grieving reactions after a loss.