OmegaPub Date : 2026-09-04DOI: 10.1177/00302228261486534
Gina F Reyes, Kanako Taku
{"title":"With Grief and Growth: Examining Volunteer Motivations and Their Relationships to Grief Intensity and Posttraumatic Growth.","authors":"Gina F Reyes, Kanako Taku","doi":"10.1177/00302228261486534","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228261486534","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Engaging in volunteer work could be associated with posttraumatic growth (PTG). Investigating the associations among motivations to volunteer, PTG, and grief can help us understand how people cope with death. Volunteer functions theory posits six functions of volunteer motivations: protective, values, career, social, understanding, and enhancement. We studied the associations that each function has with grief intensity, PTG, and current volunteer status. Participants (<i>N</i> = 187) with volunteer experience who experienced death completed an online study. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that grief intensity was associated with the protective function. PTG was associated with values and enhancement functions. Current volunteer status was associated with the career function. The findings suggest that grief intensity and PTG are related to some but not all motivations to volunteer, highlighting how the psychological experience of bereavement relates to motivations to engage in prosocial behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":74338,"journal":{"name":"Omega","volume":" ","pages":"302228261486534"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148893043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OmegaPub Date : 2026-09-04DOI: 10.1177/00302228261486068
Wan Mun Chian, Azmawaty Mohamad Nor
{"title":"A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies on Meaning-Making and Existential Experiences Among Cancer Survivors.","authors":"Wan Mun Chian, Azmawaty Mohamad Nor","doi":"10.1177/00302228261486068","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228261486068","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cancer survivorship frequently involves confrontation with mortality, yet qualitative findings on meaning-making and existential experiences remain fragmented. This PRISMA 2020-guided systematic review synthesized qualitative evidence on meaning-making among adult cancer survivors across Scopus, Web of Science, MEDLINE, and the Psychology & Behavioral Science Collection (final search: 25 November 2025). Twenty-eight qualitative studies were included and synthesized using thematic synthesis, with confidence assessed via GRADE-CERQual. Five themes were identified: confrontation with mortality and existential shock; existential suffering and biographical disruption; meaning reconstruction and reorientation; transcendence, spirituality, and faith-based meaning; and psychological adaptation, resilience, and growth. Across diverse cultural contexts, cancer survivorship consistently involved mortality awareness and existential destabilization, followed by efforts to restore coherence and purpose. Spirituality, self-transcendence, and resilience emerged as prominent coping pathways. These findings support meaning-centered and existentially informed psychosocial care with culturally sensitive spiritual resources.</p>","PeriodicalId":74338,"journal":{"name":"Omega","volume":" ","pages":"302228261486068"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148893074","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OmegaPub Date : 2026-09-04DOI: 10.1177/00302228261483355
Amy Jean Clark, Olive Kit Ling Woo
{"title":"Dual Illegibility, Ambiguous Loss, and Disenfranchised Grief: A Hybrid Model for Understanding AI Companion Bereavement.","authors":"Amy Jean Clark, Olive Kit Ling Woo","doi":"10.1177/00302228261483355","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228261483355","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As emotionally responsive AI systems are increasingly used for companionship, clinicians are encountering forms of distress that do not fit established models of bereavement. When these systems are altered, restricted, or lost, some users experience reactions resembling attachment disruption and relational loss. Here, AI companions are conversational systems supporting ongoing relational bonds; we address grief for their disruption, not AI simulations of deceased people. This paper argues that AI companion bereavement is best understood as a technologically mediated hybrid loss at the intersection of ambiguous loss and disenfranchised grief. We introduce the concept of dual illegibility to describe uncertainty both about what has been lost and whether that loss is socially recognised as legitimate. Drawing on grief theories and emerging research on human-AI relationships, we outline a preliminary clinical response model and consider implications for practice, ethics, and research in an evolving landscape of technologically mediated attachment.</p>","PeriodicalId":74338,"journal":{"name":"Omega","volume":" ","pages":"302228261483355"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148893055","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OmegaPub Date : 2026-09-01Epub Date: 2024-11-05DOI: 10.1177/00302228241298328
Kristi Ka'apu, Catherine E O'Connor, Kya Locklear
{"title":"\"Nobody Knew . . . What Was Gonna Happen\": Indigenous Loss and Grief During the COVID-19 Pandemic.","authors":"Kristi Ka'apu, Catherine E O'Connor, Kya Locklear","doi":"10.1177/00302228241298328","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00302228241298328","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Indigenous peoples have experienced higher rates of loss and death compared to the general population, partly due to historical loss. This qualitative inquiry focused on understanding Indigenous women's experiences of loss, grief, and death during the COVID-19 pandemic, involving 31 head-of-household Native American women from a southeastern US tribe. Reconstructive analysis of data from a community-based critical ethnography identified the following themes spanning the ecological levels of the FHORT: (a) loss of finances, (b) loss of structure and loss of self, (c) death due to COVID-19, (d) disrupted mourning and burial rituals, and (e) grief and extensive losses. Results indicate that the pandemic not only exacerbated historical loss, but interventions and models for working through grief and loss should not only be culturally tailored and promote healing across all ecological domains and include physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects, but should also address historical trauma, collectivist values, and traditional ways.</p>","PeriodicalId":74338,"journal":{"name":"Omega","volume":" ","pages":"2880-2901"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142585289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OmegaPub Date : 2026-09-01Epub Date: 2024-07-23DOI: 10.1177/00302228241253363
Asta B Petursdottir, Hrund S Thorsteinsson
{"title":"Evaluating the Effect of Participation in Bereavement Support Groups on Perceived Mental Well-Being and Grief Reactions.","authors":"Asta B Petursdottir, Hrund S Thorsteinsson","doi":"10.1177/00302228241253363","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00302228241253363","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The study aimed to evaluate the effect of participating in bereavement support groups on mental well-being and levels of grief and to gather information about participants´ experiences of participation. The programme consisted of six sessions over six weeks. Data were collected with the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) and the Adult Attitude to Grief scale (AAG) as well as demographic and open-ended questions. 64 bereaved spouses returned at least parts of the study´s questionnaires before participating in the programme while 39 returned the complete WEMWBS and 36 the complete AAG both before and after participation. Most participants were women >60 years old. Participation in the programme resulted in a significant increase in perceived mental well-being and significantly lower levels of vulnerability in grief. Responses to open-ended questions revealed both positive and negative experiences. A lowered WEMWBS score and a relatively high AAG underscore the importance of providing services to the recently bereaved. Routine screening for complicated grief before participating in the bereavement support group sessions is recommended.</p>","PeriodicalId":74338,"journal":{"name":"Omega","volume":" ","pages":"2249-2266"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13433889/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141749922","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OmegaPub Date : 2026-09-01Epub Date: 2024-08-24DOI: 10.1177/00302228241277853
Milla Mäkikomsi, Anja Terkamo-Moisio, Marja Kaunonen, Anna L Aho
{"title":"Bereaved Individuals Attempts to Explain Their Unexplainable Experiences Related to the Death of Their Loved one Through Attribution Thinking.","authors":"Milla Mäkikomsi, Anja Terkamo-Moisio, Marja Kaunonen, Anna L Aho","doi":"10.1177/00302228241277853","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00302228241277853","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Continuing bond manifesting as unexplainable experiences reflects bereaved´s attempts to restore connection with the deceased. As an experience unaligned with a person's overall schemas of meaning unexplainable experiences are a source of anxiety that individuals aim to alleviate by attribution thinking. This study describes how bereaved aim to explain unexplainable experiences related to the death of their loved ones. The study analysed 408 narratives of 181 bereaved individuals. Bereaved individuals (1) described the meaning of their experience to be receaving information, emotions or support by the experience and communicating about crossing the boundary between life and death. As (2) reflections on the cause of their experiences bereaved individuals described certain and uncertain explanations of the phenomenon, ruling out explanations and the compatibility or incompatibility of the experience with their prior worldviews. The process of attribution thinking must be perceived as meaningful regardless of the outcome of the bereaved person's reflection.</p>","PeriodicalId":74338,"journal":{"name":"Omega","volume":" ","pages":"2267-2284"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13433888/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142047621","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OmegaPub Date : 2026-09-01Epub Date: 2024-11-09DOI: 10.1177/00302228241299287
Celia Antuña-Camblor, Gabriel Esteller-Collado, Roger Muñoz-Navarro, María F Rabito-Alcón, Francisco Javier Rodríguez-Díaz
{"title":"Emotional Disorders, Distress Tolerance and Suicide Risk: A Mediation Model.","authors":"Celia Antuña-Camblor, Gabriel Esteller-Collado, Roger Muñoz-Navarro, María F Rabito-Alcón, Francisco Javier Rodríguez-Díaz","doi":"10.1177/00302228241299287","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00302228241299287","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Suicide has been linked to psychopathology, particularly emotional disorders. This study seeks to investigate the mediating role of distress tolerance in the relationship between emotional symptoms and suicide risk. The sample included 1014 adults (33.82% male; M = 33.0, SD = 15.15). Four mediation analyses were performed, controlling for sex, for depressive, anxious, somatizing and obsessive symptoms measured with the Brief Symptom Checklist as the independent variable, distress tolerance, measured with the Distress Tolerance Scale as the mediating variable, and the risk of making a suicide attempt, measured with Risk of Suicide, as the dependent variable. Distress tolerance partially mediated the relationship between emotional symptoms and suicide risk, with Appraisal and Absorption scales positively mediating, and Tolerance negatively mediating. Tolerance of distress plays a role in risk of suicide attempts. Distress tolerance needs to be addressed as a key transdiagnostic factor in reducing suicidal risk.</p>","PeriodicalId":74338,"journal":{"name":"Omega","volume":" ","pages":"2932-2946"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142634102","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OmegaPub Date : 2026-09-01Epub Date: 2024-11-05DOI: 10.1177/00302228241297726
Chun-Chang Lee, Wen-Chih Yeh, Pei-Syuan Lin, Jing-Yi Lee, Ting-Wei Dai
{"title":"The Impact of Unnatural Death Stigmatization on Neighboring Property Prices: Propensity Score Matching and Difference-In-Differences Analysis.","authors":"Chun-Chang Lee, Wen-Chih Yeh, Pei-Syuan Lin, Jing-Yi Lee, Ting-Wei Dai","doi":"10.1177/00302228241297726","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00302228241297726","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study primarily investigated the impacts of unnatural in-house deaths on nearby property prices. Propensity score matching was used to assess the homogeneity of experimental and control groups, and the difference-in-differences (DID) method was used for their comparison. Data for real estate transactions in Taipei City from 2012 to 2022 were retrieved from the Ministry of the Interior's real estate actual transaction price registration query system. The DID interaction variable coefficient of 0.066 was significant at the 10% level. A comparison of the experimental and control groups showed a 6.8% property price difference following an unnatural in-house death. This suggests that an unnatural in-house death has a positive impact on property prices nearby. There were four unnatural deaths at the Xining Public Housing from 2003 to 2012 and four at the Jinxing Building from 1984 to 2012. The high incidence of events and the disclosure of information may have depreciated nearby property prices. The study results show that the stigmatization of unnatural in-house deaths reduces nearby property prices. The depreciation of implicit prices reverted and followed a U-shape pattern after several years.</p>","PeriodicalId":74338,"journal":{"name":"Omega","volume":" ","pages":"2902-2931"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142583402","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OmegaPub Date : 2026-09-01Epub Date: 2024-09-18DOI: 10.1177/00302228241285062
Zeynep Kübra Gölçek, Ayça Demir Yildirim
{"title":"Perinatal Grief Counseling and Its Effect on Grief Levels in Women Who Underwent Pregnancy Termination: A Comparative Experimental Study.","authors":"Zeynep Kübra Gölçek, Ayça Demir Yildirim","doi":"10.1177/00302228241285062","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00302228241285062","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study was designed as a two-group pre-test post-test comparative experimental study to examine the effects of grief counseling on perinatal grief levels in women who underwent pregnancy termination before discharge from the clinic. This study was conducted with 70 women who underwent medical termination of pregnancy. The intervention group (<i>n</i> = 35) received perinatal grief care, while the control group (<i>n</i> = 35) received only routine hospital care. In this study, the Introductory Information Form, Perinatal Grief Scale, and evaluation form of the care received were completed. While the perinatal grief level of the intervention group decreased after the application of grief care, a significant difference between the groups was detected only in women with a history of medical termination according to obstetric characteristics (<i>p</i> < .05). The findings obtained from this study showed that perinatal grief care support decreased grief scores on perinatal grief instruments and their sub-dimensions in the intervention group.</p>","PeriodicalId":74338,"journal":{"name":"Omega","volume":" ","pages":"2527-2543"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142302820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OmegaPub Date : 2026-09-01Epub Date: 2024-10-11DOI: 10.1177/00302228241292388
João Batista, Sara Albuquerque, Mayra Delalibera, João T Oliveira, Alexandra Coelho
{"title":"Does Meaning-Making Mediate COVID-19 Restrictions' Impact on Grief and Psychological Symptoms?","authors":"João Batista, Sara Albuquerque, Mayra Delalibera, João T Oliveira, Alexandra Coelho","doi":"10.1177/00302228241292388","DOIUrl":"10.1177/00302228241292388","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The COVID-19 pandemic imposed substantial restrictions on funeral ceremonies, profoundly affecting grief experiences. This study investigated the mediating role of meaning-making in the relationship between these restrictions and prolonged grief disorder (PGD) symptoms, anxiety, depression, and trauma. A longitudinal study involving 141 bereaved individuals was conducted, with assessments at two time points: 3-6 months (T1) and 9-12 months (T2) post-loss. Structural equation modeling revealed that the psychological impact of restrictions on death and funeral ceremonies had indirect effects on anxiety and prolonged grief symptoms through meaning-making, particularly the footing in the world subscale. These findings underscore the importance of understanding the complex interplay between pandemic-related restrictions and grief experiences, emphasizing the pivotal role of meaning-making in adapting to loss during those challenging times.</p>","PeriodicalId":74338,"journal":{"name":"Omega","volume":" ","pages":"2775-2790"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13433880/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142407286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}