FEATURES OF PROVIDING PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT TO WOMEN EXPERIENCING THE LOSS OF A LOVED ONE DURING THE WAR

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31732/2663-2209-2024-73-214-226

Keywords:

psychological state, loss, grief, grieving, mourning, war

Abstract

The article is dedicated to exploring the specifics of providing psychological support to women experiencing the loss of a loved one during war. The research aimed to achieve the following objectives: to identify the challenges psychologists face while supporting women in mourning; to uncover additional difficulties in coping with loss due to a full-scale war; and to determine the importance and effectiveness of various recommendations for aiding women in dealing with loss during wartime (in alleviating grief symptoms, integrating the loss, and adapting to new life circumstances). The study employed the method of expert evaluations, focused on utilizing the professional experience of psychologists who have worked with women who have lost a loved one. The main focus was on analyzing and synthesizing existing scientific data and practical approaches to the psychological rehabilitation of such women. The authors used empirical data collected through surveys of psychologists working with this category of women. Different approaches to grief therapy are considered, including dual-process models of coping with loss, meaning-making after loss, as well as concepts of post-traumatic growth. An empirical study was conducted on the specifics of providing psychological support to women experiencing loss during war. The research highlights the complexity of psychological work with women who have suffered the loss of loved ones during wartime. The results show that standard models of psychological support may be ineffective due to the uniqueness of each grief case. The effectiveness of psychotherapy significantly depends on an individualized approach, taking into account the specifics of experiencing loss in the context of war. The use of flexible models that can adapt to the experiences of each woman, as well as providing support that helps women integrate the loss into their lives, restoring a sense of normality and facilitating their personal growth, is recommended. The proposed methods and recommendations can serve as an important guideline for psychologists working in modern conflicts and crises.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Iryna Synhaivska, KROK University

Ph.D. (Psychology, Professor, Director of the institute of psychology, “KROK” University, Kyiv, Ukraine

Alina Berestovska, “KROK” University

Master's degree, “KROK” University, Kyiv

References

Мохнач, Л. Ю., Сингаївська, І. В. (2020) Теоретичний аналіз впливу наративних психотехнологій на формування ідентичності особистості. Держава, регіони, підприємництво: інформаційні, суспільно-правові, соціально-економічні аспекти розвитку: тези доповідей ІІ Міжнародної конференції (Київ, 20 листопада 2020 р.). К. : Університет "КРОК", 57–59. - https://conf.krok.edu.ua/SRE/SRE2020/paper/view/19

Сингаївська, І. В., Ткач, В. В., Ткач, Р. М. (2016) Методи юнгіанського аналізу в розв’язанні внутрішнього конфлікту особистості (на прикладі роботи з пошуком сенсу життя). Правничий вісник Університету «КРОК». К.: Вищий навчальний заклад «Університет економіки та права «КРОК». 24. 229–234.

Armstrong, D., Shakespeare-Finch, J. (2011) Relationship to the bereaved and perceptions of severity of trauma differentiate elements of posttraumatic growth. OMEGA-Journal of Death and Dying. 63(2). 125–140.

Bellet, B. W., LeBlanc, N. J., Nizzi, M. C., Carter, M. L., van der Does, F. H., Peters, J., McNally, R. J. (2020) Identity confusion in complicated grief: A closer look. Journal of abnormal psychology. 129(4). 397–407.

Bellet, B. W., Neimeyer, R. A., Berman, J. S. (2018) Event centrality and bereavement symptomatology: The moderating role of meaning made. OMEGA-Journal of Death and Dying. 78(1). 3–23.

Bowlby, J. (1980) Attachment and Loss: Volume 3 Loss: Sadness and Depression. London: Pimlico.

Calhoun, L. G., Tedeschi, R. G. (2014) The foundations of posttraumatic growth: An expanded framework. In Handbook of posttraumatic growth. Routledge.

Calhoun, L. G., Tedeschi, R. G., Cann, A., Hanks, E. A. (2010) Positive outcomes following bereavement: Paths to posttraumatic growth. Psychologica Belgica. 50(1-2). 125–143.

Captari, L. E., Riggs, S. A., Stephen, K. (2021) Attachment processes following traumatic loss: A mediation model examining identity distress, shattered assumptions, prolonged grief, and posttraumatic growth. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. 13(1). 94–103.

Currier, J. M., Holland, J. M., Neimeyer, R. A. (2012) Prolonged grief symptoms and growth in the first 2 years of bereavement: Evidence for a nonlinear association. Traumatology. 18(4). 65–71.

Gillies, J., Neimeyer, R. A. (2006) Loss, grief, and the search for significance: Toward a model of meaning reconstruction in bereavement. Journal of constructivist Psychology. 19(1). 31–65.

Gross, R. (2018) The psychology of grief. New York: Routledge.

Harris, C. B., Brookman, R., O’Connor, M. (2021) It’s not who you lose, it’s who you are: Identity and symptom trajectory in prolonged grief. Current Psychology. 42. 11223–11233.

Harris, D. L., Winokuer, H. R. (2019) Principles and practice of grief counseling. Springer publishing company.

Holland, J. M., Currier, J. M., Neimeyer, R. A. (2006) Meaning reconstruction in the first two years of bereavement: The role of sense-making and benefit-finding. Omega-Journal of Death and Dying. 53(3). 175–191.

Huh, H. J., Kim, K. H., Lee, H. K., Chae, J. H. (2020) Attachment style, complicated grief and post-traumatic growth in traumatic loss: The role of intrusive and deliberate rumination. Psychiatry investigation. 17(7). 636–645.

Janoff-Bulman, R. (1992) Shattered Assumptions: Towards a New Psychology of Trauma. New York, NY: The Free Press.

Klass, D. E., Silverman, P. R., Nickman, S. L. (1996) Continuing bonds: New understandings of grief. Philadelphia, PA: Taylor & Francis.

Klass, D., Steffen, E. M. (2018) Continuing bonds in bereavement. New directions for research and practice. Routledge. 352 pp.

Li, J., Sun, Y., Maccallum, F., Chow, A. Y. (2021) Depression, anxiety and post-traumatic growth among bereaved adults: A latent class analysis. Frontiers in Psychology. 11. 575311.

Martinčeková, L., Klatt, J. (2017) Mothers’ grief, forgiveness, and posttraumatic growth after the loss of a child. OMEGA-Journal of Death and Dying. 75(3). 248–265.

Michael, C., Cooper, M. (2013) Post-traumatic growth following bereavement: A systematic review of the literature. Counselling Psychology Review. 28(4). 18–33.

Neimeyer, R. A. (2009) Constructions of Death and Loss: A Personal and Professional Evolution. In R.J. Butler (ed.) Reflections in Personal Construct Theory. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons.

Neimeyer, R. A. (2009) Constructivist psychotherapy: Distinctive features. Routledge. 150 pp.

Neimeyer, R. A. (2001) Meaning reconstruction & the meaning of loss. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Neimeyer, R. A. (2016) Meaning reconstruction in the wake of loss: Evolution of a research program. Behaviour Change. 33(2). 65–79.

Neimeyer, R. A. (2021) New techniques of grief therapy: Bereavement and beyond. Routledge. 341 pp.

Neimeyer, R. A. (2015) Reconstructing meaning in bereavement. The Wiley handbook of personal construct psychology. 254–264.

Neimeyer, R. A. (2001) Searching for the meaning of meaning: Grief therapy and the process of reconstruction. Death Studies. 24. 541–558.

Neimeyer, R. A. (2020) What’s new in meaning reconstruction? Advancing grief theory and practice. Grief Matters: The Australian Journal of Grief and Bereavement. 23(1). 4–9.

Neimeyer, R. A., Burke, L. A., Mackay, M. M., van Dyke Stringer, J. G. (2010) Grief therapy and the reconstruction of meaning: From principles to practice. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy. 40. 73–83.

Neimeyer, R. A., Harris, D. L., Winokuer, H. R., Thornton, G. (2011) Grief and bereavement in contemporary society: Bridging research and practice. Routledge.

Neimeyer, R. A., Prigerson, H. G., Davies, B. (2002) Mourning and meaning. American Behavioral Scientist. 46(2). 235–251.

Parkes, C. (2006) Love and loss: The roots of grief and its complications. Hove: East Sussex.

Parkes, C. M. (1970) Psycho-social transitions: A field for study. Social Science and Medicine. 5. 101–115.

Qasim, K., Carson, J. (2022) Does post-traumatic growth follow parental death in adulthood? An empirical investigation. OMEGA-Journal of Death and Dying. 86(1). 25–44.

Qian, W., Tang, R., Jiao, K., Xu, X., Zou, X., & Wang, J. (2022) Growing in Suffering: The Curvilinear Relationship Between Prolonged Grief and Post-traumatic Growth of Recently Bereaved Individual During the COVID-19 Pandemic. OMEGA-Journal of Death and Dying. 1. P. 00302228221141937.

Stroebe, M. S. (2018) Good grief. Psychologist. 31(2). 24–28.

Stroebe, M., Schut, H. (2021) Bereavement in times of COVID-19: A review and theoretical framework. OMEGA-Journal of Death and Dying. 82(3). 500–522.

Stroebe, M., Schut, H. (2015) Family matters in bereavement: Toward an integrative intra-interpersonal coping model. Perspectives on Psychological Science. 10(6). 873–879.

Stroebe, M., Schut, H. (2016) Overload: A missing link in the dual process model? OMEGA-Journal of Death and Dying. 74(1). 96–109.

Stroebe, M., Schut, H. (2010) The dual process model of coping with bereavement: A decade on. OMEGA-journal of Death and Dying. 61(4). 273–289.

Stroebe, M., Schut, H. (1999) The dual process model of coping with bereavement: Rationale and description. Death studies. 23(3). 197–224.

Tedeschi, R. G., Calhoun, L. G. (2004) Posttraumatic growth: conceptual foundations and empirical evidence. Psychological inquiry. 15(1). 1–18.

Tedeschi, R. G., McNally, R. J. (2011) Can we facilitate posttraumatic growth in combat veterans? American Psychologist. 66(1). 19–24.

Tedeschi, R. G., Shakespeare-Finch, J., Taku, K., Calhoun, L. G. (2018) Posttraumatic growth: Theory, research, and applications. Routledge.

Tonkin, L. (2007) Certificate in Grief Support: Extending Your Skills in Working With Grieving Adults. Christchurch, New Zealand: Port Hills Press.

Waugh, A., Kiemle, G., Slade, P. (2018) What aspects of post-traumatic growth are experienced by bereaved parents? A systematic review. European Journal of Psychotraumatology. 9(1). P. 1506230.

Williams, H. et al. (2021) Posttraumatic growth in the context of grief: Testing the mindfulness-to-meaning theory. Journal of Loss and Trauma. 26(7). 611–623.

Wilson, J. (2013) Supporting people through loss and grief: An introduction for counsellors and other caring practitioners. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Záhorcová, L., Prielomková, A. (2020) Posttraumatic growth after the loss of a loved one in relation to ruminations and core beliefs. Human Affairs. 30(3). 399–412.

Published

2024-03-30

How to Cite

Synhaivska, I., & Berestovska, A. (2024). FEATURES OF PROVIDING PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT TO WOMEN EXPERIENCING THE LOSS OF A LOVED ONE DURING THE WAR. Science Notes of KROK University, (1(73), 214–226. https://doi.org/10.31732/2663-2209-2024-73-214-226