The Meaning of Death: A Phenomenological Study of Chinese Adults Who Have Lost a Loved One

The Asian population in the United States is increasing; continued study of the grieving and mourning process in Chinese culture is especially important. This study aimed to contribute to the professional development of mental health clinicians who work with bereaved individuals. This qualitative-phenomenological study provides a rich and detailed description of the lived experiences of Chinese-American adults who have lost a loved one and explores the following research questions: (l) What is the lived experience of losing a loved one among bereaved Chinese-American adults? (2) What barriers or challenges do bereaved Chinese-American adults encounter during their grieving process? (3) How do the traditional Chinese mourning traditions affect bereaved Chinese-American adults' grieving process? (4) What sources of support do bereaved Chinese-American adults commonly rely upon? (5) Are Chinese-American adults able to find meaning in the death of a love one? The results indicated that one viewpoint shared by study participants was that making meaning of the death increases the bereaved individuals' perception of hopefulness and sense of hope about the future.