title: The meaning of loss codebook: construction of a system for analyzing meanings made in bereavement.
abstract: Recent research on grieving populations has emphasized the role of meaning making in adaptation to bereavement, typically relying on simple self-reports of the extent to which respondents have been able to find sense or benefit in their loss. The present article reports the development of a reliable and comprehensive coding system for analyzing meanings made in the wake of the death of a loved one, yielding a 30-category codebook demonstrating excellent reliability, and comprising both negative and positive themes that arise as grievers attempt to make sense of loss. Based on an intensive qualitative analysis of a diverse sample of 162 adults mourning the natural or violent death of a variety of loved ones, the Meaning of Loss Codebook could prove useful in process-outcome studies of grief therapy, analysis of naturalistic first-person writing about bereavement experiences in grief diaries and blogs, and clinical assessment of meanings made in the course of bereavement support or professional intervention.
authors: a New Mexico VA Healthcare System , Albuquerque , New Mexico , USA.
authors: James
authors: J
authors: Gillies
authors: Robert A
authors: RA
authors: Neimeyer
authors: Evgenia
authors: E
authors: Milman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001601:Bereavement; D003643:Death; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D036301:Qualitative Research; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055815:Young Adult