The process of grief: Mediating role of unfinished business on social media mourning amidst the Covid-19 pandemic

• Main Authors: Fernandez, Crista C., Kumar, Nidhya P., Sabangan, Dorothy Anne DL., Tagle, Gabrielle Marie C.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2023
• Subjects: Grief; Social media; Psychology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdb_psych/27; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdb_psych/article/1053/viewcontent/2023_Fernandez_Kumar_THE_PROCESS_OF_GRIEF__Full_text.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the grieving process was not an exception to the changes it brought to the conditions surrounding people's grief. The need for physical isolation brought forth the inability to hold traditional mourning ceremonies. Thus, people sought alternative ways to grieve and process their loss, one of which was social media. This study aimed to explore the mediating role of Unfinished Business in the relationship between Grief and Social Media Mourning (SMM). The study utilized a correlational research design through a mixed methods approach on a sample of 18-25 year old individuals who lost a loved one between 2020-2022 (N=170). The researchers conducted a series of Focus Group Discussions on 9 willing participants for the qualitative component of the study. Correlation, mediation analyses, and Sobel’s test were employed to measure the mediating effect of Unfinished Business on Grief and SMM, whereas thematic analysis was utilized for the qualitative data results. Findings from the quantitative analyses revealed that Grief was positively correlated with SMM. Though both factors under Unfinished Business, Unfulfilled Wishes, and Unresolved Conflict did not significantly mediate the relationship between Grief and SMM. Qualitative findings revealed 8 themes that explored narratives about pandemic bereavement, factors that affected grieving, and their musings on online mourning. The results of this study suggest Social Support as a catalyst behind the relationship between Grief and SMM.