An Autophotography of the Young Adult Children of Bereaved Families in Korea

Abstract

The present study, using autophotography, shows how Korean young adult children experienced the death of a parent and how they created a new life following parental death. The results suggest that the loss of a parent is a continuing process. The parental loss started in the period of struggle in which one parent was dying and the other family members were attempting to care for the dying parent. Then young adult children experienced the emotional moment of the parental death. After the official death announcement to social networks came the life of a single-parent family. The bereaved tried to adjust to new roles within the single-parent family while coping with challenges from the sociocultural context. They also established a new single parent-child relationship and constructed their continuing bond with the deceased parent.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sungeun Yang

Sungeun Yang is an associate professor at Inha University, South Korea. Her research focuses on qualitative research methodology and family relationships.