Bereavement and the role of religious and cultural factors

Abstract

The aim of this article is to give an overview of some of the key dimensions of variation in cultural and religious rituals during the immediate period after a death and in the longer term, in order to inform service delivery in multi-cultural societies. For each area we give examples of different customs, and consider their functions and possible impact. Dimensions considered in the immediate period after bereavement are: The time and space given to formal rituals, expression of feelings, assertion of status and disposal of the body. In the longer term, we look at variations in remembering the deceased and in continuing bonds. Throughout we consider the interplay between individual responses and the person's cultural and religious context. Our objective is to provide an accessible introduction for practitioners new to working with bereavement and provide a succinct reference point for more experienced bereavement workers.

Keywords:

• Grief
• bereavement
• culture
• religion

Acknowledgements

We pulled together this article in response to a request for an overview, drawing on our varied experiences, that might introduce GPs to this area, but decided the material would be of more general interest.