Transnational grieving: The lived experience of Overseas Filipino Workers who lost their loved ones due to COVID-19

Abstract

This study aimed to gain an insight into the lived experience of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who lost their family members due to COVID-19 during the lockdown in 2020. Five OFWs volunteered to participate in this study and underwent online semi-structured interviews. An interpretative phenomenological approach guided the data analysis, through which four major themes were derived: (1) experiencing the emotional strains of unexpected death while physically distant; (2) enduring the absence of traditional mourning rituals; (3) managing grief from a distance; and (4) finding closure through physical and symbolic presence. These findings shed light on how OFWs experienced loss and grief during the lockdown, as well as how they coped amidst the distance and eventually finding a degree of closure.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.