Gendered bereavement resilience in later life: A grounded theory from post-disaster Lombok, Indonesia
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Abstract
This qualitative study investigates the gendered aspects of bereavement resilience among older Muslim adults in Lombok, Indonesia, following the 2018 earthquake and tsunami. Utilizing grounded theory, the research employs in-depth interviews and non-participant observations to explore how cultural, religious, and gender-related frameworks shape coping strategies after spousal loss. Ten participants (five men and five women) aged 60 and above were purposely selected. Data were thematically analyzed, focusing on spiritual practices, social roles, emotional reactions, and meaning-making processes. The findings identify four primary domains of coping and resilience: (1) role-based identity restoration, (2) spiritual coping & moral reorientation, (3) spatial & symbolic coping mechanisms, and (4) emotional processing & acceptance. The study highlights gender-specific coping mechanisms: men predominantly engaged in public religious activities, labor, and emotional restraint, whereas women relied on caregiving, private devotional acts, sensory remembrance, and emotional openness. Core Islamic concepts such as takdir (divine destiny), sabar (patience), and husnul khatimah (a good death) were pivotal for both genders, guiding emotional recovery and spiritual preparedness. The Gendered Bereavement Resilience Framework illustrates the dynamic interplay of cultural expectations, religious beliefs, and gender roles in promoting adaptive coping in later life. This study contributes to resilience theory by framing bereavement as a psychological, social, and theological process. Unlike East Asian or Western models, centered on ancestor worship. It emphasizes collective ceremonies as critical to recovery, underscoring the necessity for culturally and theologically informed bereavement and disaster interventions in Muslim-majority, disaster-prone communities.
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