Moving Forward in Compounded Grief: Communicated Resilience after COVID-19 Related Losses

Abstract

Losses during the COVID-19 pandemic presented people with a unique type of compounded grief. This study explores how individuals foster resilience in coping with COVID-19-related losses by investigating two research questions. Open-ended survey responses were coded using the Communication Theory of Resilience (CTR) framework, revealing how individuals enact certain resilience processes and how interactions contribute to resilience efforts. Findings demonstrate how interactions that supported resilience processes were generally perceived as helpful, while interactions that conflicted with resilience processes were considered harmful. The study provides ongoing support for the CTR framework and resilience scholarship.

Keywords:

• Communication
• COVID-19
• grief
• loss
• resilience

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Darby Scott for her assistance with data analysis and coding.

Disclosure Statement

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

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1. For the purpose of clarity, frequencies and examples included in the results are categorized by each response’s primary code.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kendyl A. Barney

Kendyl A. Barney, M.A. is an interpersonal and family communication researcher. Her scholarship explores the experience of grief in families and communities, storytelling, and the intersection of the material and the interpersonal. Kendyl holds an M.A. in Communication Studies from University of Montana and is published in Journal of Family Communication, Journal of Social & Personal Relationships, and Review of Communication Research. She currently works for the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture as a Social Science Specialist.

Emily Scheinfeld

Emily Scheinfeld, Ph.D., (The University of Texas at Austin) is an assistant professor in the School of Communication & Media at Kennesaw State University. Her research interests center on how adult children and their parents communicate during difficult conversations and is interested in examining how familial health communication varies from everyday communication. She is currently exploring grief experiences, both online and in person, and how those processes impact social support, coping processes, and interpersonal relationships. She has published in Health Communication, American Journal of Health Behavior, American Journal of Infection Control, & Journal of Social & Personal Relationships.

Katlyn Gangi

Katlyn Gangi, Ph.D. is currently the Product Education Manager at Ontraport, a Santa Barbara based software company. She holds a Ph.D. in Communication from University of California Santa Barbara, a M.A. in Communication Studies from University of Montana, and a B.A. in Psychology from Michigan State University. Her research focus is interpersonal communication. Specifically, she is interested in the ways in which our interactions impact our health and well-being.

Erin C. Nelson

Erin C. Nelson, Ph.D., (University of Texas at Austin) is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Concordia University Irvine. Her research interests include interpersonal and family communication with an emphasis on health, specifically how cancer patients manage their uncertainty and disclosures to family members. She is a member of the National Communication Association and has presented over 25 conference papers, published three book chapters, and is working on many research projects surrounding issues of health and interpersonal communication.

Catherine C. Sinardi

Catherine C. Sinardi, Ph.D. is Director and Professor of Public Health and Healthcare Management at Concordia University Irvine. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Healthcare Executives of Southern California as Chair of Academic Affairs. She has held various administrative positions in nonprofit and community mental health in the Greater Los Angeles area. In 2011, she completed her Doctor of Education degree in Organizational Leadership at the University of La Verne. She holds a Master of Science degree in Counseling from California State University, Long Beach, and earned her license in marriage and family therapy in 2006.