Subjective experience of grief in older adults due to filial migration: a multiple case study in Bayamo, Cuba

Abstract

This research analyzes the subjective experience of grief due to filial migration in older adults from Bayamo, Cuba. A qualitative approach with a phenomenological design and a multiple case study was employed. The sample consisted of six older adults aged 65 to 75 years, each with at least one child who had emigrated. Data collection techniques included in-depth interviews, observation, the projective technique of the Ten Wishes, and a semi-structured interview with a key informant. The analysis was organized around five dimensions of grief: physical, cognitive, affective, behavioral, and social. The findings revealed three types of subjective experience: elaborated, intermediate, and complicated grief. Ambiguous loss (Boss, 2006) proved central to explaining the impossibility of closing the grieving process. It is concluded that grief is a multidimensional process modulated by protective and risk factors, and that the Ten Wishes technique is a sensitive indicator of its elaboration.