A Qualitative Research on University Students’ Religious Approaches during the Grieving Process

Abstract

The main objective of this research is to examine university students’ grieving process after the death of a relative in the context of their religious approaches. The working group of the study is composed of 15 participants who were determined from the Education, Science-Literature and Theology Faculties of Muş Alparslan University using the criterion sampling method. The study has a phenomenological design. A semi-structured interview form has been used as the data collection tool. Data obtained from the interviews have been subjected to content analysis. Accordingly, students’ emotions and behaviors are first concluded to change as a result of their closeness to the relative lost; in the case of losing a closer relative, such as a mother, father, or sibling, negative feelings like anger and rebellion are more dominant. Secondly, although students believe in God, life after death, and heaven, they have been determined to need spiritual support when adapting to loss and rearranging their life. In the study’s results, the necessity for developing and implementing spiritual care and counseling is discussed.

Keywords

• Loss
• Loss of a loved one
• Grief
• Mourning
• Religious coping
• Spiritual care