THE MEANING OF GRIEVING FOR FAMILIES LIVING WITH AIDS

Parse's research method was used to study the meaning of grieving for families living with AIDS. In videotaped dialogues, diverse families l iving with AIDS described their experiences of grieving in relation to death and other losses. Narratives of the grieving experiences of eac h family were constructed. Through the process of extraction-synthesis , the structure of grieving was generated. The four concepts within th e structure are explicated in this article as essential in family grie ving. Further interpretation led to a theoretical structure of grievin g within the human becoming belief system This view of grieving, as a multidimensional rhythmical process of intersubjective becoming, expan ds and specifics nursing's theory base. The study also confirms that P arse's methodology is valuable for family-centered nursing research.