Expressions of Grief in Online Discussion Forums—Linguistic Similarities and Differences in Pet and Human Bereavement.
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| Title: | Expressions of Grief in Online Discussion Forums—Linguistic Similarities and Differences in Pet and Human Bereavement. |
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| Authors: | Lyons, Minna1 m.lyons@liv.ac.uk, Floyd, Katie1, McCray, Haley1, Peddie, Claire1, Spurdle, Katherine1, Tlusty, Amelia1, Watkinson, Charlotte1, Brewer, Gayle1 |
| Source: | Omega: Journal of Death & Dying. Sep2022, Vol. 85 Issue 4, p1007-1025. 19p. 4 Charts, 11 Graphs. |
| Subject Terms: | *Grief, *Discussion, *Social media, *Comparative studies, *Emotions, Linguistics, Loss (Psychology), Internet, Pets, Descriptive statistics, Data analysis software, Bereavement |
| Abstract: | We compared online discussion forum posts related to pet loss to those related to human bereavement. Posts (N = 401) were analyzed using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count software for frequencies of word use relevant to bereavement. Words related to anger, sadness, and negative emotions were used at similar frequencies for all grief. Sibling loss was associated with using first person pronouns at higher frequencies, and positive emotion words at lower frequencies than other categories of loss. There were some similarities in partners and pets in the word use related to friends and social connectedness. Words related to religion were highest when writing about losing a child and lowest when losing a pet. Our results highlight the similarities in the vocabulary in pet and human bereavement. Findings demonstrate the importance of online discussion forums for understanding the process of grief and specific relationship types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Omega: Journal of Death & Dying is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
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| Abstract: | We compared online discussion forum posts related to pet loss to those related to human bereavement. Posts (N = 401) were analyzed using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count software for frequencies of word use relevant to bereavement. Words related to anger, sadness, and negative emotions were used at similar frequencies for all grief. Sibling loss was associated with using first person pronouns at higher frequencies, and positive emotion words at lower frequencies than other categories of loss. There were some similarities in partners and pets in the word use related to friends and social connectedness. Words related to religion were highest when writing about losing a child and lowest when losing a pet. Our results highlight the similarities in the vocabulary in pet and human bereavement. Findings demonstrate the importance of online discussion forums for understanding the process of grief and specific relationship types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 00302228 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/0030222820914678 |
