Human Connection, Post-traumatic Growth and Grief in the Digital Era

Goal

Understanding how death and loss are reconfigured in the pandemic and post-pandemic world, and how human connection can be fostered through digital media. Understanding how memory and significance of a loved one can be kept and how they configure themselves in a context where it is often not possible to say goodbye "properly" meaning with direct contact or face to face, due to the infectious character of the pandemic.
Our idea is to characterize the processes of loss and compare them to other situations in which a proper parting of the other person is not possible (the context of "forced disappearances" which has been sadly very common in Colombia in the past decades can provide some insights in how these grieving processes develop, how they sometimes go into complicated or traumatic grief and how to prevent these complicated results.
We want to focus on all factors (contextual and situational as well as dispositional) that can help. We want to address issues such as psychological flexibility as a protective factor, but we want a very broad view not only from the individual point of view but also including anthropological as well as philosophical questions in our analysis of groups and communities.

Opportunity

Other authors have identified an increase in the negative effects and complications in grieving, in the form of hindering the adjustment after a loss in the context of the pandemic. The scholarly discussion revolves around the topic of a good death, and how to incorporate it (dying alone, but also being alone) into our daily lives. Our idea is to hear the voices of people previously confronted with difficult bereavement situations, and those that are in that situation now, also including caregivers in order to identify and gain a closer view of what the "digital human connection" could look like.

Roadblocks

Difficulties in the definitions of the concepts "grief" "bereavement" and "loss" as well as "connection" and "growth" could be detrimental. There is no standard definition of how to better adjust to losing someone and there is also a lack of consensus on what the "normal" adjustment is. Further, this area of research is very sensitive to the underlying assumptions and values of researchers as well as to disciplinary differences in description and method. Focusing only on the individual could give an incomplete picture of what growth could mean in other contexts.Finally, digital resources and literacy are often unequally distributed.

Breakthroughs Needed

First a comprehensive review of relevant literature could help to better define relevant constructs. A delphi-method design including experts from different academic backgrounds as well as the public could be brought into the construction of a road map of post-traumatic growth, stating all relevant hypotheses for further work and experiments. A true interdisciplinary approach is needed in order to make underlying assumptions and biases visible. With this map in place, further studies could address specific populations to test the aforementioned hypothesis. Working with medical personnel, media reporters, undertakers, religious ministers, politicians, bereaved individuals, among other groups of stakeholders would provide a clear picture of conditions necessary for growth and also of the risk factors associated with poorer outcomes in terms of adjustment.
Our idea is to provide the space for dialogue including spiritual, social and psychological aspects.
The next step would be to include the general aspects of loneliness and connection though digital media. Our idea is to explore how to establish networks by identifying already existing networks and analyzing them systematically to identify nodes and modes of connecting individuals with meaningful activities. The search for a purpose and wellbeing will be key in the final phase of innovative implementation.

Key Indicators of Success

In the first phases of the idea, attendance and attention by relevant actors are key indicators of success. For the summer school and webinar, attendance of participants and their reaching of the learning goals are key. Further, for both the project calls and the contest, to have good projects and a wide range of products would be the key indices of success. In the end, attention of the public and satisfaction and impact (affordability, practicability, effectiveness, acceptability, safety and equity "APEASE") of the top 5 initiatives would be a sign of going in the right direction in the implementation phase.

Additional Information

Related Articles
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2020.10.004
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2020.100878
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2020.09.003

Possible collaborators
Diana Agudelo, Psychology, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá Colombia
Monica Giedelmann, Anthropology
Victoria Díaz Facio Lince, Psychology Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
Catalina Gonzalez, Philosophy, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá Colombia
Christine Knaevelsrud from the Free University, Berlin, Germany