A phenomenological study of sibling non-normative death in young adulthood: Continuity, change, grief, and growth

The current study explores the impact of tragic sibling death on young adults using a phenomenological approach. This focus is important considering the limitations in current research, particularly the scarcity of qualitative studies that provide an in-depth understanding of the particular lived experience and the meaning behind the experience of tragic sibling loss on young adults. The sample included 14 Israeli young adults who lost a sibling in the military or in a terror attack during the past 10 years. Participants were recruited through snow-ball sampling and social media posts. The participants were interviewed in Hebrew, face-to-face, at our psychology lab, in quiet areas of local coffee shops, or at the participant’s homes. Participants were interviewed using semi-structured questions about various aspects of their experience as someone who lost a sibling. Results were analyzed using the phenomenological method (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994; Spinelli, 1989). Textural themes emanating from the content of the interviews included (1) strength and living a better life than before, (2) lack of awareness of the difficulty siblings experience, (3) appreciation and strengthening relationship with remaining siblings, (4) changes in the parental relationship, (5) the daily and sudden struggle, and (6) mixed emotions about continuing with life. The exploration of sibling bereavement through a phenomenological approach reveals the complexity of grief, particularly for young adults who lost a sibling in tragic circumstances.