I Want My Loved One Back Virtually”
Exploring the Desire of Bereaved People to Create and Maintain Digital Bonds With Their Deceased Loved Ones
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13630684 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Daisuke Kawashima (0000-0002-5642-5177, Chukyo University, corresponding author), Tomomi Kempe (0009-0004-8147-5338, Chukyo University), Yoshiki Koga (0000-0002-5249-7544, Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 92 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 1049-1065 |
| Publication date | 2023-08-16 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0030-2228 • E-ISSN: 1541-3764 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00302228231194857 |
| PMID | 37584392 |
| OpenAlex | W4385850650 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 30 |
With the rapid development of digital technology in recent years, virtual funerals and the reproduction of deceased persons in digital spaces have become possible. However, few empirical studies have been conducted on this topic. This study assessed the attitudes of bereaved people toward digital bonds with their deceased relatives, and explored related factors. A survey was administered to bereaved, middle-aged Japanese citizens who had lost a first-degree relative within the previous 10 years. The results showed that most respondents did not seek digital bonds, but nearly 20% wanted to be reunited with their deceased in a digital space. The desire to maintain digital bonds was significantly related to other variables, such as the deceased's age and years since their death. Regression analysis revealed that the desire for digital bonds predicted complicated grief 5 months later. The findings suggest that digital bonds may influence post-bereavement maladjustment
Bond · Business · Grief · Psychiatry · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Psychology · Social Psychology
The experiences in close relationships—Relationship Structures Questionnaire
Health outcomes of bereavement
A short form of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory
The Ethics and Impact of Digital Immortality
Towards a postmortal society of virtualised ancestors? The Virtual Deceased Person and the preservation of the social bond
Posthumous personhood and the affordances of digital media
To Continue or Relinquish Bonds
Mourning and Grief on Facebook
Mourning 2.0—Continuing Bonds Between the Living and the Dead on Facebook
The New Forms of Mourning
The Usage of Digital Resources by Swedish Suicide Bereaved in Their Grief Work
Internalized versus externalized continuing bonds
Internalized and Externalized Continuing Bonds in Bereaved Parents
Continuing Bonds, Risk Factors for Complicated Grief, and Adjustment to Bereavement
Investigating risk for grief severity
Social Support "Internetworks," Caskets for Sale, and More
Caring about carelessness
Who Wants to Live Forever? Living, Dying and Grieving in Our Digital Society
Does the Internet Change How We Die and Mourn? Overview and Analysis
Continuing bonds and adjustment at 5 years after the death of a spouse
An ethical framework for the digital afterlife industry
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |