Widowers’ Grief Experiences and Perceptions of Prolonged Grief Disorder
A Qualitative Study on Male Mental Health in Taiwan
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21748899 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Hsiang-Wan Tseng (0009-0000-1742-4297, Chang Gung University), Shwu‐Hua Lee (0000-0001-5606-1118, Chang Gung University), Shwu-Hua Lee (Department of Psychiatry, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan), Kuo‐Chen Liao (0000-0002-7742-7032, Chang Gung University), Kuo-Chen Liao (Chang Gung University), Ching-Yen Chen (0000-0003-0501-5132, Chang Gung University), Hsiu-Lan Lee (0000-0002-5305-557X, Chang Gung University), Yun‐Fang Tsai (0000-0002-2148-314X, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 15579883261453352-15579883261453352 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Men s Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1557-9883 • E-ISSN: 1557-9891 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/15579883261453352 |
| PMID | 42216469 |
| OpenAlex | W7162848306 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 29 |
The death of a spouse is a major life stressor for men, yet cultural and gender norms shape how grief is experienced and expressed. This qualitative study explored widowers’ grief experiences and perceptions of prolonged grief disorder (PGD) in Taiwan, focusing on implications for male mental health. Eighteen widowers were recruited from five outpatient clinics and interviewed using a semi-structured guide, and data were analyzed using a phenomenological approach based on Giorgi’s method. Four themes emerged: grief subordinated to paternal and familial responsibilities, with men prioritizing child-rearing and household duties over emotional processing; emotional restraint and internalized suffering, reflecting loneliness and rationalized acceptance of loss; functional impairment as the threshold for disorder, with grief seen as problematic primarily when daily functioning was disrupted; and help-seeking framed as pragmatic responsibility, with medical intervention pursued to restore role performance or fulfill moral duties to the deceased. An outlier case highlighted variability in marital intimacy and grief intensity. Participants’ perceptions of PGD were guided by functional impact rather than grief duration alone, and masculine and cultural norms shaped coping and help-seeking. These findings provide insights into male grief in an East Asian context and highlight the importance of culturally sensitive interventions that support role continuity, adaptive coping, and awareness of male mental health
Complicated grief · Grief · Loneliness · Mental health · Psychological intervention · Qualitative research · Spouse · Traumatic grief · Family Support in Illness · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Predictors of loneliness among older women and men in Sweden
Health outcomes of bereavement
Prevalence of complicated grief in a representative population-based sample
Prevalence of prolonged grief disorder in adult bereavement
Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (Coreq)
How the bereaved behave
Depressive symptoms among elderly men and women who transition to widowhood
Bereavement among widowed Latinos in the United States
Parent-Child Grief Interactions
Can grief be a mental disorder? An online survey on public opinion in mainland China
Naturalistic inquiry
Looking beyond the mean in grief trajectories
Psychosocial trajectories before and after spousal loss
Who suffers more? Sex differences in health risks of the widowed
Widowhood and Depression
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |