Experiences of AIDS-related bereavement among gay men: Implications for care more

Mortality, Vol. 1, No. 3, 1996 267 CLARE WRIGHT1 & ADRIAN COYLE2 1Healthlands Mental Health Trust, Guildford & ^Department of Psychology, University of Surrey, United Kingdom Abstract Relatively little high-quality, qualitative research has been conducted on experiences of AIDS-related bereavement among gay men. Sixteen gay men from London and Surrey who had lost at least one close gay friend or partner to AIDS in the past 5 years were interviewed about their experiences. Data were analysed using a grounded theory approach. Although there were areas of overlap, participants' AIDS-related bereavement emerged as qualitatively different from other forms of loss reported by other populations. These differences chiefly concerned the effects of social stigma associated with AIDS and gay sexuality. Other differentiating factors were the possibility that the bereaved may be facing death from the same cause as the deceased; the relative youth of the bereaved; and the often multiple nature of the bereavement. The majority of participants had experienced a deficit in social support following their bereavement. Helpful social support was described as that which was practical, which acknowledged the individual nature of the grief and which was empathic and non-judgemental A range of coping strategies was described, with involvement in HIV/AIDS work often being cited. Interventions are suggested to help gay men cope with AIDS-related bereavement. Introduction Although the greatest number of AIDS-related deaths in the western world has occurred among gay men, there has been relatively little high-quality research conducted on the bereavement experiences of gay men who have lost significant others to AIDS (see Bergeron & Handley, 1992, for a bibliography). Studies which have attempted to chart the experiences of those negotiating AIDS- related bereavement have drawn attention to factors such as social stigma, 'victim-blaming' and multiple loss which render the loss of a significant other to AIDS qualitatively different from other forms of loss (Dean, 1995; Martin, 1988; Murphy & Perry, 1988; Sherr et al.3 1992). Similarly, material dealing with loss and bereavement among gay men has reported that the bereavement process can be further problematized by issues concerned with social represen- tations of gay sexuality (Richmond & Ross, 1995; Siegal & Hoefer, 1981). Current models of grief and bereavement cannot easily accommodate these factors (Schwartzberg, 1992). Gay men who have lost significant others to AIDS Correspondence to: Clare Wright, Healthlands Mental Health Trust, Guildford East Community Mental Health Team, 49 Farnham Road, Guildford, Surrey GU2 5JN, United Kingdom. Fax. (01483) 450051. 1357-6275/96/030267-16 © Journals Oxford Ltd