The construction and development of a measure on Chinese continuing bond and its correlates with bereavement outcomes

Abstract

Dealing with the relationship with deceased family members is one of the core tasks in the bereavement process. It is common for bereaved persons to experience some forms of ongoing connections with deceased family members. Yet the phenomenon was not very well understood in the field, especially in the Chinese contexts. There was an emerging need to develop a standardized measure on continuing bond experience, while expanding cultural perspective on understanding continuing bond experience. This thesis aims to address the above research gaps, to construct and develop a Chinese continuing bond measure and explores its factor structures and psychometric properties among Chinese bereaved persons in Hong Kong.

The research adopted a mixed method approach comprising of two parts. The first part is a qualitative study conducted with eight bereaved persons and two professional staff working in death related industry. Twenty-eight continuing bond experiences were identified and a Chinese continuing bond measure was constructed. A three-factor conceptual structure, with continuing bond experiences categorized into experiencing in five senses, reflecting in mind and attitude and expressing through actions, were proposed for further analyses.

The second part is a quantitative study investigating the empirical structure of the Chinese continuing bond measure and psychometric properties of Chinese continuing bond measure. The prevalence of various continuing bond experiences among Chinese bereaved person has ranged from 6.7% to 83.7%, with an overall prevalence of 96.6%. Factor analysis revealed a seven-factor empirical structure of Chinese continuing bond consists of universal bond, sensory bond, Confucian legacy, bond built on ashes, Taoist rituals, deceased in daily life and collective bond. The psychometric properties of the Chinese continuing bond measure were explored.

This thesis develops a cultural sensitive measure on Chinese continuing bond. It sheds lights on a wider cultural perspective on understanding continuing bond experiences. This preliminary research would serve as the basis for future studies on Chinese continuing bond. Implications, limitations and future directions are further discussed.