Phantom Spouse; Adaptive Strategies of the Older Adult in the Face of the Death of a Spouse: Content Analysis

The death of a spouse in the older adult is a devastating loss. Given that older adults employ unique strategies for adapting to bereavement, this study was conducted to aim explaining the adaptation strategies of the older adult in the face of death of a spouse. The experiences of 21 participants were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the conventional content analysis approach of Lundman and Granheim's (2004), which led to the creation "Phantom Spouse" as the main category with four categories: "1-speaking to the deceased, 2- Establishing and maintaining the privacy of the deceased, 3- Being committed to the deceased, 4- Inducing the feeling of the presence of the deceased" and explained fourteen sub-categories. The concept of the phantom spouse represents a novel strategy for maintaining a symbolic and emotional connection with the deceased which leads to facilitating the adaptation process of the older adult to the bereavement of their spouse.