Reorganizing bonds: A qualitative exploration of the bereavement experience of adult only children losing their parent

Despite growing research on bereavement, the experience of China's only-child generation after parental loss remains insufficiently examined. This study explores the bereavement experiences of only-child adults who provided end-of-life care to their parents. Using thematic analysis of interviews with 15 participants and fieldwork materials, and guided by the Continuing Bonds perspective, four themes emerged: Losing You Is Losing Me and the World: The Identity and Social Life Change; Things I Owe You Keep Me Regretting: The Filial Guilt and Perspective Shift on Regret; Our Exclusive Bond Becomes Our Shared Bonds: Divergent Ways of Remembering; I Am A Mature Adult with Your Blessing: Internalizing Bonds Toward Positivity. The findings show how bond continuation encompasses not only enduring individual ties to deceased parents but also expanded connectedness to the griever peer-support community, shaped by their unique only-child experiences. These insights underscore the need for relational, community-based bereavement support for this population.