Making meaning of estrangement from adult children and its relationship to sense of meaning in life among Finnish older adults

Research shows that family estrangement may be more common than previously assumed, yet little is known about how it relates to older parents’ sense of meaning in life. This study examines meaning-making in the context of estrangement and its relationship to overall sense of meaning in life in five Finnish older adults’ interviews. The data were analysed with abductive narrative categorical-content analysis and deductive thematic analysis. The findings indicate that attributing responsibility was the most common form of meaning-making and self-blame appeared to be associated with a crisis of meaning. More broadly, the findings suggest that alternative sources of meaning may play a more important role in coping with estrangement than meaning-making itself. Community and generativity emerged as particularly important sources of meaning. Nevertheless, generativity, expressed through the intergenerational transmission of religion and inheritance, may be more difficult to sustain outside intergenerational family relationships. Further research on estrangement and meaning in life is needed.