ScholarWorks@숙명여자대학교

초록

The purpose of this study is to understand the death anxiety experiences of middle-aged women who have reached the age of death of their deceased parents and to reveal the essence of them. The research question set to achieve this research purpose is “What is the meaning and essence of death anxiety experiences of middle-aged women who have reached the age of death of their deceased parents?” The researchers collected data through in-depth interviews with five female participants aged 51-59 years, and analyzed the data using Giorgi’s descriptive phenomenology research method. The experiences of the study participants were divided into situational statements and general structure statements. The results of study are as follows. In the situational statement, 46 topics were derived. The researchers found that their recovery experiences mean ‘sky is falling: shock of parents’ death,’ ‘my destiny to live an identical life of parents’,’ death anxiety resurfacing by a crisis at the middle of life,’ ‘crossing the sea to survive the pain of loss,’ ‘absence of parents who used to be always by my side,’ ‘meeting and comforting me I had buried deep in my mind,’ ‘hugging middle-aged parents I met again,’ ‘staring at death and embracing it,’ and ‘maturity as a mortal being, keeping the scars of loss.’ Through this, the essence of the death anxiety experience of a middle-aged woman who has reached the age of death of their deceased parents has been concluded as “the process of reconciliation with death running through life while keeping sorrow.” Based on the results of the study, the researchers discussed the death anxiety experiences of middle-aged women becoming age of death of their deceased parents, and then presented their significance and suggestions.

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