"Recently, my mother passed away suddenly from a hemorrhagic stroke. Along with the shock and pain of losing a parent, my mourning was made even more difficult by the fact that I was overseas while she was dying and unable to be physically present. I felt profound anguish at not being able to say a real goodbye, just a few words over the phone."
"Transnational death is the experience of managing grief and bereavement from a distance, separated not only from the loved one who has passed but also from family, friends, and the meaningful places connected to one's country of origin (Katczynski et al., 2023). A 2024 study by Nguyễn and colleagues found that transnational death is a common and often challenging experience for many expatriates and migrants. Yet distance doesn't have to cross international borders to create this sense of loss."
Grief can intensify when physical distance prevents presence at a loved one's death, a phenomenon called transnational death. Transnational death involves managing bereavement across geographical separation from the deceased, family, community, and meaningful places tied to origin. A 2024 study by Nguyễn and colleagues found that expatriates and migrants commonly experience this challenge, and long-distance grief can also occur within the same country. Geographical separation creates emotional, physical, and practical obstacles, including guilt, profound sadness, inability to perform rituals or handle mementos, and isolation from traditional support systems. Personal accounts include sudden parental loss while overseas and the anguish of not being able to say a real goodbye.
Read at Psychology Today
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]