Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Oct-Dec;13(4):239-250.
doi: 10.1080/15524256.2017.1387216.

Digital Storytelling: Families' Search for Meaning after Child Death

Abigail J Rolbiecki  1 , Karla Washington  1 , Katina Bitsicas  1
Affiliations

Digital Storytelling: Families' Search for Meaning after Child Death

Abigail J Rolbiecki et al. J Soc Work End Life Palliat Care. 2017 Oct-Dec.

Abstract

Bereaved families that collectively make meaning of their grief experiences often function better than those that do not, yet most social work bereavement interventions target individuals rather than family units. In this article, authors describe an innovative social work intervention that employs digital storytelling. This is a narrative technique that combines photography, music, and spoken word to help families bereaved by child death make meaning of their loss and envision a future without their deceased child.

Keywords: Bereavement; child death; digital storytelling; family; meaning-making.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests:

The authors have no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Adapted Constructivist Meaning-making Model
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Sample Storyboard Template
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Akard TF, Dietrich MS, Friedman DL, Hinds PS, Given B, Wray S, & Gilmer MJ (2015). Digital storytelling: An innovative legacy‐making intervention for children with cancer. Pediatric Blood & Cancer, 62(4), 658–665. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Akard TF, Gilmer MJ, Friedman DL, Given B, Hendricks-Ferguson VL, & Hinds PS (2013). From qualitative work to intervention development in pediatric oncology palliative care research. Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, 30(3), 153–160. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Barnato AE, Schenker Y, Tiver G, Dew MA, Arnold RM, Nunez ER, & Reynolds CF (2017). Storytelling in the Early Bereavement Period to Reduce Emotional Distress Among Surrogates Involved in a Decision to Limit Life Support in the ICU: A Pilot Feasibility Trial. Critical Care Medicine, 45(1), 35–46. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bosticco C, & Thompson TL (2005). Narratives and story telling in coping with grief and bereavement. OMEGA-Journal of Death and Dying, 51(1), 1–16.
    1. Briant KJ, Halter A, Marchello N, Escareño M, & Thompson B. (2016). The Power of Digital Storytelling as a Culturally Relevant Health Promotion Tool. Health Promotion Practice, 1524839916658023. - PMC - PubMed