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'I still hope, but what I hope for now has changed': A narrative inquiry study of hope and ambiguous loss when someone is missing
Abstract and Figures
More than 35000 Australians are reported missed each year. National data identifies that the incidence of people going missing, and of those who remain missing long-term (more than six months), are increasing. When a person is missing, the impact on the emotional wellbeing of those left behind is profound. There is a dearth of international research examining the experience of long-term loss when a person is missing. Further, limited research exists on the social constructs of what such loss means and how it is experienced. Limited prior literature reports that loss for those left behind is both ambiguous and unresolved. Hope is a persistent inclusion in the narratives of those describing their experience of missing someone, yet the role of hope has not been explored. This study examines the broader experience of what it means for families of missing people to hope. This project was grounded in a narrative inquiry framework bound to a reflexive praxis. Stories of hope and loss were shared by 19 family members of missing people with experiences post-missing stretching from 9 months to 34 years, which reflected on the time since the missing person vanished. Three phases of data collection included 5 narrative in-depth interviews, a virtual focus group of 14 participants, followed by an invitation for all participants to clarify their experiences. Eight individuals chose to reengage the researcher. The analysis revealed five significant findings: 1) hope existed within the participants’ narratives which provided meaning to their bond to the missing person; 2) hope splinters once the physical loss of the missing person is realised; 3) hope and time are intrinsically linked where hope does not decrease over time but signifies new attachment to life post-loss; 4) there is scope to identify hope as having public narratives openly shared with others and private narratives that are not willingly shared by those left behind when engaging with the media and the broader community; and, 5) the acknowledgment that hope allows families to exist in the liminal space between their missing person’s presence and absence. Importantly, the study highlights the shifting foundations of hope where its inclusion is not duplicated between family members; rather, the experience of hope is an individual engagement impacted by external forces. Finally, the study recommends that the rich reflections of hope uncovered are incorporated by those agencies and services from whom the left behind seek support. These include law enforcement, the Coroner’s Office, and therapeutic support. These agencies and services need to further explore their roles as ‘hope enablers’ and ‘hope detractors’ in the lives of those learning to live with the uncertainty of missing.
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... The lived experience of those left behind when a loved one is a long-term missing person, predominantly adults, has received greater attention in recent times (Boss, 2006;Clark, 2006;Glassock, 2011;von Suhr, 2003;Wayland, 2015); however, the experience of young people, who are the focus of this research, has received little attention and has remained largely unaddressed until now. Young people are an integral part of the missing person's family and no less significantly affected by the loss of their missing loved one than older members of their families and communities, and yet they are a mostly invisible or overlooked cohort in the leftbehind population. ...
... While anecdotally there is powerful evidence that indicates those left behind, including young people, are significantly impacted by the loss of a missing person, the need for further investigation into the impact on those left behind has been repeatedly identified (Biehal, Mitchell & Wade, 2003;Clark, 2006;Corr, 2010;Glassock, 2006;von Suhr, 2003;Wayland, 2015). Service providers cannot rely on anecdotal evidence alone to inform and shape the way support is delivered to young people. ...
... The literature examining the experience of those left behind when a loved one is a missing person has predominantly focused on adults (Boss, 1999;Glassock, 2011;Wayland, 2015); the experience of young people is largely unexplored and undocumented in the existing literature. Boss (1999Boss ( , 2002aBoss ( , 2006 has written extensively on the experience of ambiguous loss, and the loss associated with missingness; although young people are not specifically identified in much of the research, it is reasonable to infer that the experience and impact of missing on young people is likely to bear some similar characteristics to the experience of adults (Families & Friends of Missing Persons, 2012a). ...
This thesis explores the experience of young people who have a long-term missing loved one – a father, grandfather, sibling or cousin - bringing the experience of young people when a loved one is missing into the spotlight, to remind others of their presence in families and communities affected by the loss of a missing person, and to inform practice and service provider responses. The research is informed by the construct of ambiguous loss as a theoretical framework, and the related concepts of trauma and loss, coping and resilience. Each young person sits within a family, a community, and a wider societal context.
... England, Wales and Scotland recorded 242,317 missing incidents in 2015, which equates to 368 people a day (NCA, 2017). Similar population statistics exist for the United States, with reports of returned missing people remaining similar to that of Australia (Wayland, 2015). The phenomena of going missing occurs in every country in the world, extending to incidents where people have vanished due to political intervention, mass disappearances during times of war or unstable migration (Edkins, 2011). ...
... What is known from the literature is that presentations of families of missing people are similar to those of people who have experienced a sudden and traumatic death (Wayland, 2015). Wayland (2015) notes that in exploring the experience of hope for families of missing people, people often go back to their last interaction with the missing person, pointing out the moment where they no longer live in the before, a space where the missing person's whereabouts are known. ...
... What is known from the literature is that presentations of families of missing people are similar to those of people who have experienced a sudden and traumatic death (Wayland, 2015). Wayland (2015) notes that in exploring the experience of hope for families of missing people, people often go back to their last interaction with the missing person, pointing out the moment where they no longer live in the before, a space where the missing person's whereabouts are known. They are then forced with a jarring reminder that that they now populate the after. ...
2019 marks the twentieth anniversary of the 1999 landmark publication Ambiguous loss: learning to live with unresolved grief by Emeritus Professor Pauline Boss. The book, and its exploration of uncertainty, has invited ambiguous loss into the grief counselling space, as a way to provide specialised care for families and friends of missing people. This scoping review aims to examine the breadth of literature regarding counselling interventions from the previous work of Boss to the present day, as a way to enhance quality of life for people left behind when someone is missing. The literature highlights the experience of trauma relating to complicated mourning, as well as opportunities for post-traumatic growth while people wait for news of their loved ones. The results of the review, and suggestions for future research and therapeutic interventions, demonstrate that families of missing people need specialised support when they access grief counselling. The review demonstrates how counsellors can extend their knowledge of grief interventions and learn to tolerate uncertainty themselves in order to provide support to this important group of individuals post-loss and potentially prior to a confirmed bereavement.
... In the last year, this professional reflection has shaped the way I work and research in response to Liminality is defined as 'a state of in-between-ness and ambiguity' (Beech 2011) that defines how we identify ourselves and how we relate to the world around us. When we exist in the liminal space, we experience a sense of (what I described in my 2015 thesis on the role of hope for families of the missing) as 'betwixt and between oscillating between the known and the unknown' (Wayland 2015). ...
... The therapeutic modalities and approaches to respond better to those learning to live with an ambiguous loss are not to be outcome focussed in helping people attain closure (Wayland 2015), and COVID-19 opened a door of uncertainty worldwide, meaning that our goal is to remain person-centred allowing movement between hopefulness and hopelessness. Boss (1999) refers to 'both/and thinking' as one of the ways in which individuals (and as self-care strategies for professionals) hold both space for the current and everchanging pandemic situations, AND providing space to acknowledge the ruminations that occur when a new life experience triggers responses akin to an ambiguous or unresolved loss. ...
... W anglojęzycznej literaturze, poświęconej problematyce zaginięć i ich konsekwencjom na poziomie mikrospołecznym, podkreślany jest przede wszystkim aspekt psychologicznych następstw dla członków rodzin i innych bliskich osób. Doświadczenie zaginięcia wywołuje tworzenie się swoistej przestrzeni o rozmytych granicach pomiędzy "nieobecnością a obecnością" (Wayland, 2015), "życiem a śmiercią" (Jones i in., 2007), "utratą a żałobą" (Parr i in., 2016). To specyficzna przestrzeń liminalna, w której funkcjonują bliscy osób zaginionych, utraciwszy przejrzystość swojej dotychczasowej sytuacji społecznej. ...
Celem artykułu jest ukazanie emocji ujawniających się w narracjach bliskich osób długotrwale zaginionych. Podstawą empiryczną prowadzonych rozważań są trwające badania własne, których zadaniem jest opis świata społecznego rodzin takich osób ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem kategorii działania. Przedstawione spostrzeżenia i konkluzje pochodzą ze wstępnej analizy siedmiu wywiadów narracyjnych i zostały wsparte wnioskami z dotychczas zrealizowanych badań naukowców brytyjskich i australijskich. Doświadczane emocje skonfrontowano z gotowością do działania poszukiwawczego. W prezentowanej interpretacji danych z badań własnych odwołano się do teorii strukturacji Anthony’ego Giddensa, w szczególności zaś do części odnoszącej się do stratyfikacyjnego modelu podmiotów działających, świadomości praktycznej i dyskursywnej aktorów społecznych. Poziom nieuświadomionych motywów został celowo pominięty jako że był zbyt trudny do uchwycenia w tym badaniu. Analiza narracji o doświadczaniu zaginięcia bliskiej osoby pozwala uznać odczuwane emocje za katalizatory działań poszukiwawczych. Spośród wyodrębnionych emocji jedynie wstyd okazał się stanowić przeszkodę w działaniu.
... As already stated, the police are usually the first responders in a missing person case and have the unique capacity to be support providers both to the family left behind as well as the missing person on their return (Wayland, 2015). They provide a unique skillset in both investigating and then disseminating information that have the capacity to offer support interventions, long after the cases are resolved. ...
Shared responsibility: conceptualising how a public health Shared responsibility: conceptualising how a public health approach may enhance police response to missing persons approach may enhance police response to missing persons Twitter @sarahlwayland 26 Gambier-Ross et al.: Shared responsibility: conceptualising how a public health approach may enhance police response to missing persons Published by SJSU ScholarWorks, 2023 Abstract When a person is reported missing there are substantial costs for the individual, the family and society. This paper conceptualises the experience of going missing through a public health approach, thus allowing police, stakeholders and the community to engage in the lives of people vulnerable to going missing by intervening in a way that addresses risk. Historically, a missing persons episode involves an absence, typically followed by police involvement in consultation with next of kin with establishing the whereabouts of the missing person being the primary focus. Yet the risk factors of going missing relate more to the psychosocial aspects that trigger a disappearance-family disconnection, mental health, poverty, intergenerational trauma. A narrative review of the literature reflects that the police are public health interventionists regarding social issues; however, this is untested in a missing persons context. Successful examples of public health approaches in the injury and violence prevention fields demonstrate that a public health approach is critical to address risk and protective factors. In a context of going missing (and the aftermath of a missing episode), enhanced awareness of the social and economic costs of an absence may prevent future episodes. This paper proposes a conceptual framework to address key challenges and risk factors in missing persons cases. The paper also proposes a future framework that emphasises shared responsibility between police alongside public health and social care agencies to support better those at risk of going missing and engages fully with the experiences of those who return.
... In this way, the GIDS waiting list was a liminal space, "a state of in-between-ness and ambiguity" [26]. Living with hope in a liminal space means living "betwixt and between oscillating between the known and the unknown" [27]. Older adolescents especially demonstrated this liminal space-feelings of anxiety frustration, fear and stuckness, knowing there was a 'ticking time bomb' but not knowing when or if it would explode and what the aftermath might be. ...
LOGiC-Q is a prospective longitudinal qualitative study that explores the experiences of children and young people, and their families, who have been referred to the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) in the UK. This paper describes the experiences of children and young people and their parents while they are on the waiting list to be seen. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 39 families who had been referred to GIDS and were waiting for their first appointment with the service. Both parent and child/young person were interviewed. Analysis of the anonymised interview transcripts was informed by both narrative and thematic approaches, and three predominant narratives around waiting were identified: 1. Positive experiences attached to waiting; 2. Feelings of distress and stuckness; 3. Suggestions for support while waiting. Findings from this study indicate variations in how waiting is experienced depending on the age of the child, and how distressed their body makes them feel. Young people and their parents offered suggestions for how the service could support families on the waiting list. These suggestions related primarily to ways of checking in and providing reassurance that they were at least still on the list as well as ideas about how to make the wait less distressing, rather than necessarily making the wait shorter, which was more spoken about in terms of an ideal rather than a realistic option.
... As already stated, the police are usually the first responders in a missing person case and have the unique capacity to be support providers both to the family left behind as well as the missing person upon their return (Wayland, 2015). They provide a unique skillset in both investigations and the dissemination of information which have the capacity to offer support interventions, long after the cases are resolved. ...
When a person is reported missing there are substantial costs for the individual, their family and society. This paper conceptualises the experience of missing persons episodes, through a public health approach. This then allows police, stakeholders and the community to engage in discussions about who is vulnerable to going missing by intervening in a way that addresses risk. Historically, a missing persons episode involves an absence, typically followed by police involvement in consultation with next of kin with establishing the whereabouts of the missing person being the primary focus. Yet, the risk factors of going missing relate more to the psychosocial aspects that trigger a disappearance-family disconnection, mental health, poverty, intergenerational trauma. A narrative review of the literature reflects that the police are public health interventionists regarding social issues; however, this concept is untested in a missing persons context. Successful examples of public health approaches in the injury and violence prevention fields demonstrate that a public health approach is critical to address risk and protective factors. In a context of going missing (and the aftermath of a missing episode), enhanced awareness of the social and economic costs of an absence may prevent future episodes. This paper proposes a conceptual framework to address key challenges and risk factors in missing persons cases. The paper also proposes a future framework that emphasises shared responsibility between police working alongside public health and social care agencies to better support those at risk of going missing while fully engaging with the experiences of those who return.
... In addition to inclusive consent processes, pre-interview engagement with participants also requested if numbers or new names should be used as de-identifiers, given the small community of people living with deafblindness. Both (Maple & Edwards, 2009;Wayland, 2015) note the importance of pseudonyms due to the sensitive nature of the study, which includes hospital and health experience material and to limit reidentification. ...
Qualitative research necessitates the representation of, and engagement with, people who the research is designed to assist. Disability research not only seeks to explore populations where lived experience of disability is distinct, it is also a field where researchers themselves have lived experience. This paper reflects on the methodological innovations between the researcher, their supervisory team and the co-created opportunities to collect qualitative experiences from participants with disabilities, acknowledging the researcher’s own disability. The purpose of the paper was to provide scope to explore the multiple provisions required to be inclusive of accessibility needs as a way to bring unique consumer perspectives to the research table. The paper demonstrates, through a narrative lens, how the research space is altered for people and researchers when disability is present; requiring ways to ensure inclusive research practices are responded to. Recommendations for future co-creation of research with disability are identified.
... Whether the inquest produces a therapeutic benefit for the families of missing people, and family experiences of the court process, are issues warranting empirical exploration. Two Australian doctoral research projects qualitatively explored the lived experiences and perceptions of hope of relatives of missing people (Glassock, 2011;Wayland, 2015). Brief comments on coronial investigations contained therein alluded to significant and variable impacts of coronial proceedings on families, and the importance of further research on this topic. ...
Experiences of 15 family members and friends of missing people of a coronial investigation into the suspected death of a missing person in New South Wales (NSW), Australia were examined via in-depth interviews. This study explored participant perceptions of the impact of coronial proceedings on well-being, and views on best practice approaches to families in the Coroner’s Court. Transcripts were thematically analysed, yielding six key themes in participant experiences of inquests: (1) Opportunity to be heard, (2) A chance for education, (3) If you are human with me (sensitive treatment and language), (4) Timely investigations, (5) A public and formal court environment, and (6) Coronial outcomes. Overall, families benefitted from opportunities to have input and feel heard, compassionate treatment, and appropriate education about the process and available support services. A detriment on well-being was described when these factors were precluded. Some participants perceived positive outcomes arising from public awareness of cases of missing people, formalities that conveyed respect, and timeframes that enabled further investigation or preparation for the inquest. Others reported distress and trauma in response to significant delays that led to a loss of evidence, intrusive media and unknown persons in court, and unwelcoming, formal court environments. Some participants were profoundly distressed by a finding of death and by the procedures that followed the inquest, emphasising the need for post-inquest debriefing and ongoing support. These findings deepen our understanding of coronial practices, and of measures to prevent harm, that will be instructive to other coronial jurisdictions. Further research should examine family experiences in contexts where there are variable coronial proceedings or procedures that result in legal findings of death.
When somebody goes missing, they are missing by virtue of the fact that their whereabouts is unknown. However, being missing is not merely a physical phenomenon—it is socially and politically constituted and has social and political implications. These complexities are explored in this article through the term “missingness,” which refers to the sociality of lost individuals and describes the relational context under which people go missing and are understood to be missing.
For nearly a century, bereavement theorists have assumed that recovery from loss requires a period of grief work in which the ultimate goal is the severing of the attachment bond to the deceased. Reviews appearing in the 1980s noted a surprising absence of empirical support for this view, thus leaving the bereavement field without a guiding theoretical base. In this article, the authors consider alternative perspectives on bereavement that are based on cognitive stress theory, attachment theory, the social–functional account of emotion, and trauma theory. They then elaborate on the most promising features of each theory in an attempt to develop an integrative framework to guide future research. The authors elucidate 4 fundamental components of the grieving process—context, meaning, representations of the lost relationship, and coping and emotion-regulation processes—and suggest ways in which these components may interact over the course of bereavement.
"Grief & Loss Across the Lifespan: A Biopsychosocial Perspective" is a book that covers the evolution of grief theory while addressing each life phase through the lenses of the normal developmental trajectory of that life phase, the issues of risk and resiliency, the typical and maturational living losses experienced at that age, the experience of the death of loved others during that developmental phase, and the experiences of others when a person of that age dies. Interventions are also addressed in each chapter and each life phase chapter ends with brief readings by people describing losses they experienced in that age. Framed around the idea that loss is painful but not pathological, this text seeks to remedy a tendency toward incorrect beliefs about one-size-fits-all grief theory
Since the traumatic events of September 11, 2001, the concept of closure in dealing with grief and loss has received increased attention. In this article, we challenge the popular belief that a lack of completion forms the core of neurosis resulting in a decreased ability to live a lively present-centered life. We begin by reviewing prevalent, traditional, linear models and approaches to human suffering and grief. We then provide reasons for doubting the utility of linear models that are related to constructs of closure, describe emerging non-linear paradigms for grief and loss, and emphasize the evolving Gestalt perspective. Finally, we discuss benefits of non-closure and end with a vignette illustrating our belief that closure does not occur for significant loss and that there are advantages of non-closure during a lifetime.