Elisabeth Beaunoyer1, Lisandro Hiracheta Torres2, Lenn Maessen3, Matthieu J Guitton4. 1. Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada; Faculty of Nursing, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada; CERVO Brain Research Center, Quebec City, QC, Canada. 2. Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Monterrey, Mexico. 3. Faculty of Medicine, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium. 4. Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada; CERVO Brain Research Center, Quebec City, QC, Canada. Electronic address: matthieu.guitton@fmed.ulaval.ca.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe the landscape of digital resources available for grief and bereavement, and to explore cultural variations through the analysis of patterns in three languages with a multinational repartition (English, French and Spanish). METHODS: For each language, websites were collected through a systematized approach and classified according to their category (governmental, health, educational, social media, conventional media, spiritual), their country of origin, and the type of support they offered (practical support, services, peer support, informational support, resources). RESULTS: A total of 2587 websites (English: 1003; French 678; Spanish: 906) were analyzed. Cultural variations were observed both for the websites' categories and the types of support. Half of the websites presented at least one type of support, informational support being the most prevalent, followed by practical support. English websites presented significantly more support than Spanish websites, with French websites in between. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: By using an extensive survey, our results allow for a general mapping of online websites that is comparable across languages, but also unveil digital dynamics unknown to date. These results further the multicultural understanding of digital support for grief and bereavement, propose an innovative and operational typology for online support and raise awareness of the current support landscape.
OBJECTIVE: To describe the landscape of digital resources available for grief and bereavement, and to explore cultural variations through the analysis of patterns in three languages with a multinational repartition (English, French and Spanish). METHODS: For each language, websites were collected through a systematized approach and classified according to their category (governmental, health, educational, social media, conventional media, spiritual), their country of origin, and the type of support they offered (practical support, services, peer support, informational support, resources). RESULTS: A total of 2587 websites (English: 1003; French 678; Spanish: 906) were analyzed. Cultural variations were observed both for the websites' categories and the types of support. Half of the websites presented at least one type of support, informational support being the most prevalent, followed by practical support. English websites presented significantly more support than Spanish websites, with French websites in between. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: By using an extensive survey, our results allow for a general mapping of online websites that is comparable across languages, but also unveil digital dynamics unknown to date. These results further the multicultural understanding of digital support for grief and bereavement, propose an innovative and operational typology for online support and raise awareness of the current support landscape.