Table 3 Identified themes and codes
Theme | Code |
|---|---|
Lack of closure | Not giving in to grief Ambiguous nature of the loss of the loved one |
Hope | Hope was a way of maintaining connectedness to the missing person Giving up on hope implied the acceptance that the missing person would not return alive Helped deal with the pain |
Guilt | It was wrongful to be joyful and enjoy life |
Helplessness | Lack of reliable information about the missing person despite trying for many years Financial and bureaucratic barriers to seeking justice Financial hardships secondary to losing breadwinner of the family and spending large sums of money to search for the missing loved one |
Perpetual suffering | Experiencing intense psychological distress including prolonged grief, depression and suicidal ideation for decades |
Emotional vacuum | Families in particular expressed unfulfilled grief |