Meaning Reconstruction and Grief Thirteen Years After the Roboski Massacre: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

This study explores the bereavement and meaning reconstruction experiences of family members who lost loved ones in the Roboski massacre, in which 34 civilians-mostly young-were killed in a cross-border airstrike in Turkey. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative design, three core themes emerged: (1) Traumatic Circumstances and Risk Factors, including the young age of the deceased, violent nature of death, and socioeconomic hardship compounded by limited institutional support; (2) Disrupted Meaning, stemming from injustice, impunity, and fractured trust in state authorities, and (3) Life After Loss: Bonds, Practices, and Adaptation, marked by emotional pain, disrupted health, symbolic remembrance, and reliance on cultural mourning rituals; and (3). Findings reveal how grief in the aftermath of collective violence is shaped by both individual and sociopolitical dimensions. The study underscores the need for trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and justice-oriented interventions for communities coping with mass loss.