Relationship Differences in Aids Memorials

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to describe AIDS memorials on the Web and to explore relationship differences among those who were grieving loved ones who had died with AIDS, through a thematic content analysis of the memorials the bereft posted on the Web. We identified an AIDS Web site that contained 900 memorials; the memorials often were emotionally intense and personal. We independently coded the memorials for characteristics of the authors, the deceased, and the memorials themselves. Slightly more men than women were memorial authors, and although memorials were authored by a wide variety of individuals, the vast majority of authors fell into seven broad categories: partners, spouses, children, parents, siblings, extended family, and friends. In the memorial content, we identified 2l themes; overall, content of the memorials was dissimilar to obituaries. Content of the memorials as described above were treated as dependent measures in a series of analyses, with relationship between the bereaved and the deceased the independent variable. Memorials written by parents were shortest, while those written by partners or spouses were longest. Partners and spouses revealed the highest emotional intensity, while extended family and friends revealed the lowest. Children most strongly expressed the theme of grief while parents expressed this least strongly. All groups expressed love for the deceased; friends most commonly relayed specific stories about the deceased or discussed how the deceased had influenced them. The authors posit that AIDS memorials on the Web give authentic voice to disenfranchised grievers' sense of loss and suffering.