How social media data are used to research experiences of mourning: a scoping review
Date
2022
Authors
Muller Spiti, Julia
Editors
Advisors
Kelly, Janet
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
Thesis
Citation
Statement of Responsibility
Conference Name
Abstract
Introduction: Increasingly, people are using social media (SM) to express grief, and researchers are
using these data to investigate the phenomenon of mourning. As this research progresses, it is
important to understand how studies are being conducted and how authors are approaching ethical
challenges related to SM data. The aim of this scoping review was to explore the concept of using data
from social media in research about experiences of mourning.
Methods: Due to the broad nature of the review topic and the novel use of SM data, a scoping review
methodology was considered appropriate. The JBI Scoping Review methodology guided this review.
Eligibility criteria were determined using the PCC framework, and relevant key words and phrases
derived from these criteria were used to search eight databases in September 2021 (CINAHL, Embase,
LILACS, OpenGrey, ProQuest, PsycINFO, PubMed and Scopus). The Preferred Reporting Items for
Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines were
used to report results.
Results: Database searches resulted in 3418 records, of which, 89 met eligibility criteria. Four
categories of grief and mourning were identified. Most records were qualitative in nature and used
natural data. Only 20% of records reported ethics approval by an Institutional Review Board, with
several including measures to protect participants, for example, using pseudonyms.
Conclusion: The unique review included in this thesis mapped the diverse range of mourning-related
topics that have been investigated using SM data and highlighted the variability in approaches to data
analysis. Ethical concerns relating to SM data collection are identified and discussed. This is an
emerging and rapidly changing field of research that offers new opportunities and challenges for
exploring the phenomenon of mourning.
School/Discipline
Adelaide Nursing School
Dissertation Note
Thesis (M.Clin.Sc.) -- University of Adelaide, Adelaide Nursing School, 2022
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