Rediscovering the forgotten mourners’: A qualitative synthesis of adults’ accounts of sibling bereavement experiences

Sibling relationships, often the longest in a person's life, carry deep emotional bonds, making their loss complex yet underrepresented in grief literature. This interpretive, meta-ethnographic qualitative synthesis explored adult sibling bereavement due to illness or accident, analyzing 10 English-language studies (2003-2024) using Noblit and Hare's (1988) protocol. Three meta-themes were developed: (1) Death's Ripple Effect, (2) The Space Between Grief and Healing, and (3) Navigating a New Reality. This paper highlights the unique challenges faced by surviving siblings-such as their fractured parallel life, role substitution, and identity disruption-and emphasizes the need for bereavement support that is specifically tailored to these dynamics. The authors recommend that program design is informed by research evidence that shows the importance of age as well as identity-focused and role-sensitive approaches. Existing bereavement interventions are effective but lack specificity, especially for sibling loss, highlighting the need for more targeted and evidenced support.