Metaphorical Perceptions of Anticipatory Grief Among Family Caregivers of Older Adults Receiving Palliative Care

This study aims to examine the metaphorical perceptions of caregivers of older adults receiving palliative care services regarding the anticipatory grief process. Designed within a hermeneutic phenomenological orientation and analyzed through thematic analysis, data were collected from 80 caregivers through semi-structured interviews. Data analysis utilized metaphor analysis and thematic analysis methods. The findings are structured across two main axes: “metaphorical perceptions regarding grieving” and “metaphorical perceptions regarding being a grieving individual.” While participants conceptualized the experience of grief through intense emotional flux, a depletion of self, and a permanent emotional burden, they also associated it with processes of acceptance, adaptation, and spiritual coping. The results demonstrate that anticipatory grief is a process involving emotional transformation, identity shifts, and existential restructuring. The study emphasizes that metaphor analysis is a significant tool that can be used for the early identification of complicated/prolonged grief risk and points to the necessity of strengthening psychosocial supports for caregivers in palliative care.