ABSTRACT
This study looked into the lived experience of Filipino grieving fathers who lost a child due to COVID-19 virus. The research design used was qualitative with a phenomenological approach. The study explored the experiences of Filipino grieving fathers using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The study generated eight superordinate themes which were the Wake and Quarantine Restrictions, Extremely Difficult, Difficulty in Processing Grief, Maintaining Positivity, Keeping the Faith, and Indulging in social media, Focus on Work, Religion, Hobby and Family, and Use of Technology and social media, Family, and Friends for Emotional, Financial and Social Support, Thru Lessons that were Learned, Strong Disposition, Acceptance, and Same Belief.
COVID-19 indeed changed the natural way of grieving due to the implementation of quarantine protocols and isolation from the close contact of confirmed cases deaths. The changes that they encountered have served as challenges for their grieving process. Lastly, the experience that they encountered helped them to have a strong disposition to accept their loss. As an output of the study, an activity guide and grief workbook for grieving fathers that will help process their grief and build their resilience was proposed.
Keywords: Grieving, pandemic, father, support, coping strategies
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