Grief Experiences Among Asian Diaspora in North America: A Systematic Review

Background: Grief is a universal experience profoundly shaped by cultural norms, historical contexts, and socio-political environments. Global crises have amplified its impact in recent years, highlighting the need for research on underrepresented groups, particularly the Asian diaspora in North America. This population encompasses diverse cultural and sociohistorical contexts that influence grief, including traditional mourning practices, the psychological impact of migration, and acculturation and racialization challenges. Psychiatry has long marginalized non-Western perspectives, often alienating non-white individuals from their cultural and spiritual roots and imposing Western norms that may not align with Asian experiences. Drawing on critical theoretical perspectives, this systematic review addresses the following research questions: 1) What theoretical frameworks and methodologies have researchers applied to study grief within North American Asian diasporic communities? 2) How has research characterized and conceptualized the grief experiences of this population? This study aims to contribute to a nuanced understanding of grief within the Asian diaspora, enriching the broader discourse on grief to encompass a wider range of cultural, ethnic, and racial perspectives.

Methods: This systematic review followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Comprehensive searches were conducted using databases including PubMed, EBSCO Host, Sociological Abstracts, CINAHL, Web of Science, APA PsycInfo, and supplemented by Google Scholar. Inclusion criteria required that studies be: peer-reviewed, empirical, published between 2000 and 2024, explicitly focus on grief or bereavement, and focus Asian diasporic populations in North America. Article quality was assessed using the QualSyst tool. Data analysis employed Thematic Analysis to identify key patterns within the selected literature (Braun & Clark, 2006).

Results: Twenty articles were selected for review following quality assessment: three employed quantitative methodologies (predominantly cross-sectional surveys), two used mixed-methods approaches, and 15 adopted qualitative methodologies (e.g., interviews, ethnographic observations). Studies generally categorize grief experiences into two types: (a) grief related to tangible loss, including bereavement and mourning due to the death, sorrow before the death and forced separation caused by legal deportation among others, and (b) grief related to intangible loss, such as the loss of homeland, cultural practices, political identities. Beyond types of grief, prominent themes emerged regarding Cultural and Spiritual Beliefs and Practices, Family Dynamics and Interpersonal Relationships, Community Support and Professional Help, and Impact of Migration and Diaspora Experiences. Findings underscored that grief experiences among the Asian diaspora are shaped by cultural traditions and migration-related adversities, highlighting their multifaceted and context-specific nature.

Conclusions and Implications: This review highlights the specificity and heterogeneity of grief experiences within the Asian diaspora, driven by cultural influences and a variety of migration-related experiences. The findings call for more inclusive and innovative research methods that reflect the complexity of these experiences. Incorporating critical theories can deepen insights into how systemic factors – such as migration, racialization, and cultural displacement – shape individual grief. There is a critical need for culturally responsive interventions and educational programs that acknowledge these influences. Strengthening culturally grounded mourning practices and addressing stigma and structural barriers can improve grief support services' accessibility and effectiveness in Asian diasporic communities.