Table 5 Characteristics and example of Subtype C1

Characteristics of Subtype C1: Longitudinal themes approach

- The aim is to describe changes in a phenomenon through time

- Results are presented in themes and change through time is described for each theme

- Typically, each theme description starts with the first time point and continues with a chronological description of change through time

Example: Fu and colleagues [30] investigated bereaved mothers’ longitudinal grief experiences after losing their child in an earthquake. The study used an interpretive phenomenological approach and was conducted in a Chinese sociocultural context. Six mothers were interviewed on four occasions over a period of two years. The results were presented in five themes: 1) anger toward the cause of their children’s deaths, 2) guilt and regret, 3) evolving yearning over time, 4) loss of family stability, and 5) social interactions bringing additional pressure. The themes had different change patterns. For example, the mothers’ anger (Theme 1) remained over the two years. In contrast, the mothers yearning (Theme 3), evolved from being constantly present to being triggered by certain situations to finally being controlled to situations when the mothers wanted to remember and yearn for their child. The themes also included diversity across participants; Theme 4 covered how the mothers lost their sense of being a family after their child’s death, and some mothers (but not all) consequently went through a divorce