• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.443-477
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to explore the continuing bonds experienced by adolescent victims' 15 parents of the Sewol ferry disaster. The research aim is to classify the continuing bonds into representational, functional, emotional, and relationship characteristics through contents analysis and identify them. The way dimension was found to be continuing bond through "physical objects and space," "dream and spiritual exchange," "personal memorial and ritual activities," "thoughts of deceased children," and "surviving children." In the "functional dimension," it was found that sustainable ties help families find new meanings and purposes in their lives and comfort them by making them feel they are with their children. In addition, at the emotional level, they experienced 'positive emotions' while feeling with their children, and experienced 'pain', and some research participants found it difficult to sustain the bond itself. At the level of each relationship characteristic, the relationship between parents and children was an extension of the relationship even after the child was deceased, and the relationship characteristics were reproduced. The implications for grief counseling were presented by applying a dead two-axis model to the results of this study.