A qualitative variant of the friendship scale: bereaved young adults and social isolation

This paper will examine how qualitative research into bereaved young adults’ experiences of social isolation can constitute a qualitative variant on the study of social isolation to Hawthorne’s quantitative ‘Friendship Scale’ (FS). As an instrument for measuring social isolation, the FS derives primarily from a particular dimension of social support; that is, the individual’s sense of connection to other people. This sense of connection to others is similarly a principal concern in the author’s study of bereaved young siblings (aged 18-30). The death of a close family member is commonly identified by researchers as the most debilitating stressor in everyday life. How then does this major life stressor impact on the individual’s sense of social connectedness?