“Talking from afar about grief from afar”: Methodological considerations for online qualitative research interviews in the context of loss and bereavement

The current research focuses on the methodological considerations for conducting online qualitative research interviews in the context of loss and bereavement. In recent years, there has been an increased use of virtual mediums for qualitative research, and with this comes methodological challenges for conducting research that maintains moral and ethical values expected from academic research. In particular, within the field of qualitative bereavement research, an emphasis is placed on the communication, interaction, and relationship between the researcher and the participant, with this being central to the qualitative interview and the discussion about the bereavement experience. Therefore, the current paper will address issues concerning the researcher-participant relationship, and the methodological challenges that arose in conducting online interviews in the context of bereaved parents of fallen ‘lone soldiers’ in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Implications for conducting online qualitative bereavement interviews are discussed.