Irish-style wakes are a ‘better way to grieve the dead’: Services that are open to the public and feature an open casket help the bereaved to adjust to loss, study finds

Irish-style wakes may help people better cope with their grief than funerals, a new study suggests.

Services that welcome the entire community and feature an open casket for mourners to bid farewell could help reduce rates of prolonged grief disorder (PGD), researchers said.

It is described as a person having a longing for the dead that lasts more than six months.

University of Ulster The study found that about 10.9 per cent of bereaved Irish met criteria for PGD, compared with 15 per cent in the UK.

The researchers said cultural differences around death may be part of the reason why bereaved people in the UK are 50% more likely to develop the condition.

Services that welcome the entire community and feature an open casket for mourners to bid farewell could help reduce rates of prolonged grief disorder (stock image) Researchers say

They added: “For example, in Ireland, it is customary to hold a funeral (i.e. a social gathering before a funeral) where family, friends, neighbours, work colleagues and acquaintances can attend to pay their respects and support.” .

“In the UK, such an event generally occurs after a funeral and is similar to the social gatherings that occur after an Irish funeral.”

The wakes usually last for two or three days so that people from the entire community can come and go to pay their respects.

It involves singing songs, refreshments including alcohol, and the opportunity to share stories and memories with family members.

People also tend to have an open casket so attendees can say goodbye, as opposed to closed caskets at funerals in the UK.

They are also more formal affairs and last between 40 minutes to an hour on average, with no refreshments until afterwards, eulogies or reading rather than poetry and stories as well as the playing of music or hymns.

The study added that in the UK, funerals are often seen as private, while in Ireland they are much more communal events.

“There may therefore be a greater sense of community within Irish bereavement culture, as social support is widely known to play a key role in determining the ability of the bereaved to cope with their loss,” the researchers said.

Explainer: Cultural differences around death may be part of the reason bereaved people in the UK are 50 percent more likely to develop prolonged grief disorder than those in Ireland, (stock image)

Colm Kieran, a member of the Irish Funeral Directors Association, said: times: ‘It is recognized that the process of awakening is very important psychologically.

“Our brain picks up the feeling that this person has died.

“There is a difference between having an open casket in Ireland versus a closed casket in the UK.

“Psychologically, we see that the person no longer has life in his body and the brain can process this fact.”

PGD ​​differs from typical grief in that it is described as intense and persistent sadness that causes problems and interferes with daily life.

A person with PGD is likely to experience a feeling as if a part of themselves has died, a distinct feeling of disbelief about death, intense emotional pain, difficulty reintegrating with friends, emotional numbness, and a feeling that life is meaningless, And feeling very lonely. .

The study was published in Journal of Traumatic Stress.