Cross-Cultural Re-Entry for Missionaries: A New Application for the Dual Process Model

Abstract

Nearly half a million foreign aid workers currently work worldwide, including over 140,000 missionaries. During re-entry these workers may experience significant psychological distress. This article positions previous research about psychological distress during re-entry, emphasizing loss and grief. At present there is no identifiable theoretical framework to provide a basis for assessment, management, and prevention of re-entry distress in the clinical setting. The development of theoretical concepts and frameworks surrounding loss and grief including the Dual Process Model (DPM) are discussed. All the parameters of the DPM have been shown to be appropriate for the proposed re-entry model, the Dual Process Model applied to Re-entry (DPMR). It is proposed that the DPMR is an appropriate framework to address the processes and strategies of managing re-entry loss and grief. Possible future clinical applications and limitations of the proposed model are discussed. The DPMR is offered for further validation and use in clinical practice.

Mothers Coping With Bereavement in the 2008 China Earthquake: A Dual Process Model Analysis

“…Culture is another important factor in relation to grieving (Bonanno, Papa, Lalande, Zhang, & Noll, 2005; Selby, Clark, Braunack-Mayer, Jones, & Moulding, 2011). Grief is manifested and expressed in accordance to different culture norms and belief systems (Rosenblatt, 2008; Stroebe & Schut, 2010).…”

Working With Non‐Death Losses in Counseling: An Overview of Grief Needs and Approaches

“…Stroebe and Schut (2010), the creators of the DPM, made clear that the primary research on the DPM continues to be on bereavement, yet they postulated that the DPM can be used for "minigrief " (Stroebe et al, 2016, p. 345) phenomena, such as homesickness. Other researchers have proposed that the model can be applied to certain losses, such as cross-cultural reentry into a home context (Selby et al, 2011). As illustrated in the following case example, the tenets of the DPM and Worden's (2008) tasks of mourning can be useful in understanding nonbereavement grief and potential ways of working with a grieving client.…”