Ambiguous Loss: A case of Missing Persons in Cyprus

19th European Congress of Psychology, Pafos, Kıbrıs (Gkry), 1 - 04 Temmuz 2025, ss.360, (Özet Bildiri)

Research aims and objectives: People of Cyprus have reported missing family members to the authorities for more

than half a century.

Theoretical background: Not knowing about the fate of a beloved one who disappeared in ethnic clashes, lead

family members to an ambiguous loss situation which is known to be very stressful. This study explores what

happens to the missing persons’ relatives psychologically after the beloved ones are identified and buried.

Research design: Using a cross-sectional design, the study utilized two samples coming from Turkish Cypriots and

Greek Cypriots.

Results: Negative coping style, social support and feelings of being to an inequity/injustice along with being women

predicted symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress for both Cypriot samples. Relational status to the missed

person, governmental support and positive coping showed no association with symptoms of depression, anxiety

and stress. Contrary to these similarities for both samples, resilience, satisfaction with identification and funeral

processes showed mixed findings for each sample which indicates cultural and political aspects should also be

considered.

Limitations: The cross-sectional design restricts the ability to establish causal relationships between variables.

Implications: Longitudinal and mixed design studies could provide a more comprehensive understanding of the

evolving nature of psychological distress over time. These findings indicated that prolonged painful experiences

endured for both Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots family members of identified missing persons and need to

be recognized nationally and internationally. It is important to support relatives psychosocially even after the

identification process by taking into account adequate cultural, political, religious and ethnic aspects.