ArticleFrontiers in psychology2025
Grieving in virtual worlds: emotional processes and generational differences in avatar-based memorials on VRChat.
Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Emotional Dependency and Parasocial Grief Following the Alteration or Loss of Companion Artificial Intelligences: A Systematic Review.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: Digital media and immersive technologies have introduced new modes of grieving, particularly within virtual reality (VR) environments where users inhabit emotionally meaningful avatars. While existing research focuses mostly on commemorating real-world deceased individuals, little is known about how people experience grief when virtual avatars-embodied extensions of identity-are lost, deleted, or symbolically "died." This study addresses this gap by examining generational differences in how users interpret and respond to avatar loss within VR-based memorial ceremonies. Methods: Two avatar-based funerals were conducted on VRChat using qualitative research methods: a solemn ceremony for a retired World of Warcraft "Death Knight" and a playful sea-burial for a Sea of Thieves "Pirate." Data were collected through participant observation and sixteen semi-structured interviews with users aged 18-65. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify key dimensions of emotional and cultural meaning. Results: Two overarching thematic dimensions emerged: (1) Generational Differences and Cultural Influence, and (2) Emotional Experience During Digital Mourning. Younger participants tended to approach avatar loss with humor, narrative play, and flexible identity experimentation, whereas older participants engaged with greater solemnity, ritual structure, and symbolic continuity in memorial practices. Discussion: Integrating grief theory with socio-technical perspectives, the study proposes the Hybrid Grief Model of Virtual Mourning (HGM-VM), conceptualizing digital grief as a dynamic interplay of emotional transition, oscillatory coping, and continuing bonds within virtual spaces. The findings show that virtual mourning does not diminish emotional authenticity but reconfigures it through immersive, participatory, and generationally shaped practices, offering theoretical and practical implications for designing inclusive and emotionally resonant virtual memorial environments.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.