A Phenomenological Study of Anticipatory Grief Among Retired Military Personnel Caring for Spouses with Terminal Illness

Caregiving among retired military personnel presents a unique context in which duty, grief, and family life intersect. This study explored the lived experiences of retired soldiers providing care to spouses with chronic and life-limiting illnesses, with particular attention to how anticipatory grief is embodied and navigated in everyday life. Guided by Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and grounded in Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology of the lived body, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with retired military caregivers. Findings revealed five interrelated major themes: (1) Duty Beyond the Battlefield, (2) Mourning in the Moment, (3) Grief Worn in the Body, (4) Endurance in Silence, and (5) Family as an Unspoken Anchor. Participants experienced caregiving as a continuation of military discipline and responsibility, enacted through routine, vigilance, and sustained presence. Grief was not deferred until loss occurred but was lived alongside caregiving through anticipation, emotional restraint, bodily fatigue, and physical limitation. Endurance emerged as a form of lived resilience, characterized by emotional regulation and quiet persistence rather than overt expression. Family relationships functioned as stabilizing anchors, providing support through presence, role adjustment, and shared endurance rather than explicit communication. Overall, the findings highlight anticipatory grief as an embodied, relational, and ongoing experience shaped by military training, caregiving demands, and family dynamics. This study contributes to clinical psychology by emphasizing the importance of recognizing embodied grief, silent resilience, and relational support in working with military retirees and caregiving spouses.