Introduction to the special section: use of bereavement narratives to predict well-being in gay men whose partners died of AIDS--four theoretical perspectives.

Four teams of investigators, representing distinct theoretical perspectives, independently analyzed the same bereavement narratives of 30 men whose partners had died of AIDS within the previous month. The data came from a longitudinal study of the caregiving partners of men with AIDS. Caregivers were interviewed with an open-ended format 2 weeks and 4 weeks following their partner's death. Positive and negative psychological mood was assessed at the time of the bereavement interviews and again 12 months later. Scores derived from the qualitative analyses were used to explain mood at the time of the bereavement interviews and 12 months later. The Rashomon format of the 4 studies provided an unusual opportunity to see overlaps and distinctions among theoretical approaches, resulted in thorough exploration of bereavement processes, and illustrated four different methods of analyzing qualitative data.