Psychological experiences of families bereaved by 2025 post-election protest-related fatalities in Tanzania: a qualitative thematic analysis

Abstract

The 2025 post-election violence in Tanzania produced not only political and human rights consequences but also profound psychological and psychosocial consequences for bereaved families. This qualitative study explored the psychological and psychosocial experiences of family members following protest-related fatalities, including grief, coping, household disruption, and perceptions of recognition and accountability. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 family members, purposively and snowball-sampled from three regions affected by protest-related violence. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis framework. Five themes emerged: continuing attachment and intrusive recollections; constrained expression of grief; material and economic hardship; religious, family and community coping; and meaning-making amid perceived limited recognition and accountability. The study contributes to psychological research by foregrounding bereaved families, an underexamined population in research on political violence in Tanzania. The findings suggest that participants’ experiences can be interpreted through “frozen grief”, particularly where constrained mourning, limited recognition, material disruption, and unresolved meaning-making complicated adaptation to loss. The findings highlight the potential value of trauma-informed psychosocial support, safe opportunities for mourning, practical family assistance, and appropriate institutional communication, while also recognising participant agency and adaptive resilience.