本研究試圖從媳婦角度出發，探討媳婦在傳統喪葬禮俗中所扮演的角色，及其在喪禮過程中之情緒反應與心路歷程。本研究以質性研究的深度訪談法為研究方法，訪問四位曾經歷公婆去世，在喪葬過程中有所體驗且原意開放經驗的受訪者，進行回溯性資料收。所蒐集資料經轉謄逐字稿、編碼、歸納與分析後，研究發現如下： 一、在傳統喪葬禮俗中，媳婦是主要意見提供者，不但是決定者的角色，儀式過程中則擔主要執行者、監控者的角色，同時在先生因為哀傷而失功能時，擔任輔助者的角色，協助先生執行他所負責的工作；對於先生失父失母的哀傷，媳婦則扮演傾聽與支持者的角色。 二、四位受訪者中有三位面對公婆的喪禮時，除了難過及遺憾外，還有忙、煩、害怕、擔心及不安，只有一位受訪者是理性面對。 三、在喪禮過程中，媳婦的心情也許不相似，但共同的是她們都會壓抑內在的情，將注意力放在喪葬儀式的進行中媳婦該做的事情上。比較特別的是，葬禮的結束，媳婦的心情並沒有因此而跟著放鬆，受訪者仍會出現「害怕」、「恐懼」要「無法擺脫的自責感」及「傷心難過。 根據研發，本研究提出：一、加強死亡教育的推動，二、強化葬儀社的服 素全與態度，三、重視親人死亡後的悲傷輔導，及對未來研究提出建議。

This study was to explore the roles, feelings and adaptive processes of four Taiwan daughters-in-law in the traditional funerals for their fathers-in-law or mothers-in-law. In-depth interview based on qualitative research was used to collect the data for the purposes of the study. By transcribing, coding, inducting and analyzing the data, the findings of the study were as follows: 1.The roles of daughters-in-law were the opinion-supporters, but not the decision-makers; were the executers and monitors in the funerals; and the assistances and feeling-supporters for their husbands. 2.Only one of the subjects was intellectual and rational in the funeral for her mother-in-law. The others, on the contrary, might feel sad, regret, busy, upset, panic, fear or worried in the funerals. 3.The common phenomenal in the adaptive processes of four subjects was to suppression their feelings in the funerals. Even though the funerals were finished, they still felt fear, guilty or sad. Suggestions for the death education, the attitudes and service quality of the agents for funerals, grief counseling and future studies were discussed in the end of the study.