Psychology: Dealing with Grief and Loss Among Parents and Children
Cantwell-Bartl, A. (2018). Grief and coping of parents whose child has a constant life-threatening disability, hypoplastic left heart syndrome with reference to the Dual-Process Model. Death Studies, 42(9), 569-578. Retrieved April 04, 2020, from https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2017.1407380
Introduction: In this study, Cantwell-Bartl (2018) carries out a report on grief and coping among parents. Life threating disability in children is a loss that sits well in a parents psychological context, just like any other loss. Therefore, the study aimed at examining the grieving and coping among parents experiencing the impact of having a child diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). While children experiencing the condition might grow to adulthood, they are likely to succumb to its effects suddenly.
Additionally, surgery in such situations is regarded as palliative. Even though the effects are adverse, there is little-in-depth research on the grievance and coping concepts among the affected parents. Hence, the study focused on reporting data from secondary research to provide knowledge on the context.
Methodology: A three-stage method was adopted to enable the understanding of the study’s concepts including; respondents and procedures, secondary analysis of data and trustworthiness of the data. After obtaining approval, a sample of 29 parents got recruited to the study from a tertiary pediatric hospital. A mixed-method approach was adopted, comprising of open-ended and semistructured qualitative interviews and various questionnaires. A secondary data analysis process was undertaken, with the incorporation of the process model to determine and discern experiences and shifts in coping across time in the parents. Lastly, a panel was assembled whose focus was to identify the reliability of the coding process.
Results: After diagnosis was conducted on the children, parents experienced intense grief and loss. The parents exhibited the presence of loss, traumatization,depression and restoration while they tried to stay focused, become supportive to the child and finalize on family arrangements. Some parents became buoyed by the assistance provided by the staff while others obtained spiritual or inner resources support. Therefore, there was intense loss among the parents whose children had HLHS, although it was unprocessed and later was managed.
Discussion: The study was able to evaluate parents grieving and coping with a child diagnosed with HLHS. It was evidenced that parallels existed between the bereaved parent and other forms of loss, although specific differences were established.
Christensen, D. R., Hård af Segerstad, Y., Kasperowski, D., & Sandvik, K. (2017). Bereaved Parents’ Online Grief Communities: De-Tabooing Practices or Relation-Building Grief-Ghettos? Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 61(1), 58–72. Retrieved April 04, 2020, from https://doiorg.dist.lib.usu.edu/10.1080/08838151.2016.1273929
Introduction: In this study, the authors focus on studying grief related to parents by use of online communities to enhance the understanding of the parent grief work concept. According to Christensen, et al., (2017) by using the approach, one can hypothetically determine and discuss, from another person’s perspective the effects of the practices on the mourners. They can delineate whether the implemented methods de-taboo child loss or create misconceptions and biases. For ten years observations led to conclusions that practices regarding the grief expressed in support groups both offline and online forums are influenced mainly by memorial sites as well as the graves designated for stillborns or young dead children.
Methodology: Christensen et al. (2017) applied the qualitative research approach to collecting data for the study. Data were obtained from empirical observations; several resources from online grief support groups for grieving parents in Denmark and Sweden. Field study observations were carried out by Christensen and Sandvik on the open-access website Mindnet.dk. Lastly, photo documentation was used in collecting data.
Results: From the observations carried out on Mindnet website, and it was identified that good mothers showed other members in the group that they cared for their dead children by lighting candles as a means of expressing their memorial and continuation of their lives through new memories. The approach, according to the study, enhanced the relationship between the mother and the memories of their dead child. Additionally, through the use of the online-based support groups, bereaved parents are provided with a platform on which they can communicate their feelings of loss and pain (Christensen et al., 2017). Further, the authors observed that grieving parents idealized strategies influenced by their surrounding to understand the society’s norms and expectations on the grieving period and the intensity of the process.
Conclusion: The adoption of online-based forums for bereaved parents present the society with a different perspective and understanding of the changes that relate to the period of grieving and the time for letting go of their dead and moving on. Hence, through the platforms, society’s norms and conceptions are challenged based on de-tabooing death and grief.
Dias, N., Docherty, S., & Brandon, D. (2017). Parental bereavement: Looking beyond grief. Death Studies, 41(5), 318-327. Retrieved April 04, 2020, from https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2017.1279239.
Introduction: The study by Dias et al. (2017) examined the various challenges faced by bereaved parents during the first six months of grieving the death of a child. Prior research focused on the concept of parental grief and determined that the first six months are most stressful for grieving parents. While there has been extensive research on the issue, a gap exists on the knowledge regarding the various challenges experienced by grieving parents. Hence, the study carried out aimed at filling the identified research gap.
Methodology: The study was carried out by the use of qualitative descriptive design. The design was applied to examine the impact of grief during the identified trajectory period. Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects Research provided ethical approval for the research. The study was based on a more extensive study carried out previously, whose purpose was to determine the decision making trajectory from parents on using treatments that prolonged the lives of their chronically ill children. From the study, secondary data was transcribed of a sample of 10 (5 fathers and five mothers) grieving parents identified as suitable for their current research. The sample was interviewed at six weeks and six months after the loss of their children individually. Further, data analyzed by use of Hsieh and Shannon’s (2005), content analysis technique through a computer software Atlas ti 7 for determining the coding unit (challenge code). In categorizing the final codes after the coding process, the adaptive leadership framework was applied.
Results. After the collection and analysis of the data, the authors found out that significant challenges faced by grieving parents revolved around; holding on to the memories of their children, trying to adopt a healthy life, emotional response regarding the death and the effects that the loss had in their abilities to maintain other relationships.
Discussion: It was identified that similar to other studies, Dias et al. (2017) parents identified with the life after the loss as a ‘new normal’ where keeping busy enabled them to avoid the thoughts of the grief. With each parent approach the loss from a different perspective, there was still a need for them to support each other. However, the need to move on and the compulsion to hold on to the memory of the child acted as the most influencing challenge for the grieving parents. From the findings made in the study, it was recommended that parents needed psychological assistance from their community to cope with the situation.
Flahault, C., Dolbeault, S., Sankey, C., & Fasse, L. (2018). Understanding grief in children who have lost a parent with cancer: How do they give meaning to this experience? Results of an interpretative phenomenological analysis. Death Studies, 42(8), 483-490. doi: 10.1080/07481187.2017.1383951
Introduction: According to the World Health Organization (2017), cancer is considered as one of the significant causes of death globally, and in 2015, it accounted for over 8 million deaths. Among the studies conducted on the nature of grief in children, few qualitative kinds of research have accomplished this objective. This study is a substudy of a larger investigation that addressed the adjustment behaviours among children with parents suffering from cancer. Flahault et al. (2018) carried out a qualitative study whose aim was to identify the intimate grieving experiences of bereaved children and analyze their approach in proving meaning to them.
Methodology: The study is qualitative research with a sample group of 16 children, of which 14 participated. The ages of the children ranged from 10 years and below. The participants were invited to take part in the study but with their parent’s approval. The study was conducted by use of a survey method that involved interviews that lasted between 30 to 45 mins. The focus was to obtain information on the experiences of the children regarding their bereavement and grief. The collected data were analyzed by the use of interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). The antecedents and provisions of qualitative analysis were addressed in the study.
Results: After the data was analyzed it was identified that grief was hard to believe announcement that followed a ceremonious realization of the accounts. The experiences of the children in a daily life resulted in changing as a result of grief. Also, the children experienced behaviours attributed to anger born out of the guilt they had with regards to the parents’ death. Additionally, it was identified that through the experiences of grief, new things are learnt.
Discussion: From the obtained data, the participants had not received psychological support to enable them to cope with the grief. Although they exhibited signs of undergoing a grieving period identified as usual. The remaining parent is expected to provide moral support to the child; however, as a surviving parent, some end up facing depressive disorders that affect their abilities as parents. Regardless of the various limitations faced, the study can engage with the establishment of a profound expression of the grief experienced by the children.
Koblenz, J. (2016). Growing from grief: Qualitative experiences of parental loss. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 73(3), 203–230. Retrieved April 04, 2020, from https://doi-org.dist.lib.usu.edu/10.1177/0030222815576123
Introduction: In the United States, there are over 2 million children who have experienced the loss of a parent. According to Freud (1917) (as cited in the study), grieving can become pathological even through a normal mourning process. In this study, Koblenz (2016) examined the responses from adults who had experienced the loss of a parent during childhood to help children in similar situations. The uniqueness of the study is founded on its use of 19 participants who shared their experiences of losing a parent. Besides, the study was based on the hypotheses that participants receiving emotionally positive support from loved ones, spoke about their feelings with a surviving parent or received therapeutic assistance are better equipped to adapt to their loss. Consequently, the purpose of the study was also aimed at filling the research gap on approaches to assist grieving children in society effectively.
Methodology: The study was conducted with the use of 19 participants. They were recruited by the use of Facebook, Long Island University Psychological Services Center, C.W post flyers and posting of leaflets at the Long Island University. Sampling involved a snowball sampling method. The study was founded on a retrospective and cross-sectional design. The collected data was analyzed through the adoption of guidelines presented by Auerbach and Silverstein’s (2003) book Qualitative Data: An Introduction to Coding and Analysis. Additionally, demographic questionnaires and an unstructured interview based on six open-ended questions were used.
Results: There were five theoretical constructs identified in the study and they included therapy, continued connection with a deceased parent, catastrophe adjustment, and reinvestment. As such, by adopting the theoretical approaches, a child can be able to cope with the situation and adapt to the loss.
Discussion: The findings from the study, can be applied from a clinical perspective to enable children to receive better therapeutic help in managing their grief. Further, by becoming social and engaging with peers who have experienced similar scenarios can be detrimental in assisting mourning children.
References
Cantwell-Bartl, A. (2018). Grief and coping of parents whose child has a constant life-threatening disability, hypoplastic left heart syndrome with reference to the Dual-Process Model. Death Studies, 42(9), 569-578. Retrieved April 04, 2020, from https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2017.1407380
Christensen, D. R., Hård af Segerstad, Y., Kasperowski, D., & Sandvik, K. (2017). Bereaved Parents’ Online Grief Communities: De-Tabooing Practices or Relation-Building Grief-Ghettos? Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 61(1), 58–72. Retrieved April 04, 2020, from https://doiorg.dist.lib.usu.edu/10.1080/08838151.2016.1273929
Dias, N., Docherty, S., & Brandon, D. (2017). Parental bereavement: Looking beyond grief. Death Studies, 41(5), 318-327. Retrieved April 04, 2020, from https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2017.1279239.
Flahault, C., Dolbeault, S., Sankey, C., & Fasse, L. (2018). Understanding grief in children who have lost a parent with cancer: How do they give meaning to this experience? Results of an interpretative phenomenological analysis. Death Studies, 42(8), 483-490. doi: 10.1080/07481187.2017.1383951
Koblenz, J. (2016). Growing from grief: Qualitative experiences of parental loss. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 73(3), 203–230. Retrieved April 04, 2020, from https://doi-org.dist.lib.usu.edu/10.1177/0030222815576123