Bereaved Parents’ Narratives of their Journeys Through Grief

Abstract

Rationale and aims: The death of a child is understood to be a particularly devastating form of loss for parents, and there remains a need to further understand bereaved parents’ experiences in order to inform the support offered to them. Empirical studies that explore bereaved parents’ experiences of grief over time in a UK context using narrative inquiry are scarce. The study aims to explore the stories bereaved parents tell about adjusting to living life following bereavement, in order to further understand bereaved parents’ experiences of grief over time and inform the interventions offered to support them. Methodology: A qualitative design, specifically a narrative inquiry, was utilised to explore the accounts of eight bereaved parents, who self-identified as having ‘gradually adjusted’ to living life without their child. Recruitment was facilitated by a peer-support charity for bereaved parents, and a self-selecting sampling method was used. Data was gathered via semi-structured interviews, which were recorded, transcribed and analysed individually and then collectively using thematic, structural and performance narrative analysis methodologies. Findings: Participants described the loss of their child as an earth-shattering disaster, and told stories of surviving and adapting to a world irrevocably altered by loss. Participants described initial grief which felt non-survivable, and later grief which felt never-ending and poorly understood by others, with the exception of other bereaved parents. Implications: This research provides new insight into the challenges faced by bereaved parents, particularly in their later grief, which has implications regarding the timing of interventions for bereaved parents. The study findings also highlight the need for professionals to be informed regarding the never-ending nature of parental grief, and for bereaved parents to have opportunities to connect with one another.