THE PREVALENCE OF UNRESOLVED GRIEF AMONG BEREAVED PARENTS IMPLICATIONS FOR COUNSELLING

THE PREVALENCE OF UNRESOLVED GRIEF AMONG BEREAVED PARENTS IMPLICATIONS FOR COUNSELLING

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background of the Study

The death of a child is often described as a parent’s worst fear.  Parents who lose a child must navigate the devastation, and find new ways of coping and adapting to an event that is viewed as outside of the natural order of life.  The bereaved parents must also come to terms with their unmet hopes and expectations for the future (Alam, Barrera, D’Agostino, Nicholas, & Schneiderman, 2012).  These experiences are more intense when a death is sudden and unexpected.

Bereaved parents may experience feelings of isolation because of stigmatization or the inability of family and friends to listen and be present with the bereaved.  This may frustrate parents as they attempt to maintain a connection with their deceased children through their memories and sharing of individual stories (Hunt & Greeff, 2011).  My focus in this study included children who have died suddenly during the developmental stages, ages 2 through 12 years, in which parents feel that their primary responsibility is to ensure the safety of their child.  These developmental stages occur prior to the increased autonomy witnessed as children move into adolescence.  My omission of children younger than 2 years, excludes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and