Evlat Kaybı Yaşamış Annelerin Kaybettikleri Çocuklarıyla Süregiden Bağ Deneyimlerinin Ve Geride Kalan Çocuklarıyla İlişkilerinin Yorumlayıcı Fenomenolojik Analiz İle İncelenmesi

Abstract

The death of a child is considered one of the most devastating experiences for a parent. It involves both the grieving process of the parents and the continuation of the relationship with any surviving children.During this process, parents may experience their relationship with both the lost and surviving children in different ways. The present study aims to explore in depth the grief processes of mothers who have lost a child, their relationships with their surviving children, and their experiences of maintaining a bond with the deceased child. Given the importance of subjectivity in the grief process and the parent-child relationship, the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), a qualitative approach, was used. Indepth interviews were conducted with six participants, and the interviews were analyzed accordingly. As a result, three main themes were identified: "Journey through the labyrinth of grief: Mothers' Experiences of Loss," "Maternal Experiences with the Surviving Child After the Loss," and "Maintaining the Bond through Mental Representations of the Deceased Child". The results were discussed in relation to the existing literature on grief and loss. The results are expected to contribute to the literature on parental grief and provide valuable insights for clinical practice regarding parents’ maintain with both their deceased and surviving children