The Grieving Process of Japanese Mothers who have Lost a Child to Cancer,Part II: Establishing a New Relationship from the Memories

Abstract

Twenty-four Japanese mothers who had lost a child to cancer were interviewed periodically as part of a qualitative study, and the resulting data were analyzed to see how their perceptions of their deceased children changed over time. In the beginning of the grieving process, the mothers applied extra care to the handling of their children's remains and belongings, such as the corpse, ashes, and burial site. Once the mother had begun to adjust to the child's death, she started to feel that her child was inside or close to her. She was no longer obsessed with her child's remains and belongings. Also, her memories of the child changed, from specific, sad memories to recollections of the child's life as a whole. At the same time, her dreams about the child became positive. As a result, she developed a new relationship with her child.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Hoshino

(1991). The Logic of Medicine [Iryo no ronri]. Tokyo: Iwanami-shinsho.

Klass

(1988). Parental Grief: Solace and resolution. New York: Springer Publishing.

Namihira

(1990). The Culture of Illness and Death [Yamai to shi no bunka]. Tokyo: Asahi-sensho.

Saiki-Craighill

(1994). Health Care, Crisis Management, and The Third Gender: The Disruption of Childhood Illness and Death in the Lives of Japanese Women. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of California, San Francisco.

Saiki-Craighill

(1998). Psycho-educational support for families who have lost a child to cancer [kodomo o gan de nakushita kazoku eno shinrikyouikuteki enjyo]. In Goto

(Ed.), Educational Methods for Families in Various Situations [Kazoku kyoshitu no susumekata] (pp. 149–155). Tokyo: Kongo-shuppan.

Volkan

V.D.

(1981). Linking Objects and Linking Phenomena. New York: International Universities Press.

Worden

J. W.

(1991). Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy. New York: Springer Publishing.