Signs of Traumatic Grief,Lack of Justice,Magnitude of Loss,and Signs of Resilience Following the Homicidal Loss of Their Adult Child Among Caribbean Black Mothers
Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online February, 2022
Signs of Traumatic Grief,Lack of Justice,Magnitude of Loss,and Signs of Resilience Following the Homicidal Loss of Their Adult Child Among Caribbean Black Mothers
This study examined the aftermath of adult homicide on Trinidadian mothers. This is an understudied population, and the ability of these mothers to cope with the aftermath of such a tragedy needs to be fully acknowledged in order to understand their mental health status after the traumatic death of an adult child. This study utilized a narrative analysis approach to interview 20 mothers and used NVIVO 12 software to analyze the data. The findings highlight that factors such as multiple deaths, the scale of loss, and attempts to seek justice complicated the grief process. Although none of the mothers interviewed were diagnosed with a grief disorder, it was evident that their grief was indeed traumatic. It took more than a year for some mothers to find ways and opportunities for resilience, while others continue to struggle in the aftermath. Homicidally bereaved mothers are a distinct population that should be studied as they have the experiential knowledge and are willing to share the feelings and trauma-related needs after their loss.
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