Surviving after the Death of a Spouse: A Phenomenological Study of Young and Low-Income Mothers in Turkey

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine psychosocial adjustment of low-income mothers who lost their spouses at a young age. The study was conducted using a qualitative research method with a phenomenological approach. The data was collected through focus group interviews. Thirteen women between the ages of 26 and 43 participated in the study. In this study, manifest content analysis was carried out with an inductive perspective. In this scope, five interrelated themes emerged as loss, initial reactions, difficulties, coping ways, and change. For the participants, the death of their spouse was perceived as the loss of a loved one, the loss of their children’s father, a loss of security, and the loss of an abusive spouse. The initial reactions that emerged as a result were shock, helplessness, anxiety, and ambivalence. Participants faced social pressure, exclusion, parenting an orphaned child, insufficient basic life skills, and economic difficulties after their spouses’ deaths. In order to cope with these difficulties, they sought social support, applied for social assistance funds, focused on their motherhood roles, used religious coping mechanisms, and set boundaries. It was determined that participants learned new skills, gained self-confidence, and developed helping behaviors toward others during the post-loss change process. Findings revealed that participants are unable to access adequate social, economic, and psychological resources in society. This circumstance caused them to withdraw from their social environment and reevaluate their existential goals. The new identity created by these women could be interpreted as a challenge to the culture that marginalizes them.