Mind Yourself So You Can Mind Me; The Role of Parental Behaviour in Perinatal Death on the Surviving Sibling’s Grief

Bibliographic Data

ID13628464
AuthorsOrla Jennings (Cork University Maternity Hospital), Sara Leitão (0000-0003-1052-4695, University College Cork, corresponding author), Keelin O’donoghue (0000-0002-4616-2887, University College Cork)
Year2024
Volume93
Issue1
Pages439-457
Publication date2024-03-15
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueOMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0030-2228 • E-ISSN: 1541-3764
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/00302228241239220
PMID38488167
OpenAlexW4392849808
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited19

Children's grief, in perinatal loss, can be misunderstood and overlooked. Parental behaviour while mourning infant loss and parental ability to respond to their own grief has a crucial role in the child's grief. This study aimed to explore parental behaviour as a determining factor in siblings' grief following perinatal death. Six mothers and two fathers experiencing perinatal loss were interviewed about their perception of the child's experience of perinatal death. Thematic analysis allowed for identifying of relevant themes. The main themes related to parents' expression of grief, insight and understanding of their children's grief and communicating the death/anticipated death with their surviving children. Findings showed that children seek out information on their deceased sibling and need supportive parents to guide them through their grief. Our study highlights that supporting parents in their grief is a key factor for a healthy grieving process in children and must be considered when supporting families in perinatal death

Developmental psychology · Disenfranchised grief · Grief · Perception · Psychotherapist · Qualitative research · Sibling · Thematic analysis · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Migration, Health and Trauma · Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues · Psychology