Echoes of loss: An interpretive phenomenological study of the expressions of childhood bereavement after the death of a parent, in bereaved adults spousal and parental relationships.

Abstract

This qualitative study explored the long-term effects of childhood bereavement after the death of a parent on adult spousal and parental relationships. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, we conducted in-depth interviews with nine Israeli adults who lost a parent in childhood. The study drew on the dual process model of coping with loss to examine how early loss of a parent is expressed through adult relationships. Three main themes emerged from the data: 1. perceptions of the early loss of a parent as trauma; 2. hypersensitivity and anxiety regarding further abandonment; and 3. 'live life to the fullest: restoration-oriented coping as growth stemming from a traumatic loss', which highlights possible posttraumatic growth. These findings contribute to our understanding of the complex, long-term impacts of childhood loss of a parent on adult relationships, describe some of its emotional mechanisms, and offer insights and clinical implications for clinicians and researchers working with bereaved individuals.