Parents' Grief Process After the Death of Their Child From Substance Abuse.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe parents' grief process after the death of their child caused by substance abuse. The research data were collected from parents at closed peer discussion forums online using an e-questionnaire with open-ended questions (n = 95) and seven parents were additionally interviewed. The research data were analysed using data-driven content analysis. The parents' grief process after the death of their child from substance abuse included the processing of traumatic emotional experiences, a strain on well-being and functional capacity, grieving and grief avoidance, change in the parenthood identity, disintegration of social relationships, acceptance of the death of the child and hopelessness about the future. Parents' grief process after the child's death from substance abuse is extremely comprehensive, permanently affecting different areas of the parents' lives, including strain on well-being and functional capacity, change in the parenthood identity and disintegration of social relationships.