Abstract:

Death of a parent has adverse effects on the child’s well-being. The surviving parent is often the most important source of support for the child and a close witness of the child bereavement process. The aim of this study was to understand the perceived effects of paternal bereavement on children’s mental health and coping strategies through their mothers’ narratives. Adopting qualitative research methods, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine mothers who had lost their spouses. Thematic analysis revealed three main themes: negative effects on mental health, posttraumatic growth, and coping strategies. The findings indicated that the consequences of paternal loss are not limited to negative effects on children’s functioning, as they may also experience positive changes following the loss. Moreover, mothers noticed that their children overcame paternal death successfully by using coping strategies such as discovering new activities, religion, and social support. Consequently, these findings indicated that grief-response and resilience-enhancing strategies should be tailored to the emotional needs of each family.

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