Mediating Grief: Postmortem Ritualization After Child Death

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to better understand the benefits of ritualization for bereaved parents and the factors that influence ritualization. Through phenomenological analyses of 19 in-depth interviews with bereaved parents, the results of this study reveal that bereaved parents engage in ritual to (a) maintain continuing bonds with their child, (b) help them cope by offering them a sense of control, and (c) provide a means toward posttraumatic growth by honoring and memorializing their child. These factors, in turn, appear to mediate grief through meaning reconstruction in the aftermath of the child's life and death within the context of social and cultural influences. Implications for providers are discussed.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Joanne Cacciatore

Joanne Cacciatore is an assistant professor in the School of Social Work at Arizona State University. She runs the Graduate Certificate in Trauma and Bereavement Program and works with many students interested in studying the effects of traumatic death. She is also a clinician and has counseled grieving families from around the world since 1996.

Melissa Flint

Melissa Flint is a clinical psychologist who specializes in geriatrics, child abuse/trauma, and developmental disabilities. She maintains a private client caseload in the Midwestern University Multispecialty Clinic as well as holding the position of assistant professor in the College of Heath Sciences Clinical Psychology Program.