Belonging to a community of care: Mothers’ experiences of online peer support groups for parents having lost a child with congenital heart defects

Figures & data

Table 1. Sociodemographic characteristics.

Characteristics	Total (n = 8)
	Mean (SD)
Mothers age at time of interview (years)	46.7 (9.0)
Time elapsed since child’s death (years)	11.6 (11.6)
	n (%)
Education
University degree	5 (63)
Upper secondary	3 (37)
Child’s age at death
<1 year	5 (63)
1–3 year/s	1 (12)
13–18 years	2 (25)
Membership
Member of one Facebook group^a	3 (37.5)
Member of more than one Facebook group^b	5 (62.5)

^aFacebook group for parents who have lost a child with a heart condition.

^bFacebook group for parents who have lost a child with a heart condition & Facebook group for parents with a child with a heart condition (n = 2); Facebook group for parents who have lost a child with a heart condition, Facebook group for parents with a child with a heart condition & member of the Swedish umbrella association for children with heart defects (n = 2); Facebook group for parents who have lost a child with a heart condition & member of the Swedish umbrella association for children with heart defects (n = 1).

Table 2. Examples of the steps involved during the analysis.

Meaning unit	Condensation	Interpretation	Sub-theme	Theme
I saw a post on Facebook where someone posted and I commented on it, someone replied and then I wrote that I too had lost a child. That in turn led to the group administrator inviting me to join.	I commented on a post and was invited to the group by the administrator.	Invitation to the group after post	Channels and membership for online peer support	Belonging to a community of care promotes resilience and continued life
Someone wondered what kind of songs or texts would be suitable for burying a teenager	A question regarding songs and texts for a teenagers’ funeral	Practical support for planning funeral	Attributes of online peer support
Yeah, it happens all the time, that someone says, well, it’s been 5 years, 10 years since my child passed. When does it get easier? And someone with 20 years since the loss can write that: it has gotten a lot easier, but that there still are really tough days…	Some wonder when it becomes easier since it’s been 5 or 10 years since the loss. Even after 20 years there can be tough days.	The grief is ever present, but it gets easier with time, but even after 20 years, there are tough days. It is a comfort to hear from other and to know that others are like me.	Belonging and resilience with continued life and living