Ambiguous loss after shaken baby syndrome/abusive head trauma: parental management of dialectical contradictions of grief

ABSTRACT

Shaken baby syndrome/abusive head trauma (SBS/AHT) is the number one cause of child abuse related deaths in the United States. This study, based on qualitative interviews with 35 birth parents of SBS/AHT survivors, employs grief management and dialectical theory to explore the ambiguous loss experienced by parents. This study finds parents experience dialectics of acknowledgment-denial, control-helplessness, certainty-uncertainty, guilt-innocence, and openness-closedness, which prevent them from fully experiencing grief due to the ambiguity of the loss. Because their child is still alive, and the loss is the experience of raising a formerly healthy child, the ambiguous loss experienced, complicated by dialectics of grief, prevent their fully dealing with the grief. Grief management tactics that impact family communication are explored.

KEYWORDS:

• Shaken baby syndrome
• ambiguous loss
• grief management
• dialectics

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Luther College Student/Faculty Collaborative Research project was funded by The Ruth Benson Student Research Fund.

Notes on contributors

Kimberly A. Powell

Kimberly A. Powell (Ph.D., University of Georgia, 1992) is Professor of Communication Studies at, Luther College, 700 College Drive, Decorah, Iowa 52101. Email: [email protected]

Amber Sorenson

Amber Sorenson is a senior in Communication Studies at, Luther College. Email: [email protected]