Date of Conferral
2022
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Psychology
Advisor
Georita Frierson
Abstract
AbstractResearch on young adult deaths primarily focuses on other causes of death such as homicide, suicide, and accidents. There is very little research surrounding maternal bereavement when the cause of death is from a drug overdose. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions, attitudes, and lived experiences of grieving mothers who had a biological, adopted, or stepchild die from a drug overdose when the decease’s age was between 18 and 25. Guided by Le Poi Devin’s multidimensional grief theory, the study sought a better understanding to assist mental health and other healthcare providers in developing individualized treatment of mothers’ suffering grief. Study participants included 11 women who had a young adult child die a minimum of 2 years ago. Virtual semi structured, open-ended, phenomenological interview questions were used to explore the research questions of the overall grief experiences, physical symptoms, emotional expressions, and coping mechanisms. Using NVivo 12 software, a four-stage interpretive phenomenological analysis method was used to analyze the data. Thematic analyses revealed 6 main themes: (a) initial grief reactions to the loss, (b) support system and coping mechanisms, (c) spiritualty and religious changes, (d) adapting to the loss over time, (e) emotional responses and physical reactions, and (f) overall grief experiences. The positive social change implication includes information that may help understand a mother’s special needs and circumstances as they make efforts to navigate through life after losing a young adult child to a drug overdose.
Recommended Citation
Quail, Shonetesha L., "Grief Experiences of Mothers after a Child’s Death from a Drug Overdose" (2022). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 12523.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/12523
