Date of Conferral
2020
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Criminal Justice
Advisor
David P. Milen
Abstract
African American bereavement experiences are underrepresented in the literature in comparison to Caucasian experiences. Due to cultural differences, the available literature may be misleading and unhelpful to African Americans dealing with grief. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to fill the void in the literature regarding African American bereavement. Guided by attachment theory and social constructivism as the theoretical frameworks, this study explored the lived bereavement and grief experiences of 12 African American siblings bereaved by homicide. A qualitative phenomenological approach was used to gain firsthand knowledge of the siblingsâ bereavement experiences via semi-structured interviews, which allowed the participants to emerge from being the forgotten mourner and added survivor voice to the literature. The information obtained was manually transcribed and analyzed to identify themes to highlight the siblingsâ bereavement experiences. The findings identified commonalities in the siblingsâ experiences with coping, support, and the post homicide interactions. Implications for positive social change include the potential for the development of new approaches to the treatment of bereaved siblings. Recommendations include continuing the research on African American sibling survivors, as well as suggestions for mental health professionals, religious entities, law enforcement, lawmakers, family, and friends to aide in the support of sibling survivors.
Recommended Citation
Brown, Terra Natia, "African American Sibling Survivors of Homicide Victims: A Phenomenological Study" (2020). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 9067.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/9067
