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Parent-child communication in widowed families
American Journal of Psychotherapy
|July 1, 1979
Summary
When a parent dies, surviving family members struggle to cope due to difficulty accepting the finality of death. This inability to accept the loss hinders their adjustment to life without the deceased, as they expect their return.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Grief Studies
- Family Dynamics
Background:
- Parental death significantly impacts family functioning, often leading to difficulties in coping for surviving parents and children.
- Existing research highlights challenges in family adaptation following bereavement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the underlying reasons for difficulties in collaborative coping among surviving parents and children after a parent's death.
- To propose a theoretical framework explaining family adjustment challenges in the context of parental loss.
Main Methods:
- This study is theoretical, proposing a framework based on existing psychological and grief theories.
- The methodology involves conceptual analysis of family dynamics and grief processing.
Main Results:
- A key finding is the proposed inability of surviving family members to accept the finality of death.
- This acceptance difficulty is linked to an expectation of the deceased's return, impeding adjustment.
Conclusions:
- The inability to accept the finality of death is a critical factor hindering parental and child adjustment after a parent's death.
- Addressing this cognitive aspect of grief may be crucial for facilitating healthier family coping mechanisms and adaptation.