PARENTAL BEREAVEMENT: THE CRISIS OF MEANING

This descriptive study used qualitative methods to look at two aspects of the search for meaning in parental bereavement--the search for cognitive mastery and the search for renewed purpose. One hundred and seventy-six bereaved parents answered open-ended questions about the experience of their child's death and the meaning of their life since the death. For most parents, the child's death precipitated a severe crisis of meaning and initiated a search for meaning that involved both cognitive mastery and renewed purpose. Those parents who were able to find meaning in the death cited connections with people, the memory of the child, and positive gains resulting from the trauma. The great majority of parents believed that their lives since the death of the child had meaning. Meaning came from connections with people, activities, beliefs and values, personal growth, and connections with the lost child. Implications for grief counseling are discussed.