Adults’ Experiences on Learning to Cope with Parental Death During Childhood

Abstract

The death of a parent during childhood is an impactful, potentially traumatic experience. Given the major short- and long-term implications, it is important to gain more knowledge regarding how to best support children. The current study adds to previous literature by investigating adults’ experiences on supportive and unsupportive factors to cope with the loss of their parent. Sixty Dutch-speaking adults (26–46 years) who experienced childhood parental death (CPD; between 4 and 18 years) participated in a semi-structured interview. Thematic analysis was conducted to generate themes regarding supportive and unsupportive factors in learning to cope with the grief and the impact of CPD over time. Five main themes were generated: (1) Hanging on to daily life; (2) (In)stability in a changing family system; (3) The need for a supportive social environment over time; (4) The lack of support within the school context; (5) Experiences with professional help. The findings provide important lessons on how to support children who lost their parent, but also adults who experienced such a loss during childhood. Stability in a child’s life and social support are important supportive factors. In addition, it is essential that others acknowledge the loss and give children space to talk about it. Finally, exploratory findings suggest that individuals who experienced the loss of their father may be more likely to experience a lack of support.