The Grieving Process of Opioid Overdose Bereaved Parents in Maryland

Abstract

In recent years, the opioid epidemic in the United States has garnered attention due to the increasing number of fatal overdoses. Research on overdose death has increasingly focused on the psychological impacts of drug-related bereavement and disenfranchised bereavement. This study aims to contribute to the growing body of emergent literature on drug death bereavement, by exploring the experiences of parents whose children passed away due to opioid overdose. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with six parents living in the state of Maryland who had an adult child die from opioid overdose two or more years prior to the study. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Themes that emerged included the grieving process, stigmatization, and social support. While overall adaptation levels varied among participants, all participants reported positive and negative outcomes related to their experience of grief and loss. Implications for clinical practice and intervention are discussed.