Recurrent grief in mothering a child with an intellectual disability to adulthood: Grieving is the healing

Abstract

Much of the literature on mothering a child with a disability focuses on grief in the context of diagnosis, with a paucity of longitudinal studies focusing on ongoing grief as the child moves through the life stages. This qualitative study explores the existence of recurrent grief within the lived experience of six women, in mothering their children with intellectual disability through to young adulthood. Informed by the differing theories of grief and disability, the study considers mothers' perception of the experience of recurrent grief as influenced by personal and societal factors, with a focus on its triggers, its manifestation and its amelioration. The findings have relevance to social work practice, policy and research in revealing the necessity for ongoing support and advocacy for mothers of children and young adults with intellectual disabilities.