ABSTRACT
Introduction The Grieving Parent: A Look Inward Parents Whose Child Was Murdered, Completed Suicide, or Died from Other Violent
Causes Impact of a Child’s Death on a Couple’s Relationship Sibling Grief Impact of a Child’s Death on Grandparents, Extended Family, and Friends What Grieving Parents Ask from Care Providers Summary of Clinical Considerations Self-Help Support Groups Hope for the Grieving Parent
Introduction
From a biological perspective, the parent is the physical agent whose function is to send the genes received from earlier generations into the future. This biological imperative intertwines the parent and child in a very special relationship, the essence of which is reflected in the way our culture and society defines the role of parents as well as the expectations placed upon them regarding the protection of their offspring. When a child dies, the generational continuity is cut off. Added to the biological attachment for survival, psychological, cultural, and social factors impact on the attachment and create a uniqueness that is the parent-child bond. Each becomes attuned to the other’s needs and expectations over time to form a reciprocal system of actions and reactions (Field, 1985).
