Following the death of a child, parents with surviving children face the task of navigating their own grief while continuing to parent. In this study parents' told stories of emotional connection and disconnection with surviving children, influenced by the competing and potentially incompatible task of 'parenting' and grieving. The study demonstrated the need for healthcare staff to provide support to parents to explore contradicting emotions, and provide support to children to make sense of their experiences in relation to the parent-child relation.
Shanker, S. et al. 2017. Continuing bonds with the living: bereaved parents' narratives of their emotional relationship with their children. Bereavement Care, 36 (3) 103 - 107.
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