Family Communication Surrounding the Loss of a Child: Interactions Between Mothers and Their Surviving Children

This study explored the communication between mothers and a surviving child following the death of a child in the family. Twenty bereaved mothers were interviewed. Mothers reported that open communication with the surviving children about the deceased child appeared to facilitate positive bereavement and served as a positive method of coping with grief. Several themes emerged in the results of the interviews, including themes which revealed communication changes, comforting communication strategies, common third party discussions, and communication changes over time. The majority of the participants maintained a normal tone and normal substance of conversations with the surviving child following the death of a child. Nineteen of the participants reported having third party discussions concerning the surviving child. The participants reported presently having open communication or limited communication with the surviving child concerning the deceased sibling.