The meaning of losing a child in older adults: a qualitative study

Abstract Background After losing their child, elderly parents look for a meaning in this phenomenon. This meaning comes out from their experiences, and their responses to and actions in life are shaped based on this meaning. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of “understanding the mean...

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Autores principales:	Azade Safa, Mohsen Adib-Hajbaghery, Mahboubeh Rezaei, Marzieh Araban
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	BMC 2021
Materias:	Meaning Losing a child Older adults Content analysis Qualitative study Geriatrics RC952-954.6
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/ad965782c21a4aee8d907609658f10a7
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:ad965782c21a4aee8d907609658f10a72021-11-21T12:07:22ZThe meaning of losing a child in older adults: a qualitative study10.1186/s12877-021-02609-91471-2318https://doaj.org/article/ad965782c21a4aee8d907609658f10a72021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02609-9https://doaj.org/toc/1471-2318Abstract Background After losing their child, elderly parents look for a meaning in this phenomenon. This meaning comes out from their experiences, and their responses to and actions in life are shaped based on this meaning. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of “understanding the meaning of losing a child in older adults.” Methods This qualitative study was conducted using conventional content analysis method. Using semi-structured face-to-face interviews, data were collected from 15 older adults who had experienced of losing their adult child. Data analysis was performed according to the steps proposed by Graneheim and Lundman, 2004. To prove the trustworthiness of the data, credibility, dependability, confirmability and transferability were used. Results The age range of participants was between 61 and 83 years and 73.3% of them were female. The two main categories of “tasting the bitter flavor of life” and “searching for a positive meaning in losing a child” together with the theme of “finding hope in the heart of darkness” were extracted from the participants’ experiences. Conclusions Despite the grief of losing a child, which had cast a dark shadow over the parents’ lives, the child’s liberation from worldly sufferings, his/her presence in a better world, and being hopeful about the grace of God had caused the elderly parents to find hope in the heart of darkness. After identifying the parents with a deceased child, they should be helped through psychological counseling and care of the healthcare team so that they can adapt to this situation by finding a positive meaning in losing their child.Azade SafaMohsen Adib-HajbagheryMahboubeh RezaeiMarzieh ArabanBMCarticleMeaningLosing a childOlder adultsContent analysisQualitative studyGeriatricsRC952-954.6ENBMC Geriatrics, Vol 21, Iss 1, Pp 1-9 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Meaning Losing a child Older adults Content analysis Qualitative study Geriatrics RC952-954.6
spellingShingle	Meaning Losing a child Older adults Content analysis Qualitative study Geriatrics RC952-954.6 Azade Safa Mohsen Adib-Hajbaghery Mahboubeh Rezaei Marzieh Araban The meaning of losing a child in older adults: a qualitative study
description	Abstract Background After losing their child, elderly parents look for a meaning in this phenomenon. This meaning comes out from their experiences, and their responses to and actions in life are shaped based on this meaning. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of “understanding the meaning of losing a child in older adults.” Methods This qualitative study was conducted using conventional content analysis method. Using semi-structured face-to-face interviews, data were collected from 15 older adults who had experienced of losing their adult child. Data analysis was performed according to the steps proposed by Graneheim and Lundman, 2004. To prove the trustworthiness of the data, credibility, dependability, confirmability and transferability were used. Results The age range of participants was between 61 and 83 years and 73.3% of them were female. The two main categories of “tasting the bitter flavor of life” and “searching for a positive meaning in losing a child” together with the theme of “finding hope in the heart of darkness” were extracted from the participants’ experiences. Conclusions Despite the grief of losing a child, which had cast a dark shadow over the parents’ lives, the child’s liberation from worldly sufferings, his/her presence in a better world, and being hopeful about the grace of God had caused the elderly parents to find hope in the heart of darkness. After identifying the parents with a deceased child, they should be helped through psychological counseling and care of the healthcare team so that they can adapt to this situation by finding a positive meaning in losing their child.
format	article
author	Azade Safa Mohsen Adib-Hajbaghery Mahboubeh Rezaei Marzieh Araban
author_facet	Azade Safa Mohsen Adib-Hajbaghery Mahboubeh Rezaei Marzieh Araban
author_sort	Azade Safa
title	The meaning of losing a child in older adults: a qualitative study
title_short	The meaning of losing a child in older adults: a qualitative study
title_full	The meaning of losing a child in older adults: a qualitative study
title_fullStr	The meaning of losing a child in older adults: a qualitative study
title_full_unstemmed	The meaning of losing a child in older adults: a qualitative study
title_sort	meaning of losing a child in older adults: a qualitative study
publisher	BMC
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/ad965782c21a4aee8d907609658f10a7
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The meaning of losing a child in older adults: a qualitative study

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