Mothers’ Grief, Forgiveness, and Posttraumatic Growth After the Loss of a Child

What is it about?

The study found that the more grieving mothers forgave themselves, those who hurt them in the context of the loss, and God (*or anything they consider to be sacred), the less grief they felt and the more posttraumatic growth they experienced. In the interviews, mothers spoke about experiencing remorse, guilt, and anger for the lack of care and support from physicians, family members, friends, and partners. Interestingly, even mothers who indicated their religious affiliation as “no religion”, talked about their anger toward God. These feelings were for them an obstacle in their healing process, and therefore they considered forgiveness as important in their adjustment.

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Why is it important?

The findings of this study provide an initial evidence that forgiveness may benefit mothers after the loss of a child. Future research should address the efficacy of a forgiveness intervention for bereaved parents.