Competing aspects of the rural Arab mothers' bereavement experience

Abstract

The study applied relational dialectics theory to explore competing discourses in bereaved Arab mothers' talk about their bereavement experience in a collective space in rural areas of Israel, and to understand how the interaction between these discourses gives meaning to their experience. Fifteen bereaved mothers were interviewed. The mothers, aged 28–46 years, had children (aged 1–6 years) who died between 2 and 7 years previously. Analysis of the interviews revealed three main discursive struggles that characterize mothers' bereavement experience: (a) moving closer versus keeping one's distance; (b) social harmony versus personal needs; and (c) criticism of ongoing grief versus criticism of returning to routine functioning. The advantage of being part of a close‐knit social network is that it provides emotional cushioning to the bereaved. This cushioning, however, does not preclude the struggle to attain normalcy after the tragedy within the parameters of the contradictory societal expectations and needs of the mourner.

Being there: A scoping review on psychosocial challenges faced by adolescents during bereavement in the Southern African Development Community

“…Bereavement, also known as the mourning or grief period, is a time of intense emotional distress and sadness experienced after the death of a loved one. The terms grief, mourning, and bereavement are frequently used interchangeably, but their meanings vary [1][2][3][4] . Bereavement can be regarded as an umbrella term that encompasses both grief and mourning.…”