Parenting While Grieving: The Experience of Widows with Young Children

Abstract

The death of a spouse while parenting young children brings unique challenges for the widow who must not only grieve the loss of a partner but also navigate the demands of solo parenting and help their children through the grieving process. The multiple layers of losses place young widows at risk for the development of mental health issues such as depression and anxiety and negative health trajectories. Bereavement outcomes are influenced by the practical and emotional resources that a widow has available to them as well as the strength of their social support network. This qualitative study explored the grief experiences of widows with young children and the factors that influenced adaptation post-loss. Open ended survey questions were used to gather data from 232 widows and thematic analysis was used to identify themes in the data. All of the themes centered on the multiple layers of grief that must be navigated as widows adapt to being a solo parent and the practical and emotional challenges that they experienced. The widows identified that they were simultaneously grieving the loss of their spouse, while helping their children manage the grieving process, and grieving the life, plans, and opportunities that the death of their spouse had taken from them. While the demands of parenting increased challenges to adaptation and increased experiences of self-doubt, parenting was also identified as a role that had a positive impact on bereavement, helping the widows to remain engaged in their lives as they navigated this difficult journey.