ERIC Number: EJ856900
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Aug
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0090-9882
EISSN: N/A
Grieving Together and Apart: Bereaved Parents' Contradictions of Marital Interaction
Toller, Paige W.; Braithwaite, Dawn O.
Journal of Applied Communication Research, v37 n3 p257-277 Aug 2009
The researchers adopted relational dialectics theory (Baxter & Montgomery, 1996) to examine the discourse of 37 bereaved parents. Research questions guiding the study were what dialectical contradictions do bereaved parents experience when communicating with their marital partner after their child's death and how do bereaved parents and their marital partners communicatively negotiate the dialectical contradictions they experience? Our analysis revealed that bereaved parents experienced a dialectical contradiction between trying to grieve their child's death together as a couple and apart as individuals. Likewise, parents experienced a contradiction between being both open and closed when talking with one another about their child's death. Results describe how parents negotiated these contradictions, and implications for professionals are discussed. (Contains 1 note.)
Descriptors: Children, Death, Parents, Grief, Interpersonal Communication, Spouses, Intimacy, Quality of Life, Marital Satisfaction
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A