Keywords

chronic sorrow, death, grief, intellectual disability, loss of a child, nursing, spiritual care, theory

Authors

1. Buckley, Cindy J. Lightfoot
2. Stricklin, Suzanne Martin

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The death of a child, regardless of age, is the most horrendous, severe, and debilitating form of bereavement a parent can experience. Two authors-one who lost her son and one who has a son with intellectual limitations-explain how the Theory of Chronic Sorrow offers help in understanding the grieving process and how nurses can assist parents and others experiencing long-term bereavement.