Post-Traumatic Growth in Finnish Parents After the Traumatic Death of a Child

The traumatic death of a child may cause a wide range of emotional and behavioral responses in parents. In contrast to the extensive research and literature on the negative aspects of parental bereavement, the topic of post-traumatic growth in parents has received relatively little attention. This study addressed a need for further understanding post-traumatic growth in parents following the traumatic death of a child. To recruit participants, an online advertisement was posted on the websites of Finnish bereavement organizations, their member mailing lists, and closed discussion groups. Seventeen parents were interviewed in-depth over the phone. This qualitative involved an inductive content analysis of 401 narratives of post-traumatic growth in the grief experiences of participants. The post-traumatic growth identified featured positive attitudes toward life, positive attitudes toward death, enhancing one’s spiritual life, improvements in well-being, concern about others’ needs and wanting to help, and meaningful relationships. The findings highlight the increasing complexity of topics in spirituality and social work with bereaved parents.