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Cited by 19Grief, Bereavement, and Mental HealthPalliative and Oncologic CarePalliative Care and End-of-Life Issues

Emotional upheaval, the essence of anticipatory grief in mothers of children with life threatening illnesses: a qualitative study

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Najafi, Kazem, Shirinabadi Farahani, Azam, Rassouli, Maryam, Alavi Majd, Hamid, Karami, Maryam·2022·BMC Psychology
DOI 10.1186/s40359-022-00904-7PMC PMC9366755
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Abstract

Introduction: Life-threatening illnesses in childhood are considered a crisis for the whole family, especially for the mother, which leads to experiencing different degrees of grief and emotional-behavioral problems. Objective: The present study is conducted with the aim of explaining the concept of anticipatory grief from the perspective of the mothers of the children with life-threatening illnesses. Methods: This qualitative study is part of a sequential exploratory research for model development in the field of anticipatory grief, which was conducted using conventional content analysis method. The data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 19 mothers of the children with life-threatening illnesses living in Shiraz and Tehran, who were selected through purposive sampling with maximum variation. When data saturation were achieved, the data were codified by MAXQDA-10 software and analyzed using Graneheim and Lundman’s approach. Findings: Data analysis resulted in the identification of 8 subcategories including shock, irritability, fear of losing, feeling guilty, uncertainty, hopelessness, loneliness and isolation, and mourning without a coffin, all forming the major theme emotional upheaval. Discussion and conclusion: As the result of being in a situation of imminent and possible loss of her child, the mother experiences different responses of sadness and sorrow and suffers the consequences the core of which is consisted of emotional upheaval. Therefore, by explaining the behaviors related to anticipatory grief, efficient and effective interventions can be designed to improve coping among this group of mothers.

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  • Parents of children with life-threatening conditions frequently experience anticipatory grief related to their child's condition and death, which can fluctuate and persist over time, reemerging with new symptoms or hurdles.

    “Parents of children with life‐threatening conditions frequently experience what has been described as “anticipatory grief” related to their child's condition and death, which can fluctuate and persist over time reemerging with new symptoms or hurdles associated with the condition (Najafi et al., 2022).”

    From "I don't grieve as much as I used to": A qualitative study on parents of children with rare and undiagnosed conditions navigating grief in the context of uncertainty. (2025) · cites this paper as Najafi et al., 2022

    The Findings describe recurring emotional upheaval and fear of loss among mothers of children with life-threatening illnesses. The Discussion says their anticipatory grief begins at diagnosis and continues until the child’s death; a participant also describes worry that symptoms may return. The study focuses on mothers and does not establish how frequently parents generally experience this grief. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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  • Some emotional experiences described-uncertainty, guilt, isolation, hopelessness, shock-resemble experiences of parents whose child has life-threatening condition, such as mothers caring for child with cancer or other rare but diagnosed conditions.

    “Some of the emotional experiences described by the parents in this study—uncertainty, guilt, isolation, hopelessness, and shock—resemble the experiences of parents whose child has a life‐threatening condition, such as mothers caring for a child with cancer or other rare but diagnosed conditions (e.g., muscular dystrophy, heart defects; Najafi et al., 2022).”

    From "I don't grieve as much as I used to": A qualitative study on parents of children with rare and undiagnosed conditions navigating grief in the context of uncertainty. (2025) · cites this paper as Najafi et al., 2022

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Cited by

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Authors
Najafi, K., Shirinabadi Farahani, A., Rassouli, M., Alavi Majd, H., & Karami, M.
Affiliations
Shahid Beheshti University (IR)
ORCID
Venue
BMC Psychology
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2022-08-11
Volume
10
Issue
1
Pages
196-196
ISSN
2050-7283 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/s40359-022-00904-7
PMC
PMC9366755
OpenAlex
W4291020378
Cited by
19
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 7
FWCI
2.55
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • BMC Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative and Oncologic Care
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues
Keywords
anticipatory grief, mothers, grief, guilt, hopelessness, loneliness, coping, parental bereavement
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Psychological, Bereavement, Child, Female, Grief, Humans, Iran, Mothers, Qualitative Research

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