ARAUJO, Antônia Fernanda Alves    CARVALHO-BARRETO, André de. Maternal grief in family development: mothers who lost their children in road accidents. []. , 23, 2, pp.119-133. ISSN 1679-494X.

The present study aimed to analyze the production of meanings of mothers from the municipality of Banabuiú, Ceará, Brazil, in which a son or daughter died in a road accident. The multi-method approach with multiple case study was adopted. Three mothers who lost children or daughters in road accidents participated in this research. Three instruments were applied: Life history approach, The Convoy of Social Support, sociodemographic questionnaire. Qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis and the quantitative data by descriptive analysis. The categories that emerged were: “Feeling of loss”, “Life course transition with the death of son” and “Family and social relationship”. In light of the results, it was realized that mothers mean the loss of their children as a transition marked in the course of their family development. Family and support social emerged as fundamental in the process of adaptation to loss.

: Bereavement; Parenthood; Social support.

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