Exploring the Grief and Bereavement of African American Adult Women Washingtonians Who Experienced the Loss of Their Mothers to Death During Adolescence.

Abstract

Exploring the Grief and Bereavement of African American Adult Women Washingtonians Who Experienced the Loss of Their Mothers to Death During Adolescence. Essence M. Jones Committee Chair: Tamelyn Tucker-Worgs, Ph.D. ABSTRACT Because African Americans suffer disproportionately high mortality rates, Black women are more likely to lose their mothers to death during adolescence relative to the general population and other racial/ethnic groups. This may lead to significant and lifelong detriments. Informed by critical race theory and intersectionality, the purpose of this qualitative phenomenological (Moustakas, 1994) study was to explore the lived experiences (Giorgi & Giorgi, 2003) of adult African American women in the Washington, DC area (including Washington, DC; Maryland; and Virginia, also called the DMV), who lost their mothers to death during adolescence. Participants from the DMV who had been impacted by the “War on Drugs” era, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and the COVID-19 pandemic were sampled purposively using a criterion process. Data were collected using qualitative semi-structured interviews, where participants rated their stages of grief using the Five Stages of Grief and Four Stages of Grief scales. Data analysis followed the eidetic reduction process to draw the following conclusions regarding these women’s lived experiences: 1) the immediate experience of losing a mother was overwhelming and confusing; 2) participants' processes of grieving shaped them in highly individualized ways; 3) most participants developed a mixture of positive and negative navigation systems; and 4) faith was helpful for some but not all participants. Those experiencing grief and bereavement need to know that they are not alone, thus, they can benefit by connecting with others and sharing their experiences of loss with those who have lived through the same, as occurred in this study and should occur in future studies.