Post-traumatic coping with the loss of a child among women and men

• Authors: Komarnicka-Jędrzejewska, O , Walczak, H , Jędrzejewski, W

Abstracts

EN

Trauma, a word derived from Greek, literally means ‛injury‛. It is defined as a reaction to a strong emotional stimulus which cannot be processed at a specific moment in a person's life. Trauma makes one feel powerless. They are very uncertain about their future and feel as they have no control over it which leads to a great deal of anxiety. People differ in the way they react to a crisis. For some of them, crisis is a source of strength, whereas for others it cannot be ever processed in a constructive manner. The researchers in the field of psychology are looking for solutions to that problem. This paper presents the issues associated with the loss of a child and life after having worked through trauma (considering women and men alike). The research was conducted on the group of 44 individuals (including 22 women and 22 men) and was focused on the way they were coping with the loss of a child. The research was conducted at the ‛By Dalej Iść‛ Foundation ('to go on'). The research procedure was based on the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, which consists of statements that describe different changes which occur as a result of experiencing a traumatic event.

Keywords

EN

trauma; Stress; mourning; child loss; posttraumatic growth

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Medyczny w Białymstoku
• Journal: Progress in Health Sciences
• Year: 2015
• Volume: 5
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 93-101

Contributors

author

Komarnicka-Jędrzejewska, O

author

Walczak, H

author

Jędrzejewski, W