Understanding Psychological Consequences after Early Parental Death: A Qualitative Exploration of Lived Experiences

Abstract

Parents are the first people with whom the child connects with. It is indeed a blessing in disguise. Children learn a lot of things from their parents like building trust, love, care, attention, support, and creating a sense of identity. So, losing a parent in itself a complex emotional experience. This study primarily focuses on those individuals who lost one or both of their parents in a very early age. The objective of this study was to explore the psychological well-being of the child after the loss of his parents. This study is qualitative in nature and research design was the interview guide. The total of 12 participants were recruited: 6 females and 6 males from Karachi, Pakistan. The results showed that there’s milder psychological problems in participants such as anxiety, stress, low self- perception, low self-esteem, future uncertainty, and more. The study clearly concluded that the ones who have faced the loss of their parents will have adverse impact on their psychological well-being. This study further recommended that surviving parents should be psychoeducated on children’s grief responses, early psychological screening can be done for the children to check the emotional and behavioral difficulties at an early age, and school teachers and counselors to be vigilant enough to recognize the signs of grief, emotional withdrawal, and behavioral issues.