The Role of Extended Family Relations and Rituals in Family Resilience Following Loss of Mother to Cancer: A Case Study in Turkey

Abstract

The loss of the mother leads to many changes in the family. The loss might have negative effects on the ones that are left behind. However, some family members do not show pathological symptoms; rather, they have healthy functioning despite their sad loss. Guided by the resilience perspective, this study illuminates the case of a Turkish family after the mother dies due to stomach cancer. The whole picture of a family after this loss was examined through using various data sources. Transcribed interviews with family members and teachers of two children in the family were investigated through thematic analysis, and five major themes were identified. Extended family relations and rituals, such as funeral services, meals after the funeral, or visiting the grave of the lost one, were found to be helpful toward positive grief experiences and resilience of the family members in the aftermath of the loss. This study was important in the sense that it gave an in-depth perspective of a Muslim family who lost the maternal parent, which is considered a person's most important attachment figure.