“He Was a Good Boy”: The Caribbean Black Mothers’ Experience of Coping and Grief With the Homicide of Their Sons in Trinidad

Abstract

There is little research on Caribbean Black mothers coping with the homicide of their sons. This phenomenological study examines mothers’ grief and coping after the homicide of their male child on the small island state of Trinidad, where people are close knit and socially interconnected. In-depth interviews of 10 mothers who suffered the loss of their sons within a 10-year period were conducted and four themes emerged: normalizing the child against stigma, spirituality and meaning making, concealment and suppression of emotions, and collective support. Results highlighted the immense grief mothers are still struggling with, due to lack of closure with their son’s murder case and the stigma associated with homicide. Additional supports are needed to help mothers with the grieving process.