Publication
Coregulatory Responsive Strategies in Bereaved Parents
Barboza J, Seedall R · Journal of Loss and Trauma · 2025
With growing evidence to support family-oriented coping in grief, more studies have sought to understand how bereaved parents constructively support one another through their shared loss and have examined potential barriers bereaved parent couples face in doing so. Bereaved parents are unique in that they attempt to cope with or regulate their own complex grief emotions while simultaneously responding to their partner's need for support. However, this interactive process of coregulation has mostly been studied from the perspective of one partner, not both, resulting in limited knowledge about the interpersonal dynamics that guide the type of supportive responses couples use. In this article, we present qualitative data from a longitudinal study involving 10 bereaved parents (5 couples) who participated together in two to three qualitative interviews within the first two years following their child's death. Findings from this longitudinal study revealed nine processes of responding to my partner's grief, including protecting, resonating, being present, removing responsibilities, and giving space, and three processes of responding to my own grief. Through the longitudinal process, couples also revealed how regulating themselves and their partner are related. After summarizing each of these processes and the sub-processes, we explore potential clinical implications for grief therapists and counselors such as constructing opportunities for resonance and building tolerances for experiencing and witnessing grief.
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