Concept clarification of grief in mothers of children with an addiction.
AIM
To report an analysis of the concept of grief in mothers of children with an addiction.


BACKGROUND
The concept of grief in this context is poorly understood and often synonymously used with concepts depression, loss and chronic sorrow. In the US, the core concept grief has been recently revised by both NANDA and the DSM-V in efforts to better understand and characterize the concept. The plethora of literature on grief worldwide often characterizes grief as a response to a death.


DESIGN
Concept analysis.


DATA SOURCES
Search terms 'parental grief' and 'substance abuse' yielded 30 articles. A second review using terms 'grief' and 'substance abuse' yielded 323 articles, in PsychInfo, CINAHL, PubMed databases from 1980-2013. Limits for articles in English and for the terms 'death' and 'child' yielded 13 usable articles.


METHODS
The hybrid model of concept analysis, using a theoretical phase, an empirical phase and a final phase when a clarified definition of grief emerged.


RESULTS
Definitions in the literature and defining characteristics of grief outline bio-psycho-social aspects of the concept. For one mother grief was accompanied by recurring feelings of sadness across time, while for the other mother grief was seen as coping, after having passed through a variety of stages of grief. For both, grief was seen to fall on a continuum.


CONCLUSIONS
Grief is a universal concept and has a trajectory. Case study data have been essential in clarifying understandings of grief as experienced by mothers of addicted children and will provide direction for meaningful and tailored interventions.
['Zucker|Donna M|DM|', 'Dion|Kimberly|K|', 'McKeever|Roxanna P|RP|']
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological D000293:Adolescent D000328:Adult D002648:Child D002675:Child, Preschool D003210:Concept Formation D005260:Female D006117:Grief D006801:Humans D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D008960:Models, Psychological D009034:Mother-Child Relations D009035:Mothers D019966:Substance-Related Disorders D014481:United States D055815:Young Adult
grief mothers addiction concept analysis hybrid model case research mental health nursing