A parent's experience of the couple relationship after child bereavement in South Africa

The objective of this qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research was to explore and describe a parent's experience of the couple relationship after child bereavement in South Africa. Participants were nine parents as well as the researcher who lost children. An auto-ethnographic strategy was utilized to connect personal with cultural. The research included nine in-depth interviews with seven mothers and two fathers. Data were analyzed using a descriptive method of open coding. Trustworthiness was ensured through credibility, confirmability, transferability and dependability procedures. Parents experienced extreme challenges from their loss. Adjustment could be faclitated through enhancing communication skills, expression of emotions and re-membering activities.