Lived experience of a child’s chronic illness and death: A qualitative systematic review of the parental bereavement trajectory

AbstractTo understand the lived experience of parents who have lost their child to a chronic life-limiting condition, six major databases were searched by adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Articles were screened for appropriateness using the Sample, Phenomenon of Interest, Design, Evaluation, Research type tool, and relevant qualitative studies were selected for full-text data analysis using Thematic Synthesis. Findings were categorized into 13 themes that were further organized into a four-phase trajectory of parental bereavement experience of child loss, namely: Liminal Margin, Holding Space, Navigating Losses, and Reconstructing Lives. The findings are discussed in the light of existing literature with practical recommendations for enhancing parental bereavement support services.