Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-2009

Publication Title

Journal of Applied Communication Research

Volume

37

Issue

3

First Page

257

Last Page

277

Abstract

The researchers adopted relational dialectics theory (Baxter & Montgomery, 1996) to examine the discourse of 37 bereaved parents. Research questions guiding the study were what dialectical contradictions do bereaved parents experience when communicating with their marital partner after their child’s death and how do bereaved parents and their marital partners communicatively negotiate the dialectical contradictions they experience? Our analysis revealed that bereaved parents experienced a dialectical contradiction between trying to grieve their child’s death together as a couple and apart as individuals. Likewise, parents experienced a contradiction between being both open and closed when talking with one another about their child’s death. Results describe how parents negotiated these contradictions, and implications for professionals are discussed.

Comments

This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in Toller, P. W., & Braithwaite, D. O. (2009). Grieving Together and Apart: Bereaved Parents’ Contradictions of Marital Interaction. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 37, 3, 257-277. © 2009 Taylor & Francis, available online at:http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00909880903025887#.Uh-2OcW7EnQ.

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