Date
2-29-2024
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)
Chair
Frances Sanford
Keywords
suicide, grief/grieving, Black/African American grandmothers, attachment theory, psychosocial stages of human development, grief and loss theory, grandchild(ren), relationship
Disciplines
Counseling
Recommended Citation
Walton-Carter, Edith Marie, "Suicide in Black Adolescents: How Does the Relationship and Attachment Styles Impact the Grieving Experience of Non-Custodial Black Grandmothers" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5233.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5233
Abstract
The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to gain insight into the relationship and grief experiences of the non-custodial Black/African American grandmother(s) who have lost a grandchild by suicide. The theories guiding this study are attachment theory, psychosocial stages of development, and grief and loss. The central research questions are used to explore the attachment and relationship between the Black grandmother(s) and grandchild(ren) and whether suicide changes the grieving experience. Participants were selected through purposeful sampling. The sample size for this study includes six Black women between the ages of 48-65 who are non-custodial grandmothers and have experienced grief from the suicide of a grandchild. Data was retrieved through structured and unstructured interviews via an online setting utilizing Zoom video conferencing. The study aimed to contribute to the research on the impact of suicide and attachment between Black grandmothers and their grandchildren and insight into the Black grandmothers’ grief.
