Parental Grief After theUnexpected Death of a Child:A Scoping Review About theImpact on Parent’s SocialNetworks and the Functionof Self-Help Groups

Abstract

The unexpected death of a child, whether due to accident, sudden death syndrome, suicide,or homicide, causes profound parental grief that endures for years. Often, this grief is notfully understood by the social environment, leading parents to feel increasingly misun-derstood and isolated. While initial support may be provided, it can become insufficientover time. Therefore, many parents turn to support groups, finding multiple benefits suchas validation of their feelings, a safe space to discuss their children and express emotions,strengthening of their social identity, and a platform for reconstructing meaning in theirlives. A scoping review was carried on to review the state of knowledge regarding the rolethat self-help groups can play in case of bereavement due to the unexpected death of a childand regarding the impact on social relationships referred to in these contexts. The searchwas conducted on 11 databases and grey literature and provided 22 final results. Reviewedstudies confirm the impact of this loss, particularly on mothers, and suggest that self-helpgroups contribute to a more favorable development of the grieving process. Despite thescarcity of research, future studies could leverage newer theoretical models and mea-surement tools to confirm protective, predictive, and risk factors.