The experience of loss following the death of a husband who has been abusive

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the wives’ experience of the loss of their husbands who have been abusive. Three wives with children, who have been bereaved through cancer were interviewed. The data is collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed through interpretative phenomenology analysis (IPA). Six superordinate themes have emerged which included : the complexity of the couple relationship; being a mother; the challenging aspects of the role within the context of violence; in search of another reality; striving to understand and making sense of the violence ; experiencing the loss within different contexts; life beyond the violence. The findings highlight the challenges the participants faced as wives and mothers and, the complexity of the couple’s dynamics within a domestic violence setting while also engaging in the caring responsibilities during the illness. The results have indicated that losses and grief can have different meaning in a domestic violence context. This has implications for further research and also for professionals working with domestic violence survivors experiencing the death of the person who had abused them.