Young widowhood: A qualitative study of sexuality after partner loss.

Partner loss deprives young widows of physical contact, emotional intimacy, and the fulfillment of sexual desire. Although disenfranchised and oppressed, sexuality is a core piece of women's identity, and sexual bereavement may compel widows to reconstruct their sexual identities. This existential phenomenological study seeks to illuminate the sexual loss and coping of young widows aged 45 and under. Qualitative findings from 21 women indicated three findings: a) young widows felt profound loss regarding their sexual relationships, leading to deep physical loneliness and an initial disinterest in sex; b) some subsequently experienced widows' fire, an involuntary and often distressing intense sexual desire marked by cravings, obsessive thoughts, and a longing for connection; c) widows' fire complicated their struggle to understand their post-loss identities as sexual beings. These findings highlight the neglected and significant repercussions of sexual loss for young widows and point to a need for heightened support, psychoeducation, and research.

A legacy of loss: stories of replacement dynamics and the subsequent child.

This article, a qualitative exploration of the experiences of subsequent children, endeavors to clarify common issues and experiences of this population. Subsequent children, also known as subsequent siblings, are children born after the death of a brother or sister. For this study, 25 adult subsequent siblings participated in semi-structured interviews. Few researchers have written about this population, and much of what has been documented was researched from single case studies, or from very small samples. This study aims to explore the commonalities of the unique experience of being a subsequent child. Themes which emerged include various replacement child dynamics, impaired bonding with parents or altered parenting as a result of the loss, family grief and its repercussions, meaning making and spiritual questioning, fantasies about the lost sibling, disenfranchised and unresolved grief, taking on a caregiver role, and survivor guilt. The implications for clinical practice are presented.