Factors that Contribute to Forgiveness and/or Reconciliation by Parents whose Children have been Murdered

The objective of this qualitative research study was to examine the forgiveness and reconciliation processes of bereaved parents whose children had been murdered. Although there is much research on grief, bereavement, and more research being conducted on forgiveness, not much research has been done on these variables within the context of the murder of a child. Using the constant comparative method approach, this study utilized a semi-structured questionnaire to interview 10 participants on their experiences with the loss of a child due to murder. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed to develop units of meaning, themes, and categories in order to gain an understanding of the bereavement experiences of this specific population. Units of meaning were identified from the transcribed interviews. Unit of meaning were then grouped together based on similarities to form themes. The themes were then grouped together in categories.;The findings that came from this research study included six categories: Foundations of Forgiveness, Factors Contributing to Forgiveness, Benefits of Forgiveness, Factors Contributing to Communication with the Offender/Offender's Family, Benefits of Meeting with the Offender/Offender's Family, and Negative Consequences of Forgiveness and Reconciliation. Within these six categories, 23 themes emerged. Each of the themes and categories are described in detail below followed by quotes that illustrate the themes. A proposed model of forgiveness and reconciliation was also developed. The research study ends by discussing the limitations of the study, the clinical implications of the results, as well as suggestions for future research.