The lived experience of parents of children who died in the TWA Flight 800 plane crash: An investigation of mothers and fathers

In this study, the phenomenological inquiry focused on the description of being a parent of a child who died in the TWA Flight 800 plane crash. Van Manen's interpretive phenomenological approach was used to explore the experiences of twelve parents from one small community which had 16 high school students and five adult chaperones die. Data was obtained from three focus group interviews and three individual interviews.;Interviews revealed that parental grieving in a highly publicized disaster was multidimensional and affected all aspects of the parent's life. Twenty-six themes emerged and were grouped into four theme categories: Grieving, Becoming, Being in the Public Eye, and Intervening. Fourteen previously identified themes were supported with additional clarity. Twelve new themes address the contradictory feelings experienced in relationships, the need to be assertive, the intensity of the waiting, the anguish of not having said their farewells, the unrelenting obligations, the ineffectiveness of words, parental need for non-verbal presencing and caring, seeking solace, and the lack of knowledge by professionals in dealing with parents who have lost a child in a highly publicized disaster.