AIMS: The loss of a child due to a violent death, such as homicide, is a harrowing event for any parent. The present study aims to identify the coping strategies of grieving parents who have lost their child as a result of homicide and to explore the principles of working with this group of survivors. The study was carried out in two phases.
MATERIALS & METHODS: This qualitative study, using a phenomenological approach, was conducted in the first half of 1403. The study population consisted of parents who had lost their child due to intentional homicide. These individuals were selected via purposive sampling from among those who attended the judicial courts in Gilan Province. The sample size was based on data saturation, and data were analyzed using the Colaizzi method. The Content Validity Index (CVI) and Content Validity Ratio (CVR) were used to assess the content validity of the intervention.
FINDINGS: Twelve mothers and one father participated in this study, with a mean age of 55.69 years (SD = 8.24). The qualitative analysis of the interviews identified 16 principles and 11 coping strategies. Additionally, according to the CVI and CVR values (0.98 and 0.84), the Integrated Homicide Bereavement Intervention (IHBI) demonstrated strong content validity in the study's second phase.
CONCLUSION: The principles identified in this study provide a practical framework for psychologists working in organizations such as prisons, courts, police, and forensic medicine to effectively guide the bereavement process of homicide survivors in a way that addresses the specific needs of this group. Some of these principles have a general nature, while others are focused explicitly on homicide-related grief.