“Is this the family path?” : Understanding the lived experience of motherhood for women who have lost their own mother to suicide

For daughters who have lost their mother to suicide, resurgences of grief may occur, triggered by anniversaries, family occasions, and by entering motherhood. When these women become mothers, they must adjust to the joys and stressors of motherhood, without the emotional and practical support that a maternal grandmother would often provide. This study provides an in-depth qualitative exploration of the experiences of women who have experienced their own mother suicide. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of five mothers who have experienced their mother suicide. Data were collected and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Analysis revealed five group experiential themes: lacking a guiding maternal figure, navigating identity and expectations, carrying the legacy of maternal suicide, motherhood as healing, and the trajectory:is this the family path?. This study identifies key challenges and specific needs of mothers who have experienced their mother suicide.

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