1 research outputs found
Necronym: the effects of bearing a dead little sibling’s name
This study analyses the emotional experiences of people who bear
the necronym of a deceased sibling in order to describe the 5
possible psychological implications of this experience. Using the
grounded theory approach in interviews with 22 Italian participants and qualitative analysis of resulting texts, we found that
some of the main themes that emerged confirmed the figure of
the ‘replacement child’ described by previous literature. The three 10
fundamental themes were: ‘complicated grief, removal and fear of
death’; ‘identity problems related to the necronym’; and ‘sad
gratitude’. The study highlights some existential difficulties that
spring from this experience and, after reviewing these themes in
detail, we present a brief discussion on whether to dissuade 15
bereaved parents from naming a new child with the necronym
of a deceased child