Children's experience of a parent's chronic illness and death.

Five dependent young people who had experienced the chronic illness and death of a parent were asked to reflect on the meanings of their loss. The most important of the eight themes revealed by analysis of the data were the interviewees' emotional upheavals and the shock of being forced to face the realities of illness and death. During the illness phase, the participants had felt powerless and isolated. Through appropriate goodbyes and acceptance of their situation, the participants had identified the meaning and ongoing nature of loss and had resolved their feelings. They also acknowledged that a positive outcome of loss was that their self-esteem had increased as they identified and drew on their inner strengths.