The Grief experiences of Arab parents bereaved by blood feuds in Israel

Background: Traumatic loss refers to the loss of a loved one in a context of potentially traumatizing circumstances and may give rise to psychopathology or complicated grief. Homicide is considered a traumatic loss as it occurs unexpectedly and under violent circumstances, particularly in the context of blood feuds, which are vendettas, prolonged series of violent attacks between two clans or families. The phenomenon of blood feuds is a tradition intended to defend and preserve the honour of the tribe. Consequently, men are the most vulnerable to blood feud-related homicides and the perpetrator of a blood feud-related murder converts all the members of his clan into the next potential targets of the opposing clan’s vendetta. Despite the high rate of homicide in the Arab sector in Israel, little is known about the grief experience of Arab parents bereaved by homicide due to blood feuds. Objective: The study's goal was to gain an in-depth understanding of the grief experience of Muslim parents bereaved by blood feuds using Neimeyer's meaning reconstruction framework. Methods: Employing a qualitative narrative approach, in-depth interviews were held with 12 Arab parents bereaved by blood feuds. The data were analyzed using thematic and form analyses. Results: The analysis revealed three themes: fear (of the assassin and of the future consequences) and shame–both of which involved the process of silencing. The third theme involved a yearning for judgment day (‘Qayama’). It appeared that silencing adds an additional emotional burden to bereaved Arab parents’ grief. Conclusions: The findings are discussed in light of Neimeyer's meaning reconstruction framework. The study highlights the additional grief-related burden stemming from bereaved parents’ traumatic loss circumstances, as well as from their sociocultural context. Hence, culturally sensitive inquiry is required. These insights can inform mental health professionals and policymakers working with bereaved families in conflict-affected communities.