Conceptions of God in the Grief Process of Earthquake-Bereaved Mothers: The Case of Adıyaman
Conceptions of God in the Grief Process of Earthquake-Bereaved Mothers: The Case of Adıyaman

Summary/Abstract: Objective: This study examines how conceptions of God changed during the grieving process of Muslim mothers who lost their children in the Kahramanmaraş earthquake of February 6, 2023. The objective of the present study was to provide answers to the following research questions: (1) How do conceptions of God change during the grieving process of mothers who have lost their children in an earthquake? (2) How do religious values and practices such as the conception of God, worship and prayer, and belief in the afterlife impact grieving mothers’ process of accepting the loss and reconnecting with life? Method: The present study adopted a qualitative, phenomenological approach. The data were collected through an interview form developed by the researchers. In-depth interviews were conducted through purposive sampling over a period of one year with 20 mothers in Adıyaman, one of the areas most affected by the earthquake. The first interviews were conducted in March 2024, one year after the earthquake. Prior to the main interviews, preliminary interviews were conducted for a period of 10 days with the aim of familiarising the participants with the study and explaining its purpose to them. The final interviews were held in March 2025, and the study was concluded. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data, with the software program MAXQDA being utilised for this purpose. Findings: The findings yielded four overarching themes: the complex nature of grief, religious coping, divine justice and intervention, and reaching God. It was observed that the grieving process was initially characterised by shock, helplessness, and existential question. Over time, however, trust in God deepened and transformed into a more abstract, compassion-centred conception of the divine. Participants increasingly engaged in prayer, Qur’an reading, and religious rituals; these practices helped them to cope emotionally and spiritually. The bereaved mothers interpreted their children’s deaths not as an annihilation, but as a “reaching God”, and believed that they would be reunited with their deceased children in heaven. This belief provided a sense of solace and served as a motivating force, thereby restoring meaning to their lives. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that religious faith plays a vital role in helping grieving mothers make sense of their traumatic loss and rebuild their lives. In the context of the grieving process, faith was regarded as the primary foundation of the grieving process, and God became the refuge to whom mothers ultimately directed their pain and sorrow. Almost all participants developed a positive and abstract conception of God, although the grieving process was not fully resolved for many of them. During this process, trust in God served as a motivation for participants in anticipation of the day they would reunite with God and their deceased children. This motivation also led them to perform good deeds for others. Consequently, it was determined that a more abstract and love-centred conception of God reinforces spiritual resilience and psychological well-being. Furthermore, in terms of what should be done over one-year period for people experiencing and coping with sudden loss, this study provides a significant reference point for both theoretical and applied research in the domains of religious education, spiritual guidance, and the psychology of religion.

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