Understanding complicated grief after child loss among young mothers in Mombasa, Kenya: a theological and psychosocial desk research study

Abstract

Child loss remains one of the most devastating experiences a mother can endure. In Kenya, and particularly in Mombasa County, high rates of neonatal mortality, infectious disease, poverty-related complications, and limited access to mental health services create a context in which young mothers are uniquely vulnerable to prolonged and complicated grief. This desk research study examines complicated grief among young mothers in Mombasa through interdisciplinary lenses of psychology, theology, feminist theology, and socio-cultural analysis. Drawing on peer-reviewed literature, theological texts, and African contextual scholarship, this study explores the psychological characteristics of complicated grief, cultural constructions of motherhood and mourning, and the theological resources available for pastoral response. The research synthesizes contemporary grief theory, including the work of J. William Worden, Margaret Stroebe, Henk Schut, and Katherine Shear, alongside African womanist theologians such as Mercy Amba Oduyoye and Musa Dube. Findings indicate that complicated grief among young mothers in Mombasa is intensified by stigma, silence around reproductive loss, economic vulnerability, gendered expectations, and inadequate pastoral and clinical support. Theologically, African womanist perspectives offer a framework for lament, communal healing, and resistance against oppressive structures that silence maternal grief. This study proposes an integrated pastoral-psychosocial model for supporting bereaved young mothers and recommends policy, church-based, and clinical interventions tailored to the Kenyan coastal context.