Assessing the Psychological Effects associated with Sexual Bereavement among Couples following the Death of their Child
Asanda Zembe 
& Simon Murote Kangéthe
Issue: Vol.6 No.10 Article 30 pp.2650 – 2659
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202561030 | Published online 30th September, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
The article aimed to discuss the psychological effects associated with sexual bereavement in the Didi Location of the Eastern Cape. The article investigated 12 participants using a qualitative approach, a descriptive and explorative research design, and a phenomenology cum case study as a specific research study. Worden’s Four Stages of Mourning provided the article with a theoretical frame. The findings established that the memory of the lost child is grief-provoking, declining intimacy after the death of one’s child, and losing a child establishes episodes of anger and outbursts. The article recommends that the Department of Health deploy, and station registered counsellors, social workers, and psychologists in the communities to advocate for and assist communities undergoing trauma and bereavement ensuring that that these bereavement psychological services are accessible to the wider communities. The article is essential to widen the horizon of literature to future researchers in the domain of sexual bereavement.
Keywords: Sexual Bereavement, Psychological Doldrums, Trauma and Grieving, Declining Sexual Intimacy, Hallucinations
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Asanda Zembe is a PhD candidate in the field of Psychology at University of KwaZulu Natal. He is also a registered counsellor with a profound passion in African psychology, Health Psychology, Cyberpsychology, grief and trauma, and Afrikology
Simon Murote Kangethe is a full Professor in the Department of Social Work at Walter Sisulu University. His research interest inter alia spans health, culture, social enterprises, children, and education.
Zembe, Asanda, and Simon Murote Kangéthe.“ Assessing the Psychological Effects associated with Sexual Bereavement among Couples following the Death of their Child,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no. 10 (2025): 2650-2659, https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202561030
© 2025 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
