Abstract
The disappearance of children and adolescents is a present reality in Brazil. The literature shows that there are still problems in the process of seeking and locating victims, in addition to the uncertain physical and psychic conditions of the child, which may cause to the families, especially to mothers, a variety of distressing feelings, contributing to the rise of conflicts and emotional stress. The purpose of this study was to understand the mourning process of those mothers who are unaware of the whereabouts of their children, as well as of their location. This study followed a qualitative method, focused on semi-structured interviews attended by five mothers who are part of a Non-Governmental Organization dedicated to the families of missing people. Data analysis was made through the use of the content analysis procedure. It was noted that mothers, based on fantasies of having failed to fulfill their role adequately, have feelings of guilt. To deal with these feelings, those mothers use mechanisms of defense aimed at avoiding facts and memories associated with the disappearance. Complications on the processes of family restructuring are also brought about by the disappearance, in addition to other factors such as the disbelief in searches, which cause among mothers an ambivalence between tiredness and hope of finding the missing child. Because of these factors, it is difficult for the mothers to perform the reality test which would verify the absence of the subject, to the detriment of the mourning process.
Disappearance of Children; Grief; Separation Reactions; Mother-Son Relations