Living in the shadows: Sudden maternal loss in childhood and the lifelong negotiation of identity and belonging among Arab-Muslim adults in Israel

Through a constructivist qualitative design and semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 11 adults, this study examines how Arab-Muslims retrospectively make sense of childhood maternal loss and how it continues to shape them in adulthood. Analysis identified two interrelated themes: participants experienced sudden maternal death as a biographical rupture dividing life into a "before" and "after," and they sustained ongoing bonds with their deceased mothers, neither fully absent nor present, through everyday relational practices. These themes suggest that participants move from rupture toward relational continuity, reconstructing access to maternal presence over time. Highlighting the evolving meanings of childhood maternal loss, the study challenges detachment-oriented and stage-based grief models; contributes to qualitative social work scholarship, showing how sudden loss, cultural context, and relational continuity intersect in shaping identity and belonging; and informs culturally responsive bereavement support.