«Years of Lead» and family loss: A study on the recovery process of adult children who lost their father in a terrorist attack

This study aims to explore the recovery process of adult children who experienced their father’s loss in a terrorist attack during the Italian Years of Lead. In particular, it focuses on the community and family resilience factors that supported the children’s individual recovery process over time. Twenty-six sons and daughters filled in a self-report questionnaire measuring current psychological well-being and were interviewed about their loss experience. Three different pathways of recovery emerged from the narratives. These pathways were then correlated with the indexes of well-being. Results showed that the pathways were differentially associated with adult children’s current well-being. The study underlines the importance of an epistemological approach considering both family and ssocial factors to understand the recovery process from a traumatic loss caused by terrorism.