Harvard Child Bereavement Study
childhood grief best facilitated
in the presence of a consistent adult who is able to meed the childs needs & help them express feelings about the death
most powerful predictor of adjustment
the functioning level of the surviving parent
reconciliation needs of children
1. clear comprehensible info 2. soothing of fear & anxiety 3. reassurance theyre not responsible 4. empathetic listening 5. validation of thoughts & feelings 6. perspective with emotions 7. involvement & inclusion in open grieving 8. continued interests & activities (routine) 9. grief behaviors modeled by adults 10. opportunities to remember & memorialize 11. reassurance theyll be cared for 12. safe companions who respond to their questions
Harvard Child Bereavement Study (HCBS)
125 school-age children from 70 families for 2 years after the death of 1 parent Worden & Silverman (1996) longitudinal, never replicated
3 things children need
after the death of a parent: support, nurturance, continuity
HCBS continuing bonds
children naturally stay connected to deceased parent through talking with, feeling watched & guided by, and dreaming about them, led to sharing emotional pain with other & accepting support
HCBS findings: better adaption
cohesive families with open convo about parent who died & normal daily life disrupted less, active coping where something positive could be found
HCBS findings
increased levels of social withdrawal, anxiety, & social problems resulted 2 years after, mother loss associated with more emotional/behavioral issues given more disruption to daily life resulted
HCBS findings: surviving parent
lower self-esteem when surviving parent depressed & not coping well, increased anxiety, depression, & sleep/health problems, parental dating in 1st year perceived produced withdrawn & acting out behavior + somatic complaints, remarriage later had positive influence with reports of feelings less worried about the safety of the surviving parent
HCBS findings: funeral & rituals
most opted to attend the funeral when given the option & had better outcomes when prepared prior, including children in the funeral had positive effect of making them feel useful and important
HCBS findings: adolescents
often feel different from peers & frequently feel friends dont understand them, teenage girls who lose mothers are particularly vulnerable
HCBS confirmed
some of the bereavement needs of children reported before the study which are widely accepted by grief counselors
