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not coping well, increased anxiety, depression, & sleep/health problems, parental dating in 1st year perceived produced withdrawn & acting out behavior + somatic complaints, remarriage later had positive influence with reports of feelings less worried about the safety of the surviving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