The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a time-limited support group for children who had recently experienced the death of a close family member. Research hypotheses were that children who participated in a support group would demonstrate significant decreases in adjustment problems related to the loss and that the specific reactions of death anxiety and guilt would be reduced. The study used a modified pretest-post-test control group design. The second experimental group (N = 11) acted as a control for the first group (N = 10), the experimental-treatment group. The treatment consisted of five sessions, each lasting an hour and a half. The instruments used were the Louisville Behavior Check List (LBCL), the Death Anxiety Scale (DAS), the Junior Manifest Anxiety Scale (JMAS), and the Guilt Scale (GS). An Analysis of Variance for repeated measures with post hoc testing was used. Results indicated that children who participated in a bereavement support group did not demonstrate significantly fewer adjustment problems, nor did they show significantly lowered anxiety and guilt. The results indicated that after a six week period participants in the support group did not increase in adjustment problems, anxiety and guilt. An evaluation questionnaire found that the majority of the participants responded positively to the group experience and wanted the group to continue. Limitations of the study were noted and recommendations for further investigation were made.

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the paternal experience of perinatal loss. Perinatal loss is a significant life experience for childbearing families and this study helped to reveal the meaning of the paternal experience, how meaning was constructed and what factors both contributed and/or hindered coping following the loss. Although extensive research in grief and loss has been conducted there existed a significant knowledge gap related to the experience of perinatal loss and even more of a paucity concerning the understanding of the paternal experience. A qualitative study with a phenomenological approach was conducted with a purposeful sample of seven fathers who had experienced a perinatal loss. These fathers helped provide a basis for understanding through partaking in interviews conducted in a venue chosen by fathers. Data analysis involved procedures with roots in Heideggerian traditions of phenomenology, to allow for meaning interpretation of the father's narratives. The analysis resulted in four shared meanings 1) Perinatal Loss - Unexpected Reality, 2) Acknowledgment and Remembrance, 3) Significance and Strength and 4) Crisis, which consisted of 12 themes (World Falling Apart, Absolute Shock, Stoicism, Wishing for Answers, Silent Shelter, Concern for Wife, Communication, Time Heals - Though Never Forgotten, Continued Support and Understanding, Life Changing Moment, Opportunity of Growth and Avoidable Choice). Results indicated that fathers felt ill prepared for this unexpected life event and that they needed to remain strong or to live up to perceived expectations. Although the loss was never forgotten, through reflection, communication and continued support and understanding healing transpired over time and crisis was an avoidable choice. Further exploration of the paternal experience of perinatal loss with varying socio-cultural backgrounds, younger aged population group as well as different religious and cultural backgrounds is recommended. Research is also indicated to explore: 1) educational interventions focusing on both short and long term supportive care to bereaved families, 2) the impact of substantive bereavement programs on healing and meaning-making, 3) the impact of a perinatal loss experience on other members of the family unit, and 4) the impact of recurrent perinatal loss to a family.

Background: The vast majority of research into the experiences of people with learning disabilities (LD) in regard to bereavement and grief involves the collection of data from second-hand sources, or via quantitative measures. This qualitative study aimed to explore the lived experiences of bereavement and grief in a group of adults with mild LD. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 13 adults (aged 20-72 years) with mild LD who had experienced bereavement within the last 3 years. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Results: Qualitative analysis highlighted 4 themes which mediated individuals’ experience of bereavement and grief: (1) Intra- and inter-personal experiences, (2) Core beliefs about life and death, (3) Level of inclusion, and (4) Continuing relationship with the deceased. Participants also showed an ability to evaluate their lived experience in terms of having been helpful or otherwise. Conclusions: Overall, the findings suggest that individuals with mild LD experience bereavement and grief in a manner much like the general population, in that they experience a wide range of oscillating emotions, are subject to the same (if not more) losses, and hold similar values when it comes to maintaining their relationship with the deceased. The study endorses the role of clear and open communication, the facilitation of informed choice, and a culture of inclusion.

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of young people who had attended a residential weekend intervention for bereaved children. Having gained access to Winston’s Wish, the UK’s leading child bereavement organisation, participant observation was undertaken at three camps for different types of bereavement (accident and illness, suicide, and murder), an Outward Bound weekend specifically for bereaved teenagers, and various social-therapeutic events organised by Winston’s Wish throughout the year. Interviews were conducted with key staff members within the organisation and a documentary analysis of the charity’s literature and media presentations was performed. Utilizing purposeful sampling and following University ethical approval, one boy and one girl from the same family who had recently been bereaved through suicide, and one brother and sister who had recently been bereaved through murder were interviewed. An additional 9 young people (5 females, 4 males) who had been bereaved at least ten years ago were also interviewed. Wolcott’s (1994) ‘description, analysis and interpretation’ approach to transforming qualitative data was adopted, which included a content analysis of all the data generated through observational notes, interview transcripts and reflexive journal entries. From the analysis, six key themes emerged: physical activity, expressing emotion, positive adult relationship(s), area of competence, friendships/social support, and having fun/ humour. These were then represented in the format of a wheel, or the ‘Moving Wheel Model’. This arrangement of themes and the use of the word ‘Moving’ was deliberately chosen to reflect the dynamic and inter-related factors that became prominent at different points in the young people’s bereavement journeys. The main body of this thesis explores these themes in greater depth and offers illustrative examples of how these factors played out in the lives of bereaved children. Finally, applications of the model, and implications for research and practice are discussed.

D.Litt. et Phil. / In this phenomenological study, art therapy is explored and described for its mediating effect on the grieving process of parents who have been traumatically bereaved by the loss of a child. The focus is on the ‘inner world’ of the bereaved parents and their subjective experience of being part of a psychotherapy group that uses artworks, as well as language, to explore and express feelings and to clarify existential meaning systems. Traumatic bereavement can result in detrimental long-term psychological consequences. The therapeutic value of existing grief therapies is currently under debate in the literature. To evaluate art therapy as an alternative therapeutic approach, art therapy sessions were held and a ‘text’, consisting of the participants’ artworks and reflections, established. From this text themes were drawn, which facilitated an in-depth understanding of the participants’ lived experience of traumatic bereavement and elucidated their perceptions of the usefulness of art therapy. Art therapy appears to offer a viable alternative to mainstream, language-based therapies. It provides a context in which creative play can facilitate healing and angry feelings sublimated. It assists the participants to rebuild their fragmented sense of ‘self’ through an exploration of their ‘inner world’ via the symbolic function of the artwork. It facilitates the revisiting of the traumatic event and encourages the reconstruction of new meaning. It promotes adaptive grieving through the expression of emotions and cognitions too painful and/or threatening to be verbalised.

Thesis advisor: Sara M. Moorman / I examine how preloss relationship quality with a deceased parent and pre- to post-loss change in relationship quality with a surviving parent influence adult children's marital satisfaction over time. I also test gender interactions. Analyses are based on married or cohabiting adults who experienced the death of a parent (N = 316), drawn from the Longitudinal Study of Generations (LSOG), a longitudinal study of three-plus-generation families from Southern California. Three-level multilevel modeling (MLM) techniques reveal that improved relationship quality with a surviving parent is related to improved marital satisfaction. High preloss relationship quality with a deceased mother is related to improved post-loss marital satisfaction only for sons. These results support theories of linked lives and role context, and suggest that sons who lose mothers are particularly vulnerable relationally and may be especially sensitive to perceived support from their wives. / Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2013. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology.

Thesis advisor: Sara Moorman / With the increasing digitalization of society, the line between private and public has blurred. Social network sites (SNSs) like Facebook and Instagram facilitate such a process, with users utilizing the sites for public displays of private emotions or events. What was once intimate conversation between two individuals or personal experience shared only with those in one’s physical company have become public conversations and shared experiences for networks of Friends and Followers to comment on, like, share, and survey. Consequently, social media has allowed for heightened expressions of grief, a formerly private experience, online through the use of images, words, and reactions. The current study uses survey and interview data to understand who uses social media to grieve the loss of a family member (a particularly private loss), why an individual might do this, and how such posting influences the grieving process for the social media user. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Sociology.

The question around which this thesis is gathered arose from a period of public concern regarding historical practice in respect of post-mortem examinations during which the researcher was required to engage with a significant number of parents who had lost a child, often many years previously. These encounters offered privileged insight into the longevity, nature and expressions of parental grief and, on subsequent reflection, raised questions as to how the specifics of Christian belief might meaningfully engage the pastoral needs of a bereaved parent. Through its capacity to accommodate conversation between human experience; the insights offered by science, philosophy and culture; and the Christian message, practical theology offered a discipline within which such questions could best be explored. Using a research methodology drawing on the principles of hermeneutic phenomenology the lived experience of ten bereaved parents was engaged through semi-structured interviews. The transcription and analysis of these interviews identified key themes - connection; continuity and identity; and reunion - which became the subject of further reflection. Common to these themes is the concept of a continuing relationship ('bond') with the deceased child, a concept at variance with the Freudian thinking that has shaped much of bereavement care over the past century. Such thinking understands a sustained 'relationship' as futile and promotes patterns of care that aim for a staged and time-limited recovery. In contrast the more recent paradigm of 'continuing bonds', which has particular resonance with the loss of a child, offers a different perspective on grief which, in turn, finds accord with a Christian narrative that is profoundly relational and incorporates a message of resurrection offering explicit hope in regard to matters of continued existence, retained identity and eventual reunion.

Chan Lai Man. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves ). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Acknowledgements --- p.V / Chapter Chapter One --- Introduction --- p.2 / Chapter Chapter Two --- Proper Degree of Mourning --- p.16 / Chapter Chapter Three --- Gender and Mourning --- p.40 / Chapter Chapter Four --- Failed Mourning --- p.69 / Chapter Chapter Five --- Conclusion --- p.95 / Works Cited --- p.99

Few research studies have examined the panoramic landscape of family caregivers from dementia diagnosis to the final bereavement of the person with dementia for whom they are caring. The route and pathways of care undertaken during a caregiver's journey will be individual to each person, yet invariably there will be some similarities as to how they anticipate, approach and mange this journey. From the caregiver's perspective, caring for someone with dementia is related to more than the cognitive loss experienced by their family member, there are many losses involved, This research study aims to explore the complex emotional experiences of thirty caregivers in relation to sense of self. change, grief, loss and bereavement, to elucidate a deeper understanding of the lived experience, the perceived and understood reality of the experiential journey of caregivers. To explore the experiences of caregiving, this research study uses a hermeneutic phenomenological approach and draws on an adaptation of the theoretical framework of anticipatory grief and loss by Fulton and Fulton (1971) and Fulton and Gottesman (1980). The study uses a convenience sample and semi structured interview format and involves two non-comparative participant groups of family caregivers living in urban and rural communities within the North East of England. Group one comprises of twenty bereaved participants, nineteen of whom are spousal caregivers and one adult-caregiving daughter, who were interviewed once to explicated a retrospective perspective of the caring experience. Group two comprises of ten participants, nine spousal caregivers and one adult-caregiving daughter, who are currently caring for a family member living with an advanced stage experience of dementia. Group two participants were interviewed on three occasions across an eighteen-month time period to explore the retrospective and prospective experience of their caregiving role. The analysis of data reveals expressions of change, grief and loss within a complex and tri-dimensional landscape. Within this landscape, participants highlight defined periods of their journey, particularly with regard to their experience of a protracted middle period, which they referred to as being "the long road". However, intersecting with this layered landscape, the analysis of data also reveals a key aspect of caregiving - the emergence of a conceptual framework involving three interconnected yet fluctuating schemas of self experienced by participants. the first scheme, the individual 'me-self'. related to the participant's perception of their core self and envisaged sense of self. the second schema, the 'relationship-self', illustrates participant's physical and psychological experiences and bonded connection between themselves and the cared-for spousal partner or parent, as well as other family members and care workers. The third schema, the 'caregiving-self', is associated with the acquisition and undertaking of their role of familial caregiver. The findings of this study highlight the 'lived-world' experience of family caregivers as being a journey which subjects them to a cyclical maelstrom of emotion and fluctuating perception of their schemas of self.