The current study investigates whether the ability to enhance and suppress emotional facial expressions display cross-sectional associations with feelings of loneliness among spousal bereaved individuals 1.5 to 3 years after a loss. We compare bereaved individuals to a demographically similar married control group to examine whether the relationship between loneliness and emotional expression regulation is moderated by grief after controlling for the effects of relationship satisfaction and symptoms of PTSD/depression. We evaluate three dimensions of loneliness: emotional loneliness, social loneliness, and collective loneliness.

SIGNIFICANCE: Complicated and persistent grief reactions afflict 10% of bereaved individuals, and are associated with severe disruptions of functioning. These maladaptive patterns were tentatively included in the DSM-5 as Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder (PCBD). The condition has been studied using network analysis, showing how symptoms activate and reinforce each other into psychopathological configurations. This approach offers unique insights to inform clinical practice and define psychopathology. Despite these strengths, previous studies were based on self-report information from a single archival dataset. To overcome these limitations, we collected clinical data from a community sample of newly bereaved individuals who suffered loss of a spouse (N=305). Symptoms of PCBD from semi-structured clinical interviews were analyzed via a network approach. METHODS: Ising model Networks of PCBD were generated from symptoms diagnosed at 3 months, 14 months, and 25 months after the loss. Comorbidities with DSM-5 symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder, and PTSD were also explored. The role of risk factors was also assessed. Lastly, longitudinal VAR networks were generated combining the three temporal observations. RESULTS: Symptoms from the Social/Identity PCBD cluster were central in the network configurations. Yearning and Emotional Pain appeared less strongly interconnected compared to previous research. Meaninglessness activated a cascade of further PCBD symptoms over time. Loneliness, difficulties trusting others and meaninglessness bridged with comorbid depressive and trauma symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms related to loss of identity and meaninglessness were identified as salient candidates for targeted interventions. The network approach showed potential for an improved understanding of psychopathological distress reactions following potentially traumatic events.

Thesis (M.A. (English Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / This dissertation discusses the significance of the concept of mourning in post-apartheid South Africa as presented in the following selected post-apartheid South African literary texts: Ways of dying, a novel by Zakes Mda; Nothing but the truth, a play by John Kani and Freedom lament and song, a poem by Mongane Wally Serote. The dissertation interrogates the legitimacy of the prefix ‘post’ in ‘post-apartheid’ as a point of departure. It discusses the theories of key thinkers on the concept mourning and then applies their theories to the analysis of the selected literary texts thereby interpreting the selected literary texts as symbolic codes communicating messages about the state of politics in post-apartheid South Africa. 5

One of the most powerful and life-changing events that can occur in the life of a family is the death of a child. Researchers who have studied death and bereavement suggest that a child's death has a dramatic impact on parents. However, little is known about the ways in which child loss influences a parent's sense of identity and subsequent parental behavior. The purpose of this study was to explore how the life event of having a child die affects parents in their sense of identity and behavior as a mother or father. It was also to search for common patterns and themes in parental accounts of a child's death that provide a better understanding of this topic. Individual mothers and fathers were interviewed and asked about their experience in losing a child, and how this experience shaped their feelings of identity and parental behavior in relation to both the deceased child and their other children. Nineteen mothers and fathers who had children die as a result of accidental causes or illness were interviewed. Interview transcripts were qualitatively analyzed for content. Findings were broken into four primary categories: (a) parental experience in the context of loss; (b) impact of a child's death on parental identity; (c) parental behavior in relation to the deceased child; and (d) parental behavior in relation to surviving children. The findings provided support to the idea that a child's death has a significant impact on parental identity and a parent's subsequent behavior. The findings demonstrated that how a child dies is a critical factor in how parents experience the loss. The findings related to parental identity show that parents struggle with their sense of competence, mourn the lost parent-child bond, and feel a loss of parental hopes for the future. The findings about parental behavior in relation to the deceased child suggest that connecting with and remembering the child in diverse ways are fundamental aspects of parental behavior after a child's death. The findings also show that a child's death shapes surviving parent-child relationships as parents mediate the loss experience for children, become more protective, and increase their parental efforts in behalf of children. / Graduation date: 2000

Many children are affected by the loss of a parent. In South Africa this is exacerbated by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Therefore the Durban Children's Home responded by developing a Bereavement Programme for children who lost a loved one through death and where in its care. Hence this study was conducted at the Durban Children's Home which is a residential care facility for children in Kwazulu-Natal. The Bereavement Programme offered to adolescents at this facility was evaluated. The main aim of the research was to assess the implementation of the Bereavement Programme and to determine whether the Bereavement Programme was useful in helping children cope with grief. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used. McKendrick's (1989) model and Marsden, Oakley and Pratt's (1994) model of evaluating programmes provided the framework for this study. The process entailed administering questionnaires to a purposive sample of 18 children between the ages of twelve and seventeen years who have experienced the death of a loved one and who have attended the Bereavement Programme offered at Durban Children's Home. Twelve children also attended the focus group. Data that was collected from the specialised child care workers, child care workers, a focus group with the children as well formal reports of the Bereavement Programme triangulated information, thereby enhancing the trustworthiness of the study. Information on the adolescents' background was also gathered to reflect the complexity of the children's experiences. The findings of the study indicated that the Bereavement Programme was beneficial in meeting the needs of grieving children within a controlled therapeutic environment. The findings also suggested that the Bereavement Programme had a healing effect on children hence, helping them to gain closure as well as improve their behaviour and academic performance. The findings further pointed to the Programme being cost effective for Durban Children's Home. Further to this the study showed that interventions on a Microsystems level and mesosystems level were effective in meeting the needs of children who needed to grieve. Emanating from the findings, recommendations have revolved around enhancing the therapeutic component of the Bereavement Programme, ways of making the Programme more inclusive for sick children and increasing the support and training for staff implementing the Programme. Recommendations were also made in respect of funding, monitoring and evaluation and replication of the Bereavement Programme. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

A mail survey was conducted with 49 suicide survivors from 13 different suicide support groups across Canada. Participants were asked about their experiences of grieving a suicide and if the suicide was part of a cluster. Quantitative and qualitative research methodology was used in the coding and analysis of the data. A theory diagram was devised to test four hypotheses. Results of the regression analyses contradicted one hypothesis: showing that an increase in coping mechanisms may heighten levels of grief for a suicide survivor. The number of possible suicide linkages was highly significant with 5 of the 49 participants answering positively when asked if the suicide they were grieving was part of a cluster. Suicide bereavement groups were consistently rated as beneficial or very beneficial by participants. Lastly, content analysis of the open-ended questions showed a common experience of stigma associated with a suicidal death for survivors.

M.Cur. (Midwifery and Neonatal Nursing) / The purpose of this study is to determine the experiences of the parents after the death of a congenital abnormal baby. Parents who have lost a baby go through a process of grief. This also applies to parents of a baby with congenital abnormalities. Parents whose congenital abnormal baby dies, not only grieve because of the abnormality of their baby, but also because it died Unstructured in-depth interviews were held with six couples within a year after the death of their babies. The experiences of the six couples were afterwards compared. A literature study was undertaken in order to determine what the conclusions of other researchers field were. The result of the literature study was compared with that of the present study. Recommendations are made at the end of this study on the practical applications, education and further research that can be undertaken on this subject.

This study investigated family grief and resilience following a child’s death. Representing 23 families, 35 bereaved parents completed biographical questionnaires, the Family Hardiness Index, and the Family Attachment and Changeability Index 8. Significant positive correlations were found between family hardiness and family adaptation, and between parents’ age and family hardiness. Using grounded theory, interviews allowed for the formulation of categories including grief, continuing bonds, external support, religion, and family hardiness. The study reveals the need for exploring unique experiences of families bereaved by children’s deaths and identifies family hardiness as a potential resilience factor for this population

M.A. / Death and loss accompany us throughout our lives and are experienced in a variety of forms and situations. Numerous researches have been undertaken to gain some perspective on death. and loss, however these attempts have proven to be impersonal, incomplete and of limited use, as death tends to evade direct scrutiny. An attempt is made here to observe death and loss from a stance that respects the human element. The personal experiences of adults who have lost parent/s at a young age are examined. This paper explores the constructions of death and loss, as well as the meanings that are attributed to these experiences. A social constructionist approach is used to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the participants' relationships with death and loss. One of the primary aims of this paper is to investigate the implications that these constructions of death and loss have for the way people live and make sense of their lives. This study focusses on how death requires the individual to reconstruct a sense of identity and relationship with the world. Some of the major conceptualisations of death, loss and mourning are reviewed in conjunction with the input of philosophers, poets and creative writers allowing for a richer, fuller perception of these events. The aim of this paper is not to develop a comprehensive understanding of death and loss, but rather to approach these constructs from a more personal perspective. This paper moves away from modernist thinking and includes the researcher as a participant where personal biases, experiences and understandings are included.

The researcher examined the effectiveness of a near-death experience (NDE) learning module on reducing distressing aspects and enhancing a growth aspect of grief among bereaved adults. Participants were 22 females and 2 males; 2 identified as African American, 3 as Asian, 2 as Latina/o, and 17 as White; aged 20 to 71 years with mean age 35.3 years. In this experimental design, the researcher randomly assigned 12 participants to the experimental group and 12 participants to the waitlist no treatment control group. Participants in the experimental group received the NDE learning module intervention, which consisted of 3 sessions over consecutive weeks. Six research questions were explored. A two-factor repeated measures analysis of variance was performed on five dependent variables to determine if the two groups performed differently across time according to the pretest and posttest results of the Despair, Panic Behavior, Personal Growth, Detachment, and Disorganization subscales of the Hogan Grief Reaction Checklist (HGRC). A one-way analysis of covariance was performed on one dependent variable to determine if the groups were statistically different according to the posttest results of the Blame and Anger subscale of the HGRC. Additionally, univariate eta squared was hand calculated to determine practical significance. Findings indicated that bereaved adults who participated in the NDE learning module showed small effect size for interaction on Panic Behavior (&#951;2 = .05) and Personal Growth (&#951;2 = .05), large effect size for interaction on Detachment (&#951;2 = .15), large effect size for treatment type on Blame and Anger (&#951;2 = .15), and negligible effect size for interaction on Despair (&#951;2 < .01) and Disorganization (&#951;2 < .01). Although no statistically significant results were found for any of the dependent variables (p > .05), effect size findings indicated modest to substantial benefits of the NDE learning module intervention for bereaved adults in the form of decreased panic behavior, blame and anger, and detachment, and increased personal growth. Implications for further research beyond this initial investigation are discussed.