Predictors of bereaved parents' satisfaction with group support: an Israeli perspective

This study evaluates various aspects of group work with bereaved parents who lost a child during military service. More specifically, it assesses the unique and cumulative contributions of various features of group work to the participants' satisfaction with the group support. One hundred and thirty-eight bereaved parents, who participated in 16 support groups, answered a battery of questionnaires tapping 3 aspects of the group work: their motives for joining the group, the interpersonal relations among the group members, and the group leadership style. In addition, the participants were asked to evaluate the contribution of the intervention to their adjustment. The findings indicate that the supportive elements of the intervention were associated with the groups' perceived contribution. The clinical implications of these results are discussed.