The effect of a bereavement group experience on bereaved children's and adolescents' affective and somatic distress

Losing loved ones through death is a common experience for children. Children living in urban centers may be at greater risk for death of family members as a result of increased daily stress and poverty. Children who experience permanent loss of family members without support to grieve are at greater risk for mental health problems. Manifestations of grief that frequently occur in children are psychosomatic complaints and affective distress. This study investigates the prevalence of loss by death among two groups of inner city youths, and the impact of a bereavement group experience on subjects' affective distress and somatic complaints. A significant difference was found between pretest and post-test scores on somatic complaints for the elementary school aged group.