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Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
Published on: September 19, 2019
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Young children's grief: parents' understanding and coping.
Kari E Bugge1, Philip Darbyshire, Eline Grelland Røkholt
1a Centre for Health Promotion , Akershus University Hospital , Lørenskog , Norway.
Death Studies
|February 14, 2014
Summary
Understanding young children's grief is crucial for healthy bereavement. Parents must balance shielding their child with inclusion, and informing without frightening, to support effective coping during grief.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Bereavement Studies
- Family Dynamics
Background:
- Grief experiences in young children are under-researched.
- Parent-child interactional dynamics in healthy grieving require further study.
Purpose of the Study:
- To qualitatively evaluate a Norwegian Bereavement Support Program.
- To explore young children's grief reactions and coping mechanisms.
- To understand how parental grief intersects with child grief.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative evaluation of a Bereavement Support Program.
- Interviews with 8 parents describing their child's grief and coping.
- Analysis of parent-child interactional dynamics during bereavement.
Main Results:
- Parents' successful coping involves understanding children's concerns.
- A holistic balance is key: shielding vs. including, informing vs. frightening.
- Supporting children means helping them create a new life while cherishing the past.
Conclusions:
- Parental support is vital for children's healthy grieving processes.
- Effective bereavement support requires a nuanced approach to communication and involvement.
- Further research into parent-child grief dynamics is warranted.
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