Developmental Impact of Early Parental Death: Sustaining Posttraumatic Growth Throughout the Lifespan

Impacting millions of youth across the globe, early parental death is an important topic to investigate. This causal-comparative study (N = 256) examined a group of young adults who experienced a parental death during adolescence and a group of young adults who had not experienced an early parental death. The researchers examined the psychosocial developmental impact of early parental death and developed a predictive model of posttraumatic growth (PTG) for young adults who have experienced early parental death. When compared to non-bereaved peers, young adults who experienced an early parental death had lower psychosocial developmental strength. The findings of the study emphasized social support, spirituality, and psychosocial development as significant predictors of PTG in young adults who experienced an early parental death. The study also provided insight into sustaining PTG throughout the lifespan. Implications for the counseling profession are considered.