Bereavement

Slide 1 of 17: Synopsis

Catherine Robertson, Grossmont College
Raechel Soicher, American River College

Slide 2 of 17: Grief and Bereavement

Slide 3 of 17: Grief Inventory

• Women are more likely to score high on questions regarding past grief as are people who had someone pass away on whom they had depended for help providing for the family.

• Groups with high scores for questions regarding present grief are more likely to suffer illness as a result of their increased grief. Possibly, they experience delayed or unresolved grief.

• People who were able to go through a grieving process that included a funeral are more likely to score lower on the scale of past grief. This finding suggests that attendance at a funeral or service appears to help people to integrate the loss in a meaningful way with other experiences that one goes through in life.

Slide 4 of 17: The Grieving Process

There are generally five stages to the grieving process. Grievers tend to progress through these stages in the following order:

1. disbelief – a period of denial that a loss has taken place;

2. yearning – an intense desire for the return of the deceased;

3. anger – outrage may be directed at self or the deceased;

4. depression – a period of intense sadness, numbness, and confusion;

5. acceptance – the final stage in which the person has accepted the loss of their loved one.

Slide 5 of 17: Factors Affecting Bereavement

^{Bereavement is affected by factors related to specific circumstances surrounding the death. Because of the amount of military activity for U.S. armed forces in the recent decades, this type of coffin for a fallen soldier is, unfortunately, a common sight.}

How each individual experiences grief and expresses bereavement depends on a range of factors from income level, religious commitment, and strength of social network to age and relationship to the deceased (Gallagher, Thompson, & Peterson, 1982; Cluver & Gardner, 2007).

How we grieve is also affected by whether we have had another recent loss or even a string of losses over a short period as might occur in late adulthood. The stress from a number of losses tends to add up and may increase the intensity of the grief and bereavement.

Slide 6 of 17: Bereavement and Grief: Children and Adolescents

Since bereavement is an individual’s unique expression of grief, bereavement is dependent on the person’s cognitive understanding of what death is, and this understanding is dependent on his/her developmental stage. Therefore, a person’s emotional expression of grief is directly related to his/her developmental stage.

Slide 7 of 17: Bereavement and Grief: Early and Middle Adulthood

Early adulthood: The reality of death is well understood but is a far-away thought. Generally, this is a period of peak health and well-being. Young adults are busy establishing a life that may include work, relationships, marriage, and children. With the first child, the reality of death emerges more prominently because the adult is now responsible for another life and may be anxious about something happening to the child. The actual expression of grief follows a normal adult pattern.

Slide 8 of 17: Bereavement and Grief: Late Adulthood

Coming to grips with one’s own mortality is a developmental task at this stage. Older adults realize that death is inevitable, and engaging in a life review is a typical reaction to this acceptance. Bereavement may be a common companion during this life stage as losses occur with more frequency. The most common and most difficult loss that may occur during this phase is death of a long-term spouse. Grief over this loss may be very intense and may even cause sufficient physical and emotional suffering to actually threaten the griever’s health and life expectancy.

Slide 9 of 17: Bereavement and Grief: Late Adulthood

Coming to grips with one’s own mortality is a developmental task at this stage. Older adults realize that death is inevitable, and engaging in a life review is a typical reaction to this acceptance. Bereavement may be a common companion during this life stage as losses occur with more frequency. The most common and most difficult loss that may occur during this phase is death of a long-term spouse. Grief over this loss may be very intense and may even cause sufficient physical and emotional suffering to actually threaten the griever’s health and life expectancy.

Keeping in mind the developmental stage of each person and the five stages of the grieving process that you have learned in this activity, listen carefully to how each person expresses grief in this video.

Slide 10 of 17: The Social Viewpoint: Mourning

^{Mourners came to light a candle at a memorial in Prague in honor of Vaclav Havel, who died on December 18, 2011. Hovel was a prominent playwright, poet, author, humanitarian, the last president of Czechoslovakia, and the first president of the Czech Republic.}

Today, mourning and bereavement have become much more private, and the acceptable customs for a public level of emotional display have lessened. Consequently, a person who is feeling bereaved is often more socially isolated from the community and has limited opportunities for public expressions of grief. The lack of social support can make recovery from the loss much more difficult. The best way to help someone to recover is to provide sympathy and support and to acknowledge the pain of bereavement.

Slide 11 of 17: The Cultural Viewpoint

^{A Day of the Dead Celebration}

Slide 12 of 17: Coping with the Grieving Process

Slide 13 of 17: Summary

Slide 14 of 17: Assessment: Check Your Understanding

Slide 15 of 17: Assessment: Check Your Understanding

Slide 16 of 17: Assessment: Check Your Understanding

Slide 17 of 17: Assessment: Check Your Understanding