History And Theories Of Grief

Parental loss at a young age has been linked to heightened risk of psychological problems in adulthood, especially depression and lower self-confidence (Mack, 2001; Mireault & Bond, 1992; Saler &Skolnick, 1992*) It has also been linked to several different health conditions including chronic pain, hypertension, heart disease, and immune disorders (Luekin & Lemery, 2004; McEwen & Seeman, 2006). The way a child grieves over a lost parent shapes the way that information is interpreted and stored in the brain as well (Lupien, Ouellet-Morin, Hupbach, Tu, Buss, Walker, et al., 2006; Vanitallie, 2002) and it can influence whether or not life events are defined as stressful (Lupien et al., 2006). Studies conducted concerning childhood bereavement suggest that early parental loss can lead to the development of poorly regulated neuro-emotional response systems (Brotman, Gouley, Klein, Castellanos & Pine, 2003) and the alteration of brain structures that help with memory and cognitive functioning (Lupien et al., 2006; Vanitallie, 2002). Because of the impact of the loss, often times, children need help to recover from the loss of their parent. There have been several studies conducted on effective interventions and strategies when it comes to helping a child grieve and recover from the loss of their loved one.

When a child loses a parent their world is turned upside down. Childhood grief is such a painful experience, yet it often goes underestimated because as children grow most physicians, educators or clergy are unable to recognize the signs of depression, loneliness or isolation in grieving children. Statistics show that one in nine Americans lose a parent before the age of 20 (Zaslow, 2012). Death of either parent is devastating, but the death of a father leaves children wondering who will take care of them. Fathers are seen as the protectors in our society, they are the ones who provide the money and stability for a family. Not only that, but fathers are the spiritual head of the family and when that disappears the dynamics change.

Surviving the death of a parent can be a large risk factor for a child if a strong attachment relationship was in place prior to the parent’s death. A bereaved child may experience grief reactions such as crying, concentration problems, and a depressive affect. It is also common for the child to experience separation anxiety and worry for the surviving parent’s safety. The transition period

The loss of an adult child is devastating just as is the death of a younger child. However, there are differences as to how both the parents react to such losses. In this case the paper focuses on loss of an adult child and how the parent copes with the situation. The paper will give insight on the situation that precedes the demise of the child such as trajectory of illnesses which is more recent. A review on how the parents deal with the loss after it occurs will be discussed as well as the various issues the parent faces. The impact on the parent after the child’s loss is also featured. There will be a summary of the findings then finally a section that will give the implications of the research and its importance to the field of psychology and an improvement in human beings

Many scholars have researched China’s population policies and its consequences. The health effects from sterilizations and forced abortions have been well-investigated.1 The mental health of the first versus second and third children has also been compared in multiple studies.2 In Just One Child, Susan Greenhalgh argues that a lack of scientific judgment and input gave rise to the One Child Policy. However, there is a lack of research into the cultural determinants leading to the development of China’s population policies and the effects that state population policies have had on ideas about sexuality and sexual health in China.

The article entitled “China Abandons One-Child Policy” was written by Laurie Burkitt and published in The Wall Street Journal on October 30, 2015. The article is concerned about the new policy that allows the Chinese to have two children and problems faced regarding the change of the policy.

In the case of the one-child policy, the beneficial outcomes are overshadowed by the emotional concerns of female abortion and the gender discrepancy. China embodies an intrinsic preference for male children, and, as the one-child policy restricts families to only one child, parents often use ultrasound technology to detect female fetuses (if they have not yet had a child) and promptly abort them in order to preserve their single-child quota. However, makeshift institutions known as “safe havens” have been established all throughout China to provide foster homes for unwanted or illegal infants. The prospect of a child being forever separated from its biological parents is of course an upsetting one, but is nevertheless a much better alternative than just murdering illegal or unwanted children. China has by no means turned a blind eye to female discrimination either; by the year 2000, the Chinese government recognized persecution of females and sought to rectify the issue (in part) by inducting policies promoting female education and laws and their values in the family, as Yuen Ting Lee of Asian Journal of Women’s Studies points out. Such policies may never have been started to address such underlying issues if the one-child policy had not forcefully brought them to light. As for the issue of the unsupported aging population, in order to compensate for the workers leaving work to care for elderly family members, China may see opening up to migrant workers from around the world as an adequate alternative, especially if it wishes to maintain its attempts at leading global modernization. The one child policy has created an age gap, but in doing so one can see how it has also indirectly provided China with an outlet for economical growth and modernization that may not have otherwise occurred. The one-child policy and its

There is this constant dissonance between the healing power of grieving, but also the point at which it becomes harmful and needs to be controlled (Shepard, 2002, p. 205). This is seen in Western culture, where we make determinations about how long a person should feel sad for or when a normal grieving process becomes abnormal or unhealthy (Lutz, 1986, p. 294), but also in other cultures, like the Toraja, who encourage overt outpouring of emotion for a short time, but then consider that continuing this for too long will inhibit a person’s ability to protect themselves from poor health (Wellenkamp, 1988, p.

Elizabeth Lawrence et al. wrote a psychological research article titled, “Gender Differences in Grief Reaction Following The Death of A Parent,” which was published in 2006 in Omega: Journal of Death & Dying (Lawrence, et al. 323). The article’s research question was whether or not there was a difference between how men and women coped with grief; the results of the research were that females were more likely to experience adverse consequences than males (Lawrence, et

The establishment of the one-child policy in China dramatically affected the country’s family dynamics by preventing millions of births and creating single-child homes (DeLauche). As a result of the controversial policy, orphanages began filling with Chinese children, predominately girls, for adoption in order to uphold the new legislation of one child per family. Because of this sole decision of the People’s Republic of China, my childhood consisted of two cultures: Chinese and American. For, as an infant, I was adopted by a single mom in America.

“According to Bowlby (1980), seral post death conditions of bereaved children, such as the need for continuous care from familiar attachment figures, availability of caregivers sensitive to their bereavement needs, and their limited understanding about death, makes them prone to poor observations, expressions and articulations, which may make them miss out on the actual significance of the loss” (Kaberia,2016,182). Consequently, mourning and grief may not be expressible at the right time. It will become something called “grief in waiting” (Kaberia, 2016, 182). Grief in waiting is when an individual suppresses grief until a later time. Therefore, this allows the grief never truly be dealt with and the mourning process cannot be fully completed. Notably, compulsive self-reliance, blame and guilt, desire to die, and persistent anxiety are just a few symptoms that these adults who experienced early parental death go through (Dilworth & Hildreth,1997-1998 cited in Kaberia,2016,182). In addition, “Research has confirmed that early parental loss is associated with outbursts and loneliness (Murphy, 1986-87), depression, suicidal ideation and over- protectiveness, (Zall, 1994) and mental health (Dietrich, 1984 all cited in Kaberia, 2016, 182).

On April 6, 2016, I shadowed Megan in 7C and PICU, which was an eventful day full of thought-provoking and noteworthy patient interactions and child life centered conversations. This was my second time in 7C/PICU but my first time shadowing Megan. It was intriguing to see how two different CCLS’s handled the same units. Through my shadowing experience and observations, I gained knowledge of how to handle grief/bereavement situations, how to properly prioritize patients, charting techniques, and much more. This week I was able to reflect back to my knowledge of development so that I could better relate our coursework to my practicum experiences. In this journal, I will focus on two main patient interactions, both, which were unique, thought provoking, and relatable to developmental theory and coursework. I will also briefly discuss the knowledge I gained on how a CCLS can provide support during grief and bereavement situations.

Bryan Walsh(2015). It may be too late to reverse the damage of China’s one child policy. Time Magazine, Vol. 186 Issue 20,

Following a sudden or violent death, other stressful and traumatic events may occur. These include the sight of the injured or maimed body, the arrival of the police and/or medical personnel, efforts to assist the injured, the grief reactions of other witnesses, and the survivor’s separation from the love one body. These secondary traumas are encoded as intrusive memories that interfere with the survivor’s ability to mourn, because the survivor cannot remember the parent without also remembering and

Another type of death is one by tragedy that can be unexpected and can be more devastating than prolonged death in that it occurs suddenly and without notice. More often than not parents die unexpectedly and their children are left behind in a big scary world with no guidelines on how to survive. In part this is because parents do not expect to die while their child or children are still young. Planning ahead for the future can be difficult for parents emotionally as well as culturally and in some cases even financially. Initially when a parent dies it seems as if they have all the support in the world by people who love them. Most people seem to think that after a year or more children should be well adjusted, happy and have made it through their traumatic loss. A child’s perspective may seem different in fact they may feel more alone. A child named Abby had this to say about that topic “The pain got worse! Because the initial shock wears off, people stop coming to your house, and you are left….with yourself” (Simon, Johnson 49). What most people do not realize is that they still are not okay.