School support a bereaved child cannot use
A school can offer support that a bereaved child cannot use. Researchers from Norway asked children and young people themselves what they noticed about support at school.What was studiedTwenty-four children and young people aged 8 to 20 took part. They had lost a...Grieving children tell what helped and what was missing
What helps a child who has lost a parent? You can ask adults. This British study asked the children themselves.What was studiedEleven children and teenagers aged 10 to 18 took part, six girls and five boys. They had lost a parent, from less than a year to just over...A class after a death: support, misunderstanding and bullying
For many children, school is the place where life just goes on. What does that mean for a child who has lost a parent? Israeli researchers asked children and their surviving parent.What was studied20 children took part (7.5 to 16 years old, one participant was 18) and...How grieving children see their caregiver: passive, negative or positive
How does a child see their caregiver after a death, and does that go together with how the child is doing? American researchers asked the children themselves.What was studied112 children aged 8 to 17 took part (12 on average). In the past five years they had lost...What grieving children want to know: 710 questions from a grief camp
Children ask questions about illness, dying and grief that adults would rather avoid. Canadian researchers looked at exactly what those questions are.What was studiedAt a free grief camp in Ontario, children aged 5 to 17 who have lost a close family member write...Online grief help for children: no difference from the waiting list
An online programme for grieving children sounds like an answer to the lack of help. An Australian team around Sarah Egan tested it in a controlled trial. The result is less good than you would hope, and that is exactly why it is useful.What was studied96 children...A grief app for teenagers: an effect only after a year
Many grieving teenagers do not end up in a group or with a professional. Can an app fill that gap? Swedish researchers tested it.What was studied126 teenagers aged 12 to 19 took part. They had lost a parent, a brother or a sister, on average about three years earlier....Why play works in grief — and what we do and do not know about it
Funeral directors and teachers ask me regularly: is there actually evidence that play helps when a child is grieving? The honest answer has layers. On some parts the literature is clear, on others it is thin, and on the material itself there is almost no research at...Grief in infants and toddlers: Counseling after the loss of a parent
The loss of a parent in the first two years of life is profound. The child experiences a great loss, but cannot yet understand it. Grief in babies and toddlers is expressed mainly in their bodies and behavior, not in words. Therefore, this age group requires a special...After 7 Years of Research: Childhood Grief Has Long-Lasting Consequences
The University of Pittsburgh has just concluded the longest and most detailed study of child mourning ever. After seven years of research, the findings are both sobering and hopeful. The Reality: Effects Last Long The numbers don’t lie. Children who have lost a...Continuing Bonds With Bereaved Young People
Summary (8 min reading time): This systematic review examined how bereaved adolescents maintain a sense of connection with deceased family members. The concept of “continuing bonds” suggests that healthy grief does not mean breaking the bond with the...What Bereaved Children Want to Know About Death
Summary (8 min reading time): This study analyzed 213 questions asked by bereaved children ages 5-12 during grief camps. By studying these questions, researchers gained insight into what children really want to know about death and grief. The questions were...Longest Study of Pediatric Grief Following Parental Loss
Summary (8 min reading time): Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh completed a seven-year study of child grief – the longest and most detailed study to date. They followed children who had lost a parent to sudden death. Key findings: Children who lost a...Grief counseling for parental death: The child’s story at the center
8 minutes reading time | For professionals in education and healthcare When a parent dies, a child’s world stands still. As a professional in education or care, you bear an important responsibility. You want to help, but how do you best approach this? The...experts
It seems like more and more grief experts are emerging in our country. Some better than others. I spoke to one this week. She was a complete expert on grief in children. You can probably understand why that makes me sit on the edge of my seat a little more. She had...Childcare allowance
I take you to Kim and Sander’s family. They have two children. Joep aged 1 and Sophie aged 3. Sander is home full-time, so the childcare allowance is discontinued. A completely logical story. Except in this case. Because Sander, is not taking care of his family....Countdown
Dad, now if we don’t count down on New Year’s Eve, won’t it be New Year’s too? I don’t want a New Year, I don’t want a countdown, I’ll go to bed on time. Then do we do that tomorrow is just still this year? it is a completely...
my best friend is dying!
You’ve been told that your best friend is terminally ill. Crappy news! Now what? What about that family? Their kids? Your kids? Tell your children that X is sick (they probably already know this too). There are three different ways of being sick: – sick to...