title: Themes in the bereavement experience of inner city adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is a lack of information about the bereavement experiences of adolescents living in poverty in the inner city.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eight bereaved adolescents (mean age = 13.5 girls, 3 boys), from poverty-level families, attending an inner city junior high school.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive design, using participant-observation in a semi-structured group setting, data were gathered using audiotape recordings of the eight group discussions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Chaos and stress were major themes pervading each discussion session. Lack of family and social support, fear for their future, and avoidance as the major coping strategy were also themes of the study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Inner city adolescents need to be assessed for loss of significant others. Provision of mental health services in schools could provide intervention services to current and future problems.
authors.affiliation: Norcen Mental Health Services, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van Epps
authors.forename: N D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Opie
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Goodwin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001601:Bereavement; D002648:Child; D003643:Death; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D011203:Poverty; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D014504:Urban Health