A teenager revisits her father's death during childhood: a study in resilience and healthy mourning.
"Debbie," 14, was 8 when her father died. During 4 interviews over 3 months, Debbie described the impact of his death as she progressed from childhood to adolescence. Themes drawn from her experience were related to theories of development, bereavement, and resilience. Triangulating interviews with her mother and brother established validity. Results indicated that Debbie experienced healthy mourning--without depression or other debilitating effects--due to supportive people in her family, her strong self-concept, and her capacity to think through her experiences positively. Evidence of protective factors, notably Debbie's relationship with her mother, contributed to her resilience. The author concludes that childhood bereavement studies and resilience research can be mutually informative and that dialogue between their practitioners should increase.
Hurd
Russell C
RC
rhurd@stark.kent.edu
D000293:Adolescent; D041923:Adolescent Development; D001293:Attitude to Death; D004644:Emotions; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012944:Social Support; D013850:Thinking