Lesbians grieving the death of a partner: recommendations for practice.
Spousal loss is a common event that has been associated with risk of depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Practitioners working with lesbians need comprehensive clinical guidelines that integrate research about lesbian partner loss with contemporary views of grief and bereavement. Using this literature, we make recommendations for clinical practice that address the possible contributions of several factors--social support, emotional closeness, relationship satisfaction, disclosure or non-disclosure of sexual identity and the relationship, faith and/or spirituality, and meaning-making--to the grieving process and positive psychological adjustment of lesbians grieving the death of a partner.
Broderick
Debra J
DJ
Office of Personal Counseling and Testing, University of St. Thomas, 2115 Summit Ave., St. Paul, MN 55105, USA. djbroderick@stthomas.edu
Birbilis
Jean M
JM
Steger
Michael F
MF
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001601:Bereavement; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods*; D003643:Death; D005260:Female; D018452:Homosexuality, Female / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012649:Self Concept; D012944:Social Support; D029181:Spirituality; D018454:Spouses