title: How adults with an intellectual disability experience bereavement and grief: a qualitative exploration.
abstract: This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of bereavement of 13 adults with an intellectual disability and found that their experiences could be situated within the concept of disenfranchised grief. The latter mediated participants' meaning making of the grieving process illustrated in the themes of intra- and interpersonal bereavement experiences, core beliefs about life and death, level of inclusion, and maintaining a continuing relationship with the deceased. The results suggest that participants experience bereavement and grief in a manner similar to that of the general population and suggest the need for open communication, facilitation of informed choice, and a culture of inclusion.
authors: a National Health Service Grampian, Grampian Forensic Mental Health Service, Blair Unit, Royal Cornhill Hospital , Aberdeen , United Kingdom.
authors: Robyn
authors: R
authors: McRitchie
authors: Karen
authors: K
authors: McKenzie
authors: Ethel
authors: E
authors: Quayle
authors: Margaret
authors: M
authors: Harlin
authors: Katja
authors: K
authors: Neumann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001601:Bereavement; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000523:psychology*; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D055815:Young Adult