CHILDHOOD GRIEFHanah CummingsPSY-1100 Lifespan Growth & DevelopmentSalt Lake Community College

WHAT IS GRIEF?

GriefThe powerful sorrow that an individual feels at the death of another

Understanding grief is important because we are living in a time where grief is no longer talked about openly & people are suffering with the feeling that they are alone in this process. Letting children learn how to grieve healthy is important & needed when they reach adulthood.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ADULT & CHILDHOOD GRIEF

Children

Grief is cyclical and can reoccur with each new stage of development

Children will have unacceptable behavior which is them expressing themselves because they don’t know why they are feeling the way they do

Adults

Better at expressing themselves & what they need

Understand that in time things change

Have life-experiences

Built-in support systems

MAIN STAGES OF GRIEF

DenialShock and Numbness

Acute Grief Sadness, anger, depression, guilt or fear

Adjustment Acceptance and comes to terms with the death

WHEN WILL CHILDREN EXPERIENCE GRIEF?

Nagy (1948) Broke this down into 3 stages by age

Stage 1 (ages 3-5) Children think that their loved one has just moved away

Stage 2 (ages 5-9)Death can be avoided entirely

Stage 3 (ages 9-10)Understand that death effects all living things, it’s permanent and inevitable

HOW GRIEVING EFFECTS CHILDREN

Be honest with kids about what happened, them then know its ok to talk about it Child may revert back to bed wetting because of stress Child may act out for attention because of a change in their environment Regression

ACTIVITIES TO HELP CHILDREN COPE WITH GRIEF

They can draw pictures that remind them of their loved ones and keep them in their room, or they can take them up to the gravesite

Decorate the grave for holiday’s to keep this person part of your family

Group Counseling with other children can help them understand that they are not the only ones going through this

Looking at pictures or videos of the loved one

SUMMARY Teaching children how to properly cope with grief is important because

It’s important so when they come to grieving again in life they will have life experiences to associate it with and if they we’re taught how to do it healthy they can continue to grieve healthy

Prolonged stress from emotions can cause problem in childhood, including cognitive impairments, poor regulation of emotions, physical and mental disorders

This happens because the child’s brain is so fragile in this stage of life

If grief is done in a healthy way they can understand that with time the pain will lessen and they will adjust to a new life

If they have a positive influence who they can go to when they experience grief the first time they will understand that there are people to go to the next time

They will understand it is healthy to cry and have emotions if you let them as a child

WHY I CHOSE THIS TOPIC

I decided to do this topic because I have recently been watching my niece through her grieving process with the death of my daughter. We realized many thing that we should have been open about with her and the way we we’re telling her was confusing her. As she started going through new stages of development she would revert back to her grief and revisit it and show it in a new way each time.

Through this we realized how important it is to teach a child how to grieve properly and let them know it was ok to talk about it and want to go visit them at the cemetery. It was okay if she wanted to go and talk to her and draw her pictures.

It came back around full force because we didn’t allow her to grieve properly and now that we addressed it she has reached the stage where she understands it’s permanent and it is a natural part of life.

REFERENCES

Moore, Susan M.A. (n.d). Stage of Grief in Children. Retrieved from

http://www.californiasids.com/UploadedFiles/ParentVersions/StagesOfGriefInChildren_E-Pa.pdf

Willis, Clarissa (June 2002). The Grieving Process in Children: Strategies for Understanding, Educating, and Reconciling Children’s Perceptions of Death. Retrieved from

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1015125422643#page-1

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (July 2013). Fact for Families: Children and Grief. Retrieved from

http://www.aacap.org/App_Themes/AACAP/docs/facts_for_families/08_children_and_grief.pdf

Staussen-Berger, K. (2010). Invitation to the Life Span