This article examines the role of death and loss in family developmental processes. Aspects of family development are described, followed by an exploration of the impact of loss on family functioning and development. We present a typology of initial family response styles to the death of a member as well as some immediate and long-term patterns of adaptation after a loss. The article concludes with a case example and a discussion of multigenerational sequelae of unresolved bereavement in family systems.

This article describes the development of the Grief Evaluation Measure (GEM), a new instrument designed to screen for the development of a complicated mourning response in a bereaved adult. The GEM provides a quantitative and qualitative assessment of risk factors, including the mourner's loss and medical history, coping resources before and after the death, and circumstances surrounding the death. It is designed to provide an in-depth evaluation of the bereaved adult's subjective grief experience and associated symptoms. Reliability and validity studies were conducted with two samples of bereaved adults (n = 23 and n = 92, respectively) from various clinical and support settings. Data on the two central sections of the GEM that assess the mourner's grief response and the level of symptomatology are described. Results indicate that the GEM's internal consistency and test-retest reliability are high. The GEM demonstrates good concurrent validity for established measures of bereavement, trauma, and physical and psychiatric symptoms, and good predictive validity for mourner adjustment one year after initial assessment. Plans for future development and an invitation for other researchers to collaborate with research on the GEM are also discussed.

This article presents a rationale and model for a time-limited bereavement support group for adults who are grieving the death of their parent(s) as an adult. The model is based on assumptions about the particular needs and issues of this population, and about the grieving process in general. The screening process and structure of group sessions are described, and the sequence of seven group themes are presented. Finally, some of the clinical impressions of the authors are offered, so that other professionals can use the model as a starting point for designing similar groups for the same population.