Characteristics of Graduate Counseling Student Grief Experiences

Abstract

This study explored the incidence of grief and resulting effects experienced by graduate counseling students. A total of 157 students from three universities completed surveys about their grief experiences. The authors calculated descriptive statistics, as well as Kruskal–Wallis H tests and Spearman’s rank-order correlation coefficient, to identify relationships between variables. Results indicated that approximately 86% ( n = 129) of students had experienced loss within their lifetime. Participants reported emotional, cognitive, physical, behavioral, interpersonal, and world assumption grief effects, with statistically significant relationships to both type of loss and reported closeness to the deceased. These findings provide new information on the specific and multidimensional grief effects these students experienced and offer practical insight into how grieving students can be best supported during their counseling training.

The Holistic Grief Effects of Bereaved Black Female College Students

“…This study refrained from comparing this African American female population to its Caucasian counterpart. When compared to other studies that examined holistic grief effects in college students among predominately white student populations, some grief effects, particularly emotional, interpersonal, and physical grief effects were lower when compared to the findings in this study (Varga & Varga, 2019; Pollard et al., 2017). Interestingly, world assumption/spiritual grief effects associated with spiritual effects were lower than often reported in college student populations.…”

“…Students may experience grief effects in any or all of the six dimensions. While the Holistic Impact of Bereavement has been utilized to examine various college students (Balk & Varga, 2018;Bordere, 2019;Pollard et al, 2017;Varga, 2015;Varga & Varga, 2019 ), the framework has yet to be utilized solely with Black female college student populations.…”

“…College students face a variety of life experiences during their collegiate careers. Approximately 30–40% of American undergraduate students and 25% of graduate students on college campuses in the United States have experienced bereavement within the previous 24 months (Balk et al., 2010; Pollard et al., 2017; Varga, 2015; Walker et al., 2012). Grief impacts students in unique ways and varies based on social identity (gender, race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, spirituality, socioeconomic status).…”

Grieving College Students Use of Social Media

“…The model suggests that students are affected by grief in six dimensions-physical, cognitive, behavioral, interpersonal, emotional, and spiritual. Students experience the dimensions individually or intertwined with one another and are most likely to experience more significant emotional and cognitive effects (Pollard, Varga, Wheat, McClam, & Balentyne, 2017;Varga, 2015). It is currently unknown if grieving students are more likely to use social media when experiencing specific grief effects and to what degree they utilize social media while grieving.…”