Grief in adults with mental retardation: Preliminary findings

Harper, Dennis C.; Wadsworth, John

doi:10.1016/0891-4222(93)90025-f

Cited by 62 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Related to this is the reluctance to include PWID in the rituals of death, such as attending a funeral (Harper & Wadsworth, 1993;Hollins & Esterhuyzen, 1997;Oswin, 1991), despite evidence that this can be helpful in aiding understanding of death (Raji, Hollins, & Drinnan, 2003) and normalising the emotional experience of grief through observing the mourning of others (De Ranieri, Clements, & Henry, 2002). PWID also report that they find inclusion in rituals helpful (Gilrane-McGarry & Taggart, 2007) and supported involvement has been shown to reduce both repetitive questions about the whereabouts of the deceased, and the frequency and intensity of challenging behaviour (Sheldon, 1998).…”

Section: Grieving and People With An Intellectual Disabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While PWID are not homogeneous, this research suggests that many grieve in a manner similar to the general population (Harper & Wadsworth, 1993;Oswin, 1991) and that cognitive impairment does not, in itself, prevent the experience of grief (Brelstaff, 1984). There is, however, also evidence that PWID are more likely to experience complications during the grieving period than the general population, due to factors such as secondary losses, communication problems, difficulties with tasks of grieving, and issues around inclusion.…”

Section: Grieving and People With An Intellectual Disabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Significant secondary losses for PWID include the loss of their primary carer and the related loss of their home (Hollins & Esterhuyzen, 1997;MacHale & Carey, 2002), as well as fewer visitors and daytime activities; changes in roommate and employment status and less money (Harper & Wadsworth, 1993).…”

Section: Grieving and People With An Intellectual Disabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

How Adults With an Intellectual Disability Experience Bereavement and Grief: A Qualitative Exploration

et al. 2013

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Section: Grieving and People With An Intellectual Disabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Grieving and People With An Intellectual Disabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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How Adults With an Intellectual Disability Experience Bereavement and Grief: A Qualitative Exploration

et al. 2013

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“…16 Even in the absence of overt psychopathology, participants in these studies described grief as disruptive and disturbing. Using structured direct interviews of adults with moderate to severe ID, Harper and Wadsworth 17 found that over half of the respondents reported at least one death that was very disruptive to their lives; more than a year after the deaths, the majority of these respondents were still suffering from feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and sadness, as well as from behavior problems.…”

Section: Disabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Individuals with ID have a wide spectrum of abilities, as well as disabilities, and their psychological and emotional well-being need to be assessed relative to their life experience. Data from case studies, [12][13][14][15][16] direct interviews, 17 and population-based studies 18,19 show that individuals with ID react to bereavement with emotional disturbance, including sadness, anger, and anxiety, and behavioral disturbance, including irritability and lethargy or hyperactivity. The recognition that individuals with ID are susceptible to the stress of bereavement highlights the importance of developing a paradigm to help facilitate their effective coping with grief.…”

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confidence: 99%

Grief and its Complications in Individuals with Intellectual Disability

Brickell¹,

Münir²

2008

Harvard Review of Psychiatry

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Bereavement and loss have significant impact on the lives of individuals with intellectual disability (ID). Although there is a growing impetus to define the symptoms of grief that predict long-term functional impairment, little is known about maladaptive grieving among individuals with ID. We examine the literature concerning the phenomenology of traumatic grief (TG) in the general population, along with what is known about the manifestations of grief in individuals with ID. We then apply modern theories of grief and grief resolution to individuals with ID in order to highlight potential areas of vulnerability in this population and to lay the groundwork for interventions that will facilitate their adaptation to loss. We provide a theoretical framework for the proposition that individuals (including children and adults) with ID are more susceptible to TG, based on an increased risk of secondary loss, barriers to communicating about the loss, and difficulty finding meaning in the loss. We conclude that individuals with ID should be considered as potential candidates for targeted bereavement interventions. Further research is required, however, in order to develop population-appropriate measurement scales for testing these hypotheses. Keywords grief; bereavement; intellectual disabilityEarly psychodynamic theories of grief suggest that only those who are capable of understanding the finality of death, and who are able to perform the arduous psychological task of withdrawing emotion from the deceased, will be capable of mourning. [1][2][3][4] Even without a cognitive understanding of death, however, it is possible to notice the absence of a loved one and to react emotionally to that loss. In his formulation of attachment theory, John Bowlby 5-7 provided the first theoretical framework for the proposition that even young children can grieve following the loss of an attachment figure. Since then, studies have confirmed that children react with grief, sadness, and despair to the death of loved ones. 8 Individuals with intellectual disability (ID) have long been considered incapable of griefjust as young children once were. It has been suggested that individuals with ID * do not possess either the necessary capacity to form meaningful relationships 9,10 or the necessary

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Bereavement

Cathcart¹

2007

Handbook of Evidence‐based Psychotherapies

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Grief in adults with mental retardation: Preliminary findings

Cited by 62 publications

References 14 publications

How Adults With an Intellectual Disability Experience Bereavement and Grief: A Qualitative Exploration

How Adults With an Intellectual Disability Experience Bereavement and Grief: A Qualitative Exploration

Grief and its Complications in Individuals with Intellectual Disability

Bereavement

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