How Do Parentally Bereaved Emerging Adults Define Resilience? It's a Process

Abstract

The construct of resilience can be used to better understand college students who successfully navigate emerging adulthood after the death of a parent. This study used grounded theory to explore the agesalient tasks that parentally bereaved emerging adults use to define resilience. Four tasks were identified and are discussed in the context of popular grief discourse. A conceptualization of resilience as a process is proposed, and ways counselors can apply this construct are discussed.