Teenagers' reasoning about a parent's recent death in cancer

Abstract

A tentative conclusion is that the teenagers who were more likely to talk and grieve together with their surviving parent coped better with their situation than teenagers who did not. Parentally bereaved teenagers tend to take on a responsibility to support the grieving parent, when it is they themselves who need and should receive support.

Bereavement stressors and psychosocial well-being of young adults following the loss of a parent – A cross-sectional survey

“…[106][107][108] In Study I, information was found to be related to feelings of certainty and security, and a recent longitudinal study among bereaved family members has established the importance of security for psychosocial well-being and quality of life. 109 However, although young adults want information and have a need to be prepared, 110 the pain of being confronted with their parent's illness, 111,112 and their unwillingness to be a burden to their parents, leads them to avoid seeking support, 106,111,113 which in turn can inhibit their possibility of becoming aware. In addition, sometimes parents want to protect their children by withholding information.…”

“…On the other hand, young adults who are worse off may avoid accessing supportive interventions because of fear or pain, or not wanting to show their grief. 106,[111][112][113] Furthermore, it could be that individuals with low selfesteem have less confidence, making them more reluctant to participate in support groups compared to those with higher self-esteem. Analyses of non-participants was not possible as this information is lacking.…”

How to support teenagers who are losing a parent to cancer: Bereaved young adults' advice to healthcare professionals—A nationwide survey

“…This can be compared with studies that have found that parents affected by advanced cancer rethink their parenting, make efforts to spend time with their children, and make the most of the time they have left together (Houldin & Lewis, 2006;(Maynard et al, 2013;Melcher et al, 2015). Teenagers may choose not to talk about a parent's illness when at school, in the hope that life will continue on as usual, allowing them to not have to think about the situation for short periods of time (Sveen et al, 2015). This might be a way for them to cope and might be a necessary step toward gaining the strength to be close and present with their ill parent, which was clearly expressed as important in the pieces of advice garnered in our study.…”

Communication in families with minor children following the loss of a parent to cancer

“…Families who communicate openly about illness and express their emotions tend to have lower levels of depression and anxiety (Howell et al, 2015;Karlsson et al, 2013;Ponnet et al, 2013;Shapiro et al, 2014). Sveen, Kreicbergs, Melcher, and Alvariza (2015) found that teenagers who talked and grieved together with the surviving parent seemed to cope better after the loss than teenagers who did not.…”

“…There is a great deal of previous research on coping and adjustment following bereavement and communication is an important part of both coping and adjustment. Furthermore, the importance of open communication for parentally bereaved families has been widely acknowledged as it aids both the surviving parent and child in coping with their grief and adjusting to their loss (Kamm and Vandenberg, 2001;Saldinger et al, 2004;Sandler et al, 2003;Shapiro et al, 2014;Silverman and Worden, 1992;Sveen et al, 2015). Despite this, there is a lack of descriptive studies specifically focused on how bereaved families communicate, how a family's ability to communicate affects or is affected by bereavement, and the child's own experiences of communication and bereavement.…”