Loss and Bereavement: In Children

Abstract

Context: Mourning following the death of a loved one is a natural and necessary process, but some people lack the skills and abilities to deal with the grief process, which can lead to many psychological problems. Bereaved children are a vulnerable population at risk of social and psychological harm. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the effects of grief on children and effective interventions to increase adaptation to it. Evidence Acquisition: The present study was a review-type design based on the review of the literature on loss and bereavement in children, reactions, and effective interventions. The literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, as well as in the Google Scholar search engine up to December 2024. Relevant keywords and their combinations used for the literature search were as follows: Loss, bereavement, children. Results: Supportive interventions in children's traumatic bereavement include cognitive behavioral therapy, developing coping skills, relaxing activities (yoga), and creative counseling techniques (expressing feelings or experiences through poems, drawings, singing, dancing, writing and drawing trauma narratives, epitaphs which are short texts performed in honor of a deceased person, holding a memorial service, holding a holiday program that focuses on helping the child cope with the grief during important family holidays). Conclusions: Childhood grief reactions are distinct from those in adults and are affected by developmental and contextual factors such as the age of the child and changes in caregiving environments. Empirically supported interventions can help young people to navigate the many grief-related challenges.