Hidden Trauma, Quiet Drama: The Prominence and Consequence of Complicated Grief Among College Students (original) (raw)
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SUPPORTING BEREAVED UNDERGRADUATES DURING THEIR JOURNEYS THROUGH GRIEF
This article outlines strategies for university students dealing with bereavement. In the present study, survivors who had lost a classmate to suicide reported struggling with grief. The early adult developmental period during the transitional developmental stages is filled with uncertainty.Faculty members proposed an action plan to enable students to deliver mutual peer support, to increase awareness about bereavement, and to prevent suicide contagion among students on the campus. The results suggest that support from peers, faculty members, and professionals can have positive effects on grieving students in a school context. These findings can assist other existing crisis management teams working within schools in successfully accomplishing their work.
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Death Studies, 2017
Although family grief communication has received solid research attention, few studies have examined how communication about grief differences among family members may relate to college students' grief experiences and family satisfaction. Online survey data were collected from emerging adults attending college (n = 335) at a large Midwestern university and analyzed using hierarchical multiple regressions. Findings indicated that family communication about grief differences was positively associated with family satisfaction, but was not related to individual grief reactions. This study contributes to the understanding of family grief communication among college students and offers implications for student affairs personnel working with grieving college students.
Journal of Psychology and Theology, 2013
The researchers analyzed, within an Evangelical Christian university context, bereaved and non-bereaved college students' Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) stories for themes of death, grief, general coping, and religious coping. The study measured: (a) how students in the throes of their grief construct TAT stories, (b) differences in coping between bereaved vs. non-bereaved and women vs. men, and (c) coping for those who specifically mentioned death or grief themes. Results found that students constructed their TAT stories with high frequencies of general coping. Frequencies did not differ by bereavement status or gender, but those mentioning death or grief even more often mentioned coping. Religious coping themes emerged infrequently. Results differ greatly from a prior study at a secular university, suggesting the need to further examine this group. Findings are discussed in light of socio-historical context and recent studies measuring college student religiosity/spiritualit...
Frontiers in Psychology
Many students have experienced the death of a loved one, which increases their risk of grief and mental health problems. Formal and social support can contribute to better coping skills and personal growth in bereaved students. The purpose of this study was to examine the support that students received or wanted to receive and its relation to students’ mental health. We also looked at students’ needs when receiving support and barriers in seeking formal and social support. Participants (N = 666) completed an online survey consisting of questions about their sociodemographic characteristics, the support they received or wanted to receive, and support needs and barriers in seeking support. The survey also included three scales assessing grief, mental health distress, and personal growth. First, we analyzed the data descriptively. Next, we used MANCOVA to examine whether students who did or did not receive or wanted more support differed in terms of their grief, mental health distress,...
College Students’ Feedback on a Student Bereavement Leave Policy
Journal of student affairs research and practice, 2019
Using a mixed-methods approach, we examined how grieving college students perceived the effectiveness, benefits, drawbacks, and areas of improvement of a student bereavement leave policy, Grief Absence Policy for Students (GAPS). Though GAPS facilitated students' grief, data indicated that the policy could benefit from improvements in the accommodations allowed, implementation process, and provision of ongoing support. We offer practical recommendations for student affairs professionals seeking to support grieving students through an innovative policy. Research consistently indicated that over 40% of college students have experienced the death of a family member or friend within any given 2-year period (e.g., Cox, Dean, & Kowalski, 2015). Such deaths affect students' physical, behavioral, interpersonal, cognitive, emotional, and spiritual functioning (Balk, 2011). Grieving students also exhibit lower grade point averages (GPAs) than their nonbereaved peers during the semester they experienced death losses (Servaty-Seib & Hamilton, 2006) and may be at greater risk for attrition (e.g., Servaty-Seib & Hamilton, 2006; Tinto, 1993). Experiencing the death of someone close may also affect the identity development of college students. Based on samples comprising of predominantly White middle-class students, Chickering and Reisser (1993) identified seven psychosocial developmental tasks that traditional college-aged students complete during the college years. Empirical evidence later suggested that students experience these developmental tasks in different capacities and rates based on their social identities,