Paper Summary:

The paper shows that the death of a parent or sibling can be a wrenching experience for the child left to grieve. Children do not understand the concept of death, and having to face death and its consequences at an early age can lead to considerable psychological turmoil, which in turn may depend on a number of factors such as the age of both parent and child, the closeness of the sibling, the circumstances of the death, the structure of the family and so on. The paper examines literature on the subject and explains different stages of bereavement, the effect of death on different age groups and possible therapy solutions.

From the Paper:

"Harrington & Harrison (1999) note that many of the current assumptions about the impact of bereavement on children are unproven. Existing data does suggest that childhood bereavement is not a major risk factor for mental and behavioral disorder in either childhood or adult life, and some studies indicate that most children cope surprisingly well with this severe form of trauma. This means that in most cases, interventions by professionals will not be required, and in any case, we do not yet know whether these interventions are effective. However, some children and their families will require help. Children with mental or behavioral disorders may well benefit from interventions, and there may also be a case for intervening with some children who are at high risk of psychological disorder but who are currently healthy."

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