Parental Bereavement

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews information about the grieving process of parents who lose a child. Included is an overview of several different types of losses, including stillbirths, miscarriages, and SIDS. It includes statistics of child deaths and grief research.

From the Paper:

"The death of a child is one of the most tragic events that can enter a family's life" (Smith, 2004). Parents expect to outlive their children. It is the "norm" for the children to attend the parent's funeral, not the other way around. DeSpelder (2002) explains that "the death of a child represents the unfinished, the untimely loss of a potential future". Attitudes and trends towards death have changed immensely over the past century. In the past it was not uncommon for children to die at a young age. In fact, "Over half of the deaths in 1900 occurred among children age fourteen and younger" (DeSpelder, 2002.) Death rates have most definitely taken a turn as of late however. DeSpelder states that ?now, less than 2 percent of deaths occur among this age group [age fourteen and younger]? (2002)."

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