In the context of AIDS, the Botswana Government has adopted a group therapy program to help large numbers of orphaned children cope with bereavement. This study explores the effectiveness of the therapy and examines how it interacts with cultural attitudes and practices concerning death. Ten orphaned children were involved in five rounds of data…

Although bereavement-related emotional distress usually remits on its own over time, approximately 20% of bereaved individuals experience chronic emotional difficulties following the loss (Prigerson & Jacobs, 2001). Although several factors have been shown to be associated with poor outcomes post-loss, few studies have examined the relationship…

The purpose of the present study was to examine dispositional resilience in the perceived stress-life satisfaction relation following conjugal loss. The sample included 55 widows, assessed on average, 1 month following the death of a spouse. Results supported dispositional resilience as a mediator (the initial relation between perceived stress and…

The article is a response to the contributions the special issue of Death Studies on continuing bonds. The contributions indicate that the conversation among scholars has clarified our thinking on how bonds function in individual grief. The author discussed two issues to help keep the conversation moving: (a) the relationship of continuing bonds…

Some studies of the relationship between continuing bonds and grief intensity have claimed that continuing bonds lead to poor adaptation to bereavement. However, operationalizations of continuing bonds and grief intensity appear to overlap conceptually. Thus, it is still unclear what character the connection between continuing bonds and grief…

Using data of 56 bereaved individuals, this study examined associations of various manifestations of continuing bonds, assessed at 7-12 months post-loss, with concurrent and prospective (9 months later) symptoms of grief and depression. Among other things it was found that, independent of initial symptom levels, manifestations of continuing bonds…

Proposed dyadic model of how self functions in loss, recovery, and growth. In model, "reflective" side of self is seen as acting on "core" repository of identity, interpreting feelings and formulating meaning. Suggests that grief work enhances reflective self's insight, affirmative strength, and ability to make life matter. Discusses implications…

Psychological intervention with the bereaved can provide critical assistance to individuals, families, and communities contending with the loss of significant others. In the organizational paradigm of the Two-Track Model of Bereavement, the outcome of both successful and problematic mourning are manifest along two distinct but interrelated tracks…

Used grounded-theory analysis to generate explanation of phenomenon of meaning reconstruction in experience of 10 bereaved mothers. Theory that emerged included three phases in process of meaning reconstruction: discontinuity, disorientation, and adjustment. Participants reinterpreted meaning structures they had held prior to their child's death…

There has been an increased interest and debate regarding the adaptiveness of continuing bonds with the deceased. The authors used data from a cross-cultural study of 61 participants from the United States (US) and 58 participants from the People's Republic of China (PRC) who completed measures of continuing bonds and adjustment at 4 and 18 months…

Uses structural and family systems models as basis for evaluation/treatment of grieving families. Notes that, in structural model, families can be assessed in terms of how family has attempted to fill role left by loss. Suggests that family systems approach can be integrated with structural model, demonstrating techniques to assess changes in…

Mounted by the Strong Museum in Rochester, New York, in 1993, and traveling nationally thereafter, the exhibit Memory and Mourning provided historical and contemporary perspectives to help museum guests explore their own reactions to loss and grief. In the process the exhibit's development team encountered a range of philosophical, historical,…

Drawing on attachment theory and constructivist conceptualizations of bereavement, the authors assessed the relation between continuing bonds coping and meaning reconstruction following the death of a loved one and complicated grief symptomatology. Five hundred six young adults in the first two years of bereavement from a variety of losses…

Describes cognitive-behavioral approach to family therapy for suicidal people. Reviews relationship between family interactions and suicide. Highlights general strategies for treating suicidal family members. Focuses on adolescents and parents. Includes clinical examples. Suggests family influence on members' emotional and social adjustment is…

Explored experiences of 35 survivors of suicide during 9 months after suicide of family member. Although 26% reported at least one experience of perceived stigmatization related to the suicide, 69% of subjects reported experiencing strong social support from others. Most reported role uncertainty in themselves regarding how they should behave as…