Reviews death-related experiences and concerns of Hmong refugees from Laos. Discusses traditional funerary and burial practices of the Hmong and barriers to maintaining these practices in the United States. Draws parallels between Hmong experiences and those of Holocaust victims. Discusses implications for those who work with the dying and…

Attendees at workshops and lectures were asked to complete a questionnaire which assessed the following: 1) First death experience, 2) Present conceptualization of death, 3) Anticipated reactions to a personal terminal illness, 4) Resources in managing one's own death, and 5) Difficulties experienced in working with dying persons. (Author)

Interviewed persons (N=36) who had been close to death as a result of a suicide attempt to determine whether such persons report near-death experiences. Half related such experiences; these were more common for men. Found three patterns in suicide-related, near-death experiences. (Author/JAC)

As a result of serious accidents and illness many persons undergo death-rebirth experiences. The changes in attitudes, personality, and beliefs that sometimes follow these experiences reflect rebirth and reveal a fundamental human strategy for coping with the threat of death. These experiences have great therapeutic potential. (Author)

Interviewed bereaved persons shortly after the death of a close family member and 18 months later. Respondents were grouped according to mode of death. The short-term chronic illness group made the most favorable adjustment. Sudden death and long-term chronic illness death groups sustained higher intensities of bereavement. (Author/RC)

The belief that dying and grieving are natural processes is widely held in modern bereavement care. Examines four assumption often made in this connection: (1) most primitive cultures deal with death in an accepting way; (2) this way is different than our own; (3) it is a good and noble way; and (4) traditional societies see death as natural. (JBJ)

The question of "rights" is crucial to any group of institutionalized people as they feel they have lost their freedom. This group was developed to meet the needs of some angry, aggressive, acting out residents in the facility. It is clear that this discussion tapped some deep-rooted feelings and fears. (Author)

Two groups of students were compared as to their death related experiences. Students in the Sociology of Death class reported more deaths of friends and relatives over two five-year periods and more work experiences in death-related settings than students in the control group. (Author)

Studied whether memories of deceased play active roles in ongoing lives of survivors. Seventy-one people described a significant death. Four roles were reliably identified and labeled role model, situation specific guidance, values clarification, and remembrance formation. Role adoption was predicted by closeness of relationship and suddenness of…

International adoption and areas of losses and gains are described with respect to biological parent, adopted child, and adoptive parent in terms of the individual and the relationship between individuals. Deficits and benefits specific to donor and recipient countries are addressed as well as bereavement issues inherent in the process. (JBJ)