2016/11/21 by Martin Lytje · 1 citation
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Family Support in Illness #Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health #Migration, Health and Trauma
paper · pdf · doi:10.1177/0030222816679660
crossref issued 2016/11/21 · crossref published 2016/11/21 · crossref published-online 2016/11/21 · openalex publication_date 2016/11/21 · crossref created 2017/01/25 · crossref published-print 2018/11/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref deposited 2026/05/01 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/27 · crossref indexed 2026/07/31
This study explores how Danish students experience returning to school following parental bereavement. Eighteen focus group interviews with 39 participants aged 9 to 17 years were conducted. All participants had experienced the loss of a primary caregiver. Data collection was divided into two phases. In Phase I, 22 participants from four grief groups were interviewed 4 times over the course of a year. During Phase II, confirmatory focus groups were undertaken with the 17 participants. This article explores findings related to the four themes of initial school response, long-term support, challenges within the class, and academic challenges. The study found that (a) students struggle to reconnect with classmates following the return to school and often feel alone, (b) schools fail to have guidelines in place for what they are allowed to do if becoming sad the class, and (c) schools seem to forget their loss as time passes.