Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Exploring Grief And Mourning In Work Teams: A Phenomenological Multi-Case Study, Ashley L. Kutach

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to explore the experiences of team members when a fellow team member returns to work after the unexpected death of a loved one. The participants in the study gave accounts of their personal experiences, and the overall team experiences, following a team member’s return to work. The goal of the study was to investigate these experiences to provide insight that is not available in current literature.

This research was a phenomenological multi-case study based on six theoretical literature foundations: grief dual process model, social support model, team-member exchange theory, social network theory, group …

What Crucial Components Should Be Integrated Into Bereavement Programs For The Latino Population?, Aida Blanco

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to provide an understanding of the emotional and cultural needs Latinos experience when grieving the loss of a loved one. Current research shows that the Latino community is less likely to seek mental health treatment including end of life and bereavement services. This study uses a qualitative approach examining participant’s experiences during the bereaved phase focusing on emotional needs. The study reveals that Latinos experience emotional distress during bereavement and grief. It also identifies a scarcity of programs designed to meet the needs of the bereaved of Latino communities in the Inland Empire where …

College Students' Disenfranchised Grief Following A Breakup: The Effect Of Relationship Closeness And Perceived Stigma On Grief, Jennifer E. Reimer

Master's Theses

Grief is a universal reaction to loss. Losses are often associated to the death of a loved one, however, they may also originate from the end of an intimate partner relationship. Whereas studies have focused on grief after a divorce or on symptomology students endure after a death, this article attends to the understudied college student experience of grief following a breakup. Within emerging adulthood, the loss of a close romantic relationship may be challenging to navigate alongside the daily stressors of college. Stigmatization by means of social cues convey sentiments, such as the need to get over an ex-partner, …

A Literature Review Of Nature-Based Expressive Arts Therapy For Bereaved Children, Wendy Dalton

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

There is a need for increased visibility of child bereavement to expand research in and accessibility of developmentally appropriate supports, which views the child holistically and within their biopsychosocial context. Worden’s (1996) formative work with child bereavement resulting in the "tasks" of child bereavement was the first and most recent study of its scale and kind. This marked an affirming of grief as normative response to death and occurring throughout the developmental lifespan. This work also highlights the need for additional inquiry to expand and deepen understanding of child bereavement. A growing body of research suggests that ecotherapy and expressive …

Exploring The Usage Of Found Objects In Art Therapy For Bereavement: A Literature Review, Bridget Bogan

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Bereavement is a multifaceted, evolving, and intensely individual experience. Moving away from a linear theoretical framework towards a constructivist theoretical model promotes the healing properties of self-narrative while incorporating the story of the loss of a loved one. Most important to bereaved individuals, as indicated by current research on the topics of death, grief, and bereavement are memory keeping, meaning making, and continued bonds with the deceased. These common themes have remained consistent since the Victorian age.

Traditional mourning jewelry represents a form of memorialization and continued bonds with the dead. Alternative forms of art using found objects belonging to …

A Literature Review On Substance Related Grief And Expressive Art Therapy Support Groups, Holly N. St. Cyr

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

In the year of 2017, 18.7 million Americans aged 18 years or older were reported to have a substance use disorder and the pervasiveness of substance related deaths escalated (McCance- Katz, 2017). Researchers have examined how grief experienced by substance users and their loved ones is often disenfranchised by social stigmatization, loss of support, and feelings of regret, blame, humiliation, and shame. According to Valentine, Bauld, and Walter, (2016) “bereavement following a drug or alcohol related death has been largely neglected in research and service provision, despite its global prevalence and potentially devastating consequences for those concerned,” (p. 283). Studies …

Existential Art Therapy In Children’S Bereavement Groups: Development Of A Method, Catherine Johnson

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Children and adolescents who have experienced the death of a family member are faced with the emotional journey of grieving their loss, which may be accompanied with existential concerns about life and death in general. Bereavement programs serve to connect children with others who know what losing a family member is like. Art therapy can be used in these bereavement groups to express and give shape to the emotions and memories the participants have. It is a non-verbal way to reflect and find meaning that can come from post-traumatic growth. This capstone thesis project explores an art therapy method for …

How To Support Caregivers And The Bereaved: Psychoeducation And Personal Coping Techniques, Vanessa Eva Marie Eyre

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Canada has an increasing and ageing population and because of this it is experiencing an increase in its rate of deaths. Because of this the requirement for hospice and end-of-life support will likely increase. This creates the need for research on best practices regarding supporting individuals in the caregiving role, but also how they personally cope with the challenges they face. The first segment of this study looked at caregivers of individuals with life-limiting illnesses’ experiences of receiving a psychoeducation grief resource package that contained a variety of educational materials that fall into the following categories of support: emotional, spiritual, …

Grief Of Adolescents With Learning Disabilities: Proceed With Caution, Matthew J. Bateman

Graduate Education Student Scholarship

This research review and student-centered manual explores the findings and assertions of various studies relating to the antecedents and trends of grief among adolescence with learning disabilities. The meta-analysis explores numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and accredited studies in an attempt to gain a greater understanding of the current landscape of youth sadness, with a special focus on youths with learning disabilities. As multiple studies have indicated, overwhelming grief and disability harassment is a serious problem plaguing American youths. The reviewed literature also indicated that youths with learning disabilities are at a greater risk of experiencing prolonged episodes of sadness. Although …

Assessment Of “Meaning Made”: An Empirical Examination Of Factorial Structure And Measure Validity, Andrea M. Despotes

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Meaning-making theory posits that appraisal of a stressful event leads to distress if it is discrepant with one’s sense of “global meaning,” and such distress stimulates meaning-making processes aimed at eliminating the discrepancy. If meaning making leads to new meaning (i.e., “meaning made”), the stress-induced discrepancy is reduced, which generally is expected to result in positive adjustment. This study investigated the factorial structure of the meaning made construct using a sample (N = 372) of Amazon Mechanical Turk workers in the United States having “Masters” status and a minimum approval rating of 95%. Participants reported an average age of about …

Alcohol Use And Drinking Motives In Bereaved Undergraduates, Laura J. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effect of the experience of a loss on alcohol use and drinking motives in a college sample. Participants for this study were drawn from the “Spit for Science” project (Dick et al., 2014). The sample included 3,013 students (31.8% men, 68.2% women; 44.3% White, 21.1% Black, 19.6% Asian, 6.0% Latinx; mean age = 18.96; 16.2% bereaved) from Virginia Commonwealth University. Data were collected from participants’ freshman spring and sophomore spring time points on the Life Events Checklist, Alcohol Consumption items, and Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised. Participants who were bereaved between the freshman and sophomore timepoint did not …

The Efficacy Of A Group Visual Art Bereavement Intervention With Older Adults, Rachel E. Weiskittle

Theses and Dissertations

Research on expressive art interventions for bereavement has burgeoned in recent years. Studies have supported their effectiveness in facilitating participants’ adjustment to loss (e.g., Rosner, Kruse, & Hagl, 2010; Uttley, 2015) and have revealed the frequency with which they are clinically implemented (Thompson & Neimeyer, 2014). Clinicians and recipients of expressive art interventions advocate for their helpfulness in grief processing (e.g., Gamino, 2015). Publications have highlighted particular visual art modules that facilitate adaptive adjustment to loss by providing avenues for self-expression, meaning making and continuing bonds with the deceased (Neimeyer, 2016), but few studies have quantitatively investigated whether they improve …

Relationship Between Resilience Factors And Presence Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms And Posttraumatic Growth In Suicide Loss Survivors, Natalya Bogopolskaya

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Many studies have examined the bereavement patterns and development of anxiety or mood disorders in suicide loss; however, few have looked at the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or the impact of resilience factors on the development of PTSD or posttraumatic growth (PTG) in suicide loss survivors. This study’s primary hypothesis was that a greater number of resilience traits, as defined under the domains of personal competence, trust/tolerance/strengthening effects of stress, acceptance of change and secure relationships, control, and spiritual influences (CDRISC- 25; Connor & Davidson, 2003), would correlate with fewer PTSD symptoms under DSM-5 criteria (PCL-5; Weathers et …

The Lived Experiences Of Those Bereaved By Suicide, Vincent Kinsey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study sought to explore the lived experience of the bereaved-by-suicide and to provide a detailed description of their experience with the loss of a loved one. The study participants were 12 bereaved-by-suicide individuals between the ages of 21 and 65 who had experienced the loss of a loved one by suicide two or more years before the interviews. The research question was made up of three parts, "How do the bereaved-by-suicide describe their grief in personal, practical, and existential terms?" The theoretical framework for the study was derived from Neimeyer's meaning reconstruction theory. Data were collected via individual interview …

Bereavement In Online Graduate Students: Perspectives On Academic Success And Interventions, Edythe Marie Bouldin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this qualitative study was to fill an existing gap in research on bereavement and graduate students. The study explored how bereavement and grief affect a person physically, mentally, and cognitively. Prior studies have addressed bereavement in undergraduate college students, but little research has focused on online graduate students and bereavement. This study fills that gap in the literature allowing university personnel and the public access to an understanding as to how online graduate students' bereavement affects their academic performance and how they perceive their university supports them during their time of bereavement. This exploration used a case …

Perceived Social Support And Identity Formation In Bereaved University Students, Katherine Ottley

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The experience of death-related loss is almost universal, which makes it an important area of study. The experience of death-related loss can cause a re-evaluation of identity (Hibberd, 2013), but this has not been widely studied in emerging adults. The lack of research into bereavement experiences in emerging adulthood leaves many questions unanswered, in particular regarding identity. This is the case, despite identity consolidation being considered an important task of emerging adulthood (Arnett, 2006; Erikson, 1959). I examined the relationships between bereavement, identity and social support, using a sample of 98 university students, many of whom were White and female. …