Following the accidental death of an 8th grade student, 26 classmates answered questionnairies after one and nine months. In addition, a qualitative interview was carried out with half the class and six close friends after one month. There was a strong positive endorsement of the school's response following the death. The students valued the opportunity to talk and take part in ritual activities. However, close friends from outside the dead boy's class went largely unnoticed, and assistance based on a better understanding of the grief hierarchy and identification of those who continued to react are recommended in order to counteract long-term problems.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Balk, D.E. (1991) 'Death, Bereavement, and College Students: A Description of Research at Kansas State University', paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Death Education and Counseling, Boston, 6 March.
2.
Balk, D.E. and Corr, C.A. (1996) 'Adolescents, Developmental Tasks, and Encounters with Death and Bereavement', in C.A. Corr and D.E. Balk (eds) Handbook of Adolescent Death and Bereavement, pp. 3-24. New York: Springer.
3.
Brent, D.A. , Perper, J.A., Moritz, G., Allman, C., Schweers, J., Roth, C., Balach, L., Canobbio, R. and Liotus, L. (1993) 'Psychiatric Sequelae to the Loss of an Adolescent Peer to Suicide', Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry32: 509-517.
4.
Capewell, E. (1994) 'Responding to Children in Trauma: A Systems Approach for Schools', Bereavement Care13: 2-7.
5.
Dyregrov, A. (1991) Grief in Children. A Handbook for Adults. London: Jessica Kingsley.
6.
Dyregrov, A. (1993) 'The Interplay of Trauma and Grief, in Occasional Paper No. 8: Trauma and Crisis Management. Association for Child Psychology and Psychiatry Occasional Papers.
7.
Dyregrov, A. and Raundalen, M. (1994)Sorg og omsorg i skolen. Bergen: Magnat forlag.
8.
Dyregrov, A. , Gjestad, R., Bie Wikander, A.M. and Vigerust, S. (in press) 'Reactions Following the Sudden Death of a Classmate'. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology.
9.
Gray, R.E. (1988) 'The Role of School Counselors with Bereaved Teenagers: With and Without Peer Support Groups', The School Counselor (January): 185-193.
10.
Hogan, N. (1990) 'Hogan Sibling Inventory of Bereavement', in J. Touliatos, B. Perlmutter and M. Strauss (eds) Handbook of Family Measurement Techniques, p. 524-524. Newbury, CA: Sage.
11.
Hogan, N.S. and DeSantis, L. (1994) 'Things that Help and Hinder Adolescent Sibling Bereavement', Western Journal of Nursing Research16: 132-153.
12.
Hogan, N.S. and Greenfield, D.B. (1991) 'Adolescent Sibling Bereavement Symptomatology in a Large Community Sample', Journal of Adolescent Research6: 97-113.
13.
Kneisel, P.J. and Richards, G.J. (1988) 'Crisis Intervention after the Suicide of a Teacher', Professional Psychology: Research, Theory and Practice19: 165-169.
14.
Lehman, D.R. , Ellard, J.H. and Wortman, C.B. (1986) 'Social Support for the Bereaved: Recipients' and Providers' Perspectives on What is Helpful', Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology54(4): 438-446.
15.
McNeil, J.N. , Silliman, B. and Swihart, J.J. (1991) 'Helping Adolescents Cope with the Death of a Peer: A High School Case Study', Journal of Adolescent Research6: 132-145.
16.
Mauk, G.W. and Weber, C. (1991) 'Peer Survivors of Adolescent Suicide: Perspectives on Grieving and Postvention', Journal ofAdolescent Research6: 113-131.
17.
Oltjenbruns, K.A. (1996) 'Death of a Friend during Adolescence: Issues and Impacts', in C.A. Corr and D.E. Balk (eds)Handbook ofAdolescent Death and Bereavement, pp. 196-215. New York: Springer.
18.
Podell, C. (1989) 'Adolescent Mourning: The Sudden Death of a Peer', Clinical Social Work17: 64-78.
19.
Range, L.M. , Walston, A.S. and Pollard, P.M. (1992) 'Helpful and Unhelpful Comments after Suicide, Homicide, Accident, or Natural Death', OMEGA25: 25-31.
20.
Saigh, P.A. , Mroueh, M., Zimmerman, B.J. and Fairbank, J.A. (1995) 'Selfefficacy Expectations among Traumatized Adolescents', Behavior Research and Therapy33: 701-704.
21.
Schachter, S. (1991-2) 'Adolescent Experiences with the Death of a Peer', OMEGA24: 1-11.
22.
Silverman, P.R. , Nickman, S. and Worden, J.W. (1992) 'Detachment Revisited: The Child's Reconstruction of a Dead Parent', American Journal of Orthopsychiatry62: 494-503.
23.
Stallard, P. and Law, F. (1994) 'The Psychological Effects of Traumas on Children', Children and Society8(2): 89-97.
24.
Swihart, J. , Silliman, B. and McNeil, J. (1992) 'Death of a Student: Implications for Secondary School Counselors', The School Counselor40: 55-61.
25.
Tyler, M.P. and Gifford, R.K. (1991) 'Fatal TrainingAccidents: The Military Unit as a Recovery Context', Journal of Traumatic Stress4: 233-249.
26.
Yule, W. and Gold, A. (1993) Wise Before the Event. Coping with Crises in Schools. London: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
