This research report shows grief following the death of a divorced spouse to be a common event which frequently is not understood, acknowledged, and/or accepted by society, family members, and friends. With the divorce rate still hovering near 50 percent and people living longer, there will be an increasing number who may suffer this grief experience. This article focuses on why people often grieve for an ex-spouse, the unique factors which influence their grief response, the importance of developing ways to assist survivors manage their grief, and the necessity of educating the helping professions, and society in general, to recognize and validate survivor's emotional needs.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
DokaK. (1986). Loss upon loss: The impact of death after divorce. Death Studies, 10, 441–450.
NortonA., & GlickP. (1976). Marital instability: Past, present and future. Journal of Social Issues, 32(1), 5–20.
11.
OwenG.FultonR., & MarkusenE. (1982–1983). Death at a distance: A study of family survivors. Omega, 13(3), 191–225.
12.
ParkesC. (1964). The effects of bereavement on physical and mental health: A case study of the case records of widows. British Medical Journal, (2), 274.
13.
ParkesC., & BrownR. (1972). Health after bereavement: A controlled study of young Boston widows and widowers. Psychosomatic Medicine, 34, 449–461.
14.
ParkesC. (1976). The broken home. In ShneidmanE. S. (Ed.), Death: Current perspectives (pp. 333–347). Mountainview, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company.
15.
RandoT. (1984). Grief, dying, and death.Champaign, IL: Research Press.
16.
RollinB. (1992). Divorce and grief: Some philosophical underpinnings. In TiemannA.DantoB., & GulloS. (Eds.), Divorce shock: Perspectives on counseling and therapy (pp. 1–9). Philadelphia, PA: The Charles Press.
17.
SandersC. (1982–1983). Effects of sudden vs. chronic illness death on bereavement outcome. Omega, 13(3), 227–241.
18.
ScottS. (1987). Grief reactions to the death of a divorced spouse. In CorrC. & PacholskiR. (Eds.), Death: Completion and discovery (pp. 107–116). Lakewood, OH: Association for Death Education and Counseling.
19.
ScottS. (1992). Death of a divorced spouse: The survivor's dilemma. In TiemannA.DantoB., & GulloS. (Eds.), Divorce shock: Perspectives on counseling and therapy (pp. 59–67). Philadelphia, PA: The Charles Press.
20.
SilvermanP. (1986). Widow to widow.New York: Springer.
21.
WhiteheadB. (1997). The divorce culture.New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
22.
WordenJ. (1991). Grief counseling and grief therapy, Revised Edition. New York: Springer.
