This discussion directs itself to a review and synthesis of the chronicles of later life kinship loss as presented in this volume. Several efforts are aimed in this direction. First, four broad generalizations about bereavement are offered: 1) Bereavement is a complex experience, 2) influenced by the context within which the loss takes place as well as 3) the nature of the lost relationship and the role the deceased played, 4) with an endpoint that is variable and unclear. The particular influences of specific losses are also addressed. Second, the empirical issues corresponding to these generalizations are discussed as are the more substantive issues of the appraisal of the loss, the role(s) of gender, and the influence of spirituality. Finally, the application of these works are identified and framed in the context of later life bereavement.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BowlbyJ., Attachment and Loss: Volume 2. Separation: Anxiety and Anger, Basic Books, New York, 1969.
2.
LundD. A., Conclusions about Bereavement in Later Life and Implications for Interventions and Future Research, in Older Bereaved Spouses: Research with Practical Applications, LundD. A. (ed.). Hemisphere, New York, pp. 215–231, 1989.
3.
SchuchterS. R. and ZisookS., The Course of Normal Grief, Handbook of Bereavement: Theory, Research, and Intervention, StroebeM. S.StroebeW., and HanssonR. O. (eds.), Cambridge University Press, New York, pp. 23–43, 1993.
4.
de VriesB.Dalla LanaR., and FalckV., Parental Bereavement over the Life Course: A Theoretical Intersection and Empirical Review, Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 29:1, pp. 47–69, 1994.
5.
McGoldbrickM. and WalshF., A Time to Mourn: Death and the Family Life Cycle, in Living Beyond the Loss: Death in the Family, WalshF. and McGoldrickM. (eds.), W. W. Norton, New York, pp. 30–49, 1991.
6.
LiebermanM. A., All Family Losses are not Equal, Journal of Family Psychology, 2, pp. 368–372, 1989.
7.
StroebeM. S.StroebeW., and HanssonR. O., Bereavement Research: An Historical Introduction, Journal of Social Issues, 44:3, pp. 1–18, 1988.
8.
WortmanC. B. and SilverR. C., Coping with Irrevocable Loss, in Cataclysms, Crises, and Catastrophes: Psychology in Action, VandenBosG. R. and BryantB. K. (eds.), American Psychological Association, Washington, pp. 189–235, 1987.
9.
WortmanC. B. and SilverR. C., The Myths of Coping with Loss, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, pp. 349–357, 1989.
10.
ArbuckleN. W. and de VriesB., The Long-Term Effects of Later Life Spousal and Parental Bereavement on Personal Functioning, The Cerontologist, 35:4, pp. 637–647, 1995.
11.
KimmelD., Psychotherapy and the Older Gay Man, Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 14, pp. 386–393, 1977.
12.
LopataH. Z., The Support Systems of American Urban Widows, in Handbook of Bereavement: Theory, Research, and Intervention, StroebeM. S.StroebeW., and HanssonR. O. (eds.), Cambridge University Press, New York, pp. 381–396, 1993.
13.
UmbersonD.WortmanC. B., and KesslerR. C., Widowhood and Depression: Explaining Long-Term Gender Differences in Vulnerability, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 33, pp. 10–24, 1992.
14.
MossM. S. and MossS. Z., The Death of a Parent, in Midlife Loss: Coping Strategies, KalishR. (ed.), Sage, Newbury Park, California, pp. 89–114, 1989.
15.
MarshallV., Last Chapters: A Sociology of Aging and Dying, Brooks/Cole, Monterey, California, 1980.
16.
HagestadG. O., The Continuous Bond: A Dynamic Multigenerational Perspective on Parent-Child Relations between Adults, in Parent-Child Interactions and Parent-Child Relations in Child Development, PerlmutterM. (ed.), Erlbaum, Hillsdale, New Jersey, pp. 129–158, 1984.
17.
AndersonH., The Death of a Parent: Its Impact on Middle-Aged Sons and Daughters, Pastoral Psychology, 28, pp. 151–167, 1980.
18.
de VriesB. and FalckV. T., Interviews with Bereaved Parents, unpublished data, University of Texas, School of Public Health, 1989.
19.
PonzettiJ., Bereaved Families: A Comparison of Parents' and Grandparents' Reactions to the Death of a Child, Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 25, pp. 63–71, 1992.
20.
PonzettiJ. and JohnsonM., The Forgotten Grievers: Grandparents' Reactions to the Death of Grandchildren, Death Studies, 15, pp. 157–167, 1991.
21.
AverillJ. R. and NunleyE. P., Grief as an Emotion and as a Disease: A Social-Constructionist Perspective, in Handbook of Bereavement: Theory, Research, and Intervention, StroebeM. S.StroebeW., and HanssonR. O. (eds.), Cambridge University Press, New York, pp. 77–90, 1993.
22.
RosenblattP. C., Grief: The Social Context of Private Feelings, in Handbook of Bereavement: Theory, Research, and Intervention, StroebeM. S.StroebeW., and HanssonR. O. (eds.), Cambridge University Press, New York, pp. 102–111, 1993.
23.
StroebeM. S.HanssonR. O., and StroebeW., Contemporary Themes and Controversies in Bereavement Research, in Handbook of Bereavement: Theory, Research, and Intervention, StroebeM. S.StroebeW., and HanssonR. O. (eds.), Cambridge University Press, New York, pp. 457–475, 1993.
24.
JohnsonC. L. and TrollL. E., Constraints and Facilitators to Friendships in Late Life, The Gerontologist, 34, pp. 79–87, 1994.
25.
KastenbaumR., Death and Bereavement in Later Life, in Death and Bereavement, KutscherA. H. (ed.), Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, Illinois, pp. 28–54, 1969.
26.
RandoT. A., The Unique Issues and Impact of the Death of a Child, in Parental Loss of a Child, RandoT. A. (ed.), Research Press, Champaign, Illinois, pp. 5–43, 1986.
27.
NeugartenB. L. and WeinsteinK. K., The Changing American Grandparent, Journal of Marriage and the Family, 26, pp. 199–204, 1964.
28.
GoldD. T., Sibling Relationships in Old Age: A Typology, International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 28, pp. 37–51, 1989.
29.
GoldD. T., Late-Life Sibling Relationships: Does Race Affect Typological Distribution?The Gerontologist, 30, pp. 741–748, 1990.
30.
GoldD. T.WoodburyM. A., and GeorgeL. K., Relationship Classification Using Grade of Membership (GOM) Analysis: A Typology of Sibling Relationships in Later Life, Journal of Gerontology, 45, pp. 741–748, 1990.
31.
StroebeW. and StroebeM. S., Bereavement and Health, Cambridge University Press, New York, 1987.
32.
LehmanD. R.WortmanC. B., and WilliamsA., Long-Term Effects of Losing a Spouse or Child in a Motor Vehicle Crash, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52:1, pp. 218–231, 1987.
33.
WeissR. S., Loss and Recovery, in Handbook of Bereavement: Theory, Research, and Intervention, StroebeM. S.StroebeW., and HanssonR. O. (eds.), Cambridge University Press, New York, pp. 271–284, 1993.
34.
GorerG., Death, Grief and Mourning, Doubleday, Garden City, New York, 1965.
35.
OsterweisM.SolomonF., and GreenM., Bereavement: Reactions, Consequences and Care, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 1984.
36.
CasertaM. S. and LundD., Bereavement Stress and Coping among Older Adults: Expectations versus the Actual Experience, Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 25:1, pp. 33–45, 1992.
37.
KastenbaumR., Dying and Death: A Life-Span Approach, in Handbook of the Psychology of Aging (2nd Edition), BirrenJ. E. and SchaieK. W. (eds.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, pp. 619–643, 1985.
38.
RosenblattP. C., Bitter, Bitter Tears: Nineteenth Century Diarists and Twentieth Century Grief Theories, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1983.
39.
de VriesB.JacobyC., and DavisC. G., Ethnic Differences in Later Life Friendship, Canadian Journal on Aging, 15:2, pp. 226–244, 1996.
40.
DeckE. S. and FoltaJ. R., The Friend-Griever, in Disenfranchised Grief: Recognizing Hidden Sorrow, DokaK. J. (ed.), Lexington Books, Lexington, Massachusetts, pp. 77–89, 1989.
41.
de VriesB., The Understanding of Friendship: An Adult Life Course Perspective, in Handbook of Emotion, Adult Development, and Aging, Malatesta-MagaiC. and McFaddenS. J. (eds.), Academic Press, New York, pp. 249–268, 1996.
42.
WortmanC. B.SilverR. C., and KesslerR. C., The Meaning of Loss and Adjustment to Bereavement, in Handbook of Bereavement: Theory, Research, and Intervention, StroebeM. S.StroebeW., and HanssonR. O. (eds.), Cambridge University Press, New York, pp. 349–366, 1993.
43.
LazarusR. S. and FolkmanS., Stress, Appraisal, and Coping, Springer, New York, 1984.
44.
MillerJ. B., Toward a New Psychology of Women, Beacon Press, Boston, Massachusetts, 1976.
45.
ParkerS. and de VriesB., Patterns of Friendship for Women and Men in Same and Cross-Sex Relationships, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 10, pp. 617–626, 1993.
46.
WrightP. H., Interpreting Research on Gender Differences in Friendship: A Case for Moderation and a Plea for Caution, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 5, pp. 367–373, 1988.
47.
FishW. C., Differences of Grief Intensity in Bereaved Parents, in Parental Loss of a Child, RandoT. A. (ed.), Research Press, Chicago, Illinois, pp. 415–430, 1986.
48.
ShanfieldB. and SwainB. J., Death of Adult Children in Traffic Accidents, Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 172, pp. 533–538, 1984.
49.
HaightB. K., Reminiscing: The State of the Art as a Basis for Practice, International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 33, pp. 1–32, 1991.
50.
HaightB. K. and HendrixS., An Integrated Review of Reminiscence, in The Art and Science of Reminiscing: Theory, Research, Methods, and Applications, HaightB. K. and WebsterJ. D. (eds.), Taylor and Francis, Washington, D.C., pp. 3–21, 1995.
51.
BirrenJ. E. and DeutchmanD. E., Guiding Autobiography Groups for Older Adults: Exploring the Fabric of Life, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland, 1991.
52.
de VriesB.BirrenJ. E., and DeutchmanD. E., Adult Development through Guided Autobiography: The Family Context, Family Relations, 39, pp. 3–7, 1990.
53.
de VriesB.BirrenJ. E., and DeutchmanD. E., Method and Uses of the Guided Autobiography, in The Art and Science of Reminiscing: Theory, Research, Methods, and Applications, HaightB. K. and WebsterJ. D. (eds.), Taylor and Francis, Washington, D.C., pp. 165–177, 1995.
