Baked beans for bereavement

Abstract

My primary goal in conducting the research was to investigate and hypothesise about the relationships and patterns involved in childhood bereavement. Methodologically, I applied a combined process, to view both the data and my work with bereaved children. I explored the relationships between the stories told in a therapeutic dialogue, and the emergent patterns within my research data. Furthermore, this study will analyse and discuss the literature around grief as an interdependent transactional process, as well as the unique characteristics of childhood bereavement. I will describe and investigate patterns within the data of the National Child Development Study (NCDS) and discuss the blossoming concept of routine, as it relates to the processing of grief in children.

Keywords:

• childhood
• bereavement
• routine
• relationship
• patterns

Notes

* The Bristol Social Adjustment Guide (BSAG) consists of a large number of phrases to describe a child's behaviour. These are grouped and scored according to Stott (1963) and 1965). The Centre for Longitudinal Studies used the BSAG to collect data for the NCDS cohort study and a coding frame guide can be found at www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/core/documents/download.asp?id=416&log_stat=1. The BSAG has an anxiety and acceptance adult scale which are two variables, one being levels of anxiety and the ability to accept adults