Young Children's Grief: Parents' Understanding and Coping

Abstract

The grief experiences of young children and the interactional dynamics between parents and children leading to healthy grieving remain comparatively underresearched. This article reports a qualitative evaluation of a Norwegian Bereavement Support Program where 8 parents described their young child's grief reactions and coping and how these intersected with their own grief. Successful parental coping with their child's grief involves understanding the child's genuine concerns following the death and an intricately holistic balance between shielding and including, between informing and frightening, and between creating a new life while cherishing the old.

Acknowledgments

This project was funded by The Norwegian Extra Foundation, Health and Rehabilitation.