Personal growth in bereaved students: Associations with support, grief, and distress

Abstract

Experiencing the death of a loved one can have a substantial negative impact on the grief and mental health of students. However, the bereavement can also lead to personal growth. We investigated the association between personal growth and support, grief, and distress. Bereaved students (N = 666) at Flemish universities and colleges (Belgium) completed an online survey with sociodemographic questions and four scales assessing personal growth, support, grief, and distress. Support and grief positively predicted personal growth. Emotional closeness correlated positively with personal growth. Our findings indicate a need for supporting bereaved students in their process of personal growth.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

K.A. was supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Early Career Fellowship (1157796) and an Early Career Researcher Grant of The University of Melbourne (ECR1202020). The funding bodies had no role in the design of the study, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, the writing of the report, and the decision to submit it for publication.