Childhood after the death of a parent

Abstract

The aim of this thesis was to look at the consequences of parental death in children. The first part of my thesis examined what can be expected after the death of a parent. It looks into theories about grief, physiological changes related to grief, behaviors of grief seen in children. The second part of the thesis dealt with potential risks that the individual might present after the death of a parent during childhood. This section looks at the difference in outcomes in respect to how the parent had died and differences in outcomes as related to gender. The third part of this thesis focused on what should be done by caregivers to help the child after the death of a parent. It focuses on the attachments between caregivers and these children who are dealing with the death of a parent. It looks at how the caregiver should talk to a child about death and activities that can help the child with healing. It then looks at the importance of making the deceased present in the life of the child and how to incorporate a new partner into the family dynamic, should this arise in the future.