Grief and the College Student: Latest research findings on bereaved
college students (ADEC, 2008)
1/3 of college students experience the death of someone close to them. One recent study suggest that
30% of college students were bereaved in the past 12 months, and 39% in the past 24 months (Walker, Balk, 2008).
In another study, Noppe
found that 47% of college students had experienced a death in the past 24 months and that almost
20% of them had experienced multiple losses in that time. Student academic performance and engagement was
affected by their loss, especially when the deceased was someone close to the student. Most students
did not see their college as a resource in helping them with their grief and only 19% of the bereaved students talked to their
professors about their loss.
Balk, 2008 found the strong need for colleges to reach out to a bereaved student
in and to determine what bereaved students need and want. These needs include:
a specific place
on campus that is readily recognized as a place to provide support and information,
the willingness of the professors to allow late and
make up work and to offer in-completes.
Servaty-Seib,
2008 found that closeness to the deceased also greatly affected the student's ability to study and engage with others.
Colleges need:
to train non bereaved students, provide structured interventions for bereaved students at risk for complicated grief, and
to encourage colleges to create leave policies for their students.
Adapted from the July 2008 ADEC Annual Conference (Association of Death
Education and Counseling)
Normal Signs of Grief:
Somatic
or bodily distress
Preoccupation
with the image of the deceased
Guilt
relating to the deceased or circumstances around the death
Hostile reactions
The
inability to function as one had before the loss
Feelings:
Sadness, Anger, Shock, Denial, Numbness, Guilt and Self Re-proach, Anxiety, Loneliness, Fatigue, Helplessness, Yearning,
Physical
Sensations:
Hollowness in the stomach
Tightness in the chest
Tightness in
the throat
Oversensitivity to noise
A sense of personalization "I walk down the campus and nothing seems real, including
me"
Breathlessness, feeling short of breath
Weakness in the muscles
Lack of energy
Dry mouth
Cognitions:
Disbelief
Confusion
Preoccupation
Sense of Presence
Hallucinations
( often transient illusory experiences often occurring within a few weeks following the loss, and generally do not
point to complicated grief). Many find these experiences comforting, although they are disconcerting to others. One wonders
with all of the recent interest in spirituality, whether these are really hallucinations or possibly some other kind of metaphysical
phenomena. (Worden, 2002).
Behaviors:
Sleep Disturbances
Appetite Disturbances
Absentminded Behavior
Social Withdrawal: People tend to want to withdraw after a loss. This is
usually short lived. Many students avoid those who try to "cheer them up" or adults who push them to "get over
it".
Dreams of the Deceased: very common to
dream of the dead person, both normal kinds of dreams and distressing dreams or nightmares.
Avoiding Reminders of the Deceased: Some people will want to avoid places (dorm room, dorm,
classrooms, dining hall table) as they may trigger painful feelings of grief.
Searching and Calling Out:
Sighing
Restless Over activity
Crying
Visiting Places or Carrying
Objects that remind you of the deceased
Treasuring Objects
that belonged to the deceased
National Students of Ailing Mothers and Fathers Support Network (International)
Network of university students helping each other cope
with the serious illness or death of a loved one. Campus-based mutual support groups, online newsletter, online chats, and
service projects. Web site provides information, group development guidelines and a listing of universities currently interested
in group development. Write: National Students of AMF, 514 Daniels St. Suite 356, Raleigh NJ 27605. Website: http://www.studentsofamf.org