Adult Child Loss and the Two-Track Model of Bereavement

Abstract

The Two-track Model of Bereavement suggests that response to loss can be more effectively assessed when both the behavioral-psychological functioning and the internalized relationship to the deceased are considered [1–4]. Research based on this paradigm examined the experiences of 102 Israeli parents bereaved of sons four and thirteen earlier and a comparison group of seventy-three non-bereaved parents. All parents completed measures of functioning, anxiety, evaluation of self and son, written description of the son, and measures of the current life situation. Results indicated that the bereaved parents manifested difficulties in functioning and in their covert relationship to the deceased son. Differences between and within the bereaved groups by time and sex are considered. Regression documented an association between functioning and relationship to the deceased, and lent support to the assumptions underlying the Two-track Model of Bereavement. This discussion addresses the course of bereavement for adult sons with some implications for bereavement research and intervention.