Death and Adolescent Bereavement

Abstract

The author reviews research conducted in the 1980s regarding death and adolescent bereavement. Prior to 1981 little research attention was given to this subject. A plethora of material has appeared since then, with attention paid to adolescents bereaved over (a) a parent's death, (b) a sibling's death, and (c) their own impending death. Adolescent bereavement over a friend's death has mostly been overlooked Research needs in this field of inquiry include (a) longitudinal investigations to study the trajectory of adolescent bereavement, (b) development of theoretical models to explain adolescent bereavement, and (c) integration with the traditional areas of adolescence inquiry, such as cognitive developmen4 moral reasoning, gender socialization, and identify formation.