Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Concerns of Grieving Caregivers Scale (COGCS) with Two Clinical Samples

The Concerns of Grieving Caregivers Scale (COGCS) is the first of its kind to explore caregivers’ concerns about their own parenting, as well as their relationships with, and specific behaviours of their bereaved child(ren). Using exploratory factor analysis, we evaluate grieving parents’ and caregivers’ concerns using data collected across clinical populations from two community organizations supporting grieving families (i.e., a children’s grief centre and a community hospice). Two identified factors were established: Concerns about Caregiving and Concerns about the Child. The COGCS demonstrates good internal consistency and criterion validity in its application with two distinct clinical samples. The use of this scale could be of value to clinicians supporting bereaved caregivers and their families as they can integrate concern-specific resources into their practice to better support their clients’ presenting concerns.

Parental Engagement in Grief Programming Is Related to Children’s Outcomes

A multivariate model was used to study outcomes of childhood bereavement. The model included exogenous factors such as engagement and within-person resilience factors. Sixty-two parent-child dyads were recruited from a local children’s grief center and completed measures of engagement in the programming, resilience and grief. A complex model was revealed in which parental engagement in the grief program was related to child engagement and the child’s control beliefs which in turn were significantly related to the child’s grief symptoms. These variables existed within a system, rather than within an individual.

#SayTheWords: Supporting grieving children

Children's Grief Awareness Week is especially poignant this year given the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic

When death happens

To mark Children's Grief Awareness Week, Alison Penny considers how schools can be better prepared to support young people who are coming to terms with the death of someone close

When death happens in the school community

To mark Children's Grief Awareness Week—which runs from November 15 to 21—Alison Penny considers how schools can be better prepared to support young people who are coming to terms with the death of someone close

Prescience, Prophecy and Prayer

The work of Alan Keith-Lucas has informed theory and the ethical integration of faith and social work practice. An early member of NACSW and prolific writer in child welfare services, religiously affiliated children’s homes, and social work practice and faith, Keith-Lucas developed theories on children’s grief and on effective helping that continue to provide prescient guidance in the field today. This article, delivered as the 2018 Alan Keith-Lucas Lecture at the annual conference, applies the helping principles and work of Keith-Lucas to current issues of child welfare, social work education, racism, work with LGBTQ+ persons, and polarized discussions. Central to the article is the discussion of Keith-Lucas’ helping model of reality, empathy, and support.

Parental Perceptions of Surviving Sibling Grief Responses to an Adolescent’s Violent and Sudden Death by the Sewol Ferry Disaster in South Korea

The aim of this study was to provide empirical descriptions of responses to the death of a sibling to the sinking of the Sewol ferry in South Korea. 16 bereaved parents are interviewed regarding their surviving children's grief responses at approximately 2 years after the death. The surviving siblings described by the bereaved parents are 14 in total, including 8 teens in their 10s and 4 young adults in their 20s. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a qualitative content analysis method. The following themes emerged: (a) negative behavioral changes, (b) expressions of grief, (c) change in relationship with parents, (d) school adjustment problems, and (e) social changes. Unique aspects of the grief responses among the surviving siblings in this study are noted. Discussions and implications are provided based on the results.

Children’s Grief and Creativity: The Experience of Losing a Sibling

When children lose one of their siblings, they seek their parents’ emotional support. However, because their parents also feel the loss of one of their children, they cannot provide adequate emotional support for the living ones. Consequently, children have difficulty mourning that loss. This study aims to understand the psychodynamics of children who lost a sibling. The research involved three children, two boys at the age of 11 and 12, and a girl at the age of eight. Individual sessions were conducted to apply the House-Tree-Person Test (HTP) and the Fables Test with the children. Family environments were fragile, driving participants to suppress their feelings and develop symptoms such as learning disability, fear of death, psychosomatic symptoms, dependency, and difficulty in the symbolization process. To express their grief, children need to use their creativity, with the aid of an external environment that offers holding. Such setting allows them to express anguish and anxiety, and to resume their emotional development, despite the difficulties.