Loss of a Parent by an Adolescent

CRITICAL DISCUSSION OF LOSS OF
A PARENT BY AN ADOLESCENT

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF NORMAL AND COMPLICATED GRIEF
REACTIONS OVER LOSS OF A PARENT BY AN ADOLESCENT.........................................3
ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF THE ROLE OF THE HELPERS IN LOSS OF A
PARENT BY AN ADOLESCENT.................................................................................................7
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION...............................................................................8
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Loss of parent by an Adolescent is a terrible feeling of losing someone which causes major
impact on mental and physical wellbeing of a person who has experienced loss. From Children
and Grief Statistics, it is outlined that 1 in 5 children experience death of closed ones by the age
of 18. Further, in a poll of 1000, high school seniors and juniors, 90% indicated about their
experience over loss of loved ones (Children and Grief Statistics, 2018). Out of every 20
children aged 15 and younger suffer from loss of one or both parents. More than 1.5 million
children in are living a single parent household because of death of one parent. However, as per
National Statistics UK it is outlined that in 2015, 23,600 parents died in United Kingdom leaving
dependent children which counts 23,200 which denotes one parent in every 22 minutes
(NATIONAL STATISTICS, 2018). The statistics also identified about number of children
bereaved of parents every year which reflects that, 41,000 dependent children were left behind
by parents, according to which there are 112 newly bereaved adolescent every day.
Parental loss is related to long term impairment and leads to wide range of health
problems like psychological distress, posttraumatic stress disorder, extreme depression, anxiety
and psychiatric disorder. Loss of parent in early growing age leads to various problems
psychological distress which impact growth of brain due to which children become vulnerable to
surroundings and end up isolating themselves from social interactions. In accordance with this, it
can be said that health care workers play an important role in managing care of children because
the individual focuses on cognitive development of child. Social, behavioural and emotional
development of child after loss of parent is the most essential factor to be considered as it aids in
improving resilience of child in different challenging situations (Rosenblatt, 2016). Also,
involvement of carers with child who experienced parental loss helps the individual in
understanding vulnerability of adolescents and specific problems which needs to focused.
ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF NORMAL AND COMPLICATED GRIEF
REACTIONS OVER LOSS OF A PARENT BY AN ADOLESCENT
Grief is a multifaceted response to specific loss in individual’s life and it can be divided into
two that normal and complicated grief. Grief is an essential reaction to loss and depicts
individual ability to grow after certain loss. Implying model to understand grief is the best ways
of analysing dimension of one specific loss.
Normal grief reactions
3

According to Hawthorne, Youngblut and Brooten (2016), curiosity of children after parental
loss is normal and therefore it is important for the teachers, parents and guardians to accept and
teach children death as a natural process. However, to develop understanding over parental loss
by Adolescent first model which will implied to understand normal grief reaction is Kubler -
Ross model which comprise five stages to evaluate grief in terminal illness.
Denial is the sudden situation where communication is essential. In case of parental loss
by children avoidance, confusion, fear and shock are the common reactions. Confusion and fear
of children is reflected in their irritable and clingy behaviour. These are the reaction which
presents inability to accept and understand the situation (Coping with Loss: Bereavement and
Grief, 2019). Denial to loss is seen in behaviour of child, like loss of concertation, baby talk,
bedwetting and thumb sucking.
Anger is second stage of grief model which presents frustration and anger of people.
Vulnerability and grief of adolescent in this situation is depicts in social isolation, aggression,
lack of control over actions and inability to process situation. The sorrow of child with anger is
presented in guilt of failure to prevent loss. According to Phillips and Lewis (2015), guilt of
adolescents for parental loss is seen in case of terminal illness. This is the situation when disease
of patient can not be cured but can treated to make person comfortable. Death of terminally ill
parent is toxic elements for childhood loss where the individual’s losses cognitive ability and
become anxious for separation.
Bargaining is another stage where guilt of person makes them negotiate for the condition
with people or god. The grief in this situation is reflected in them inability to sleep, fear of being
alone and loss of appetite. The fear of losing terminally ill patient present grief when adolescent
negotiate with destiny for time in exchange of their good behaviour, quitting bad habits and for
being reasonable to parent’s choice. According to Tillquist, Bäckrud and Rosengren, (2016),
children in growing age are the most anxious creature and regardless of any situation the
individuals have the fear of losing closed ones. Therefore, grief for terminally ill parents for
adolescents is presented in their excessively imitating questions, refusal to attend school, drop in
performance, invention of games and puzzles of dying, etc.
Depression is the stage where child become silent and starts accepting grief which is seen
in hopelessness, anxiety, psychological distress, psychiatric behaviour. As per the views of
Kujawa and et.al., (2015), depression at the time of accepting death of terminally ill parent is
4